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Focus on prep basketball Greenon
Barbara Perenic
Josh Pilcher of Greenon, guarded here by Sterling Shoemaker (24) of Northeastern, says the Knights are stepping up defensively and shooting the ball better so far this season. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic
Knights looking to build on fast start
Now 2-0, team turns focus on earning respect throughout the league.
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By Michael Cooper,
Staff Writer
11:31 PM Thursday, December 8, 2011
SPRINGFIELD — The last seven years couldn’t have seemed any longer for the Greenon High School boys basketball program.
During that time span, the Knights won a total of 20 games, winning no more than four games in one season since 2004.
This year, however, the Knights are 2-0. They’re out to prove they’re not the same team they’ve been the last few years.
“We want to get respect around the league,” said senior guard Josh Pilcher, an All-Clark County selection last season. “We don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, it’s just Greenon.’ ”
Since the 2002-03 season, the Greenon boys basketball program has struggled. That year, the Knights went 16-4, winning the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division. The next year, they finished at 9-12.
Since then, they’ve gone 20-126 over the last seven seasons. Last year, Greenon went 4-17, its record since 2005-06.
With an experienced roster of nine juniors and seniors, the Knights are off to fast start. They beat Indian Lake 67-49 in the season opener last Friday, then beat Northeastern 71-65 on Tuesday.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Pilcher said. “We’re stepping up defensively and we’re shooting the ball better.”
The Knights are led by junior newcomer Anthony Colletti, a 6-2 forward, who’s averaging 26.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
“I like to get after it and be aggressive,” Colletti said.
Pilcher, who led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game last year, is averaging 18.5 points per game this season. He’s more than happy to see Colletti step up on the floor.
“He’s a monster on the boards,” Pilcher said. “You can count on him to get some buckets. It’s nice to have him out there.”
After two wins, the Knights aren’t about to get complacent. They know winning is a privilege, and they don’t take it lightly.
“We know it’s going to be a challenge,” Pilcher said. “We’ve got to keep our game up.”
The Knights haven’t had a winning season since 2002-03 under Bill Smith, now the coach at Northwestern.
The team, loaded with team chemistry, according to Colletti, is hoping to bring the tradition back this winter.
“I just hope we can keep it rolling, especially with this being my last year” Pilcher said. “We want to go out big.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365, Michael.Cooper@coxohio.com or on Twitter @SNS_Wizard.
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