MAC Boys Basketball Game of the Week - St. Henry and Versailles

Friday evening in St. Henry, the Versailles Tigers and St. Henry Redskins will attempt to solidify their spots at the top of the Midwest Athletic Conference boys basketball standings.  As both squads are currently unbeaten after two conference games, the winner will take a vital step in their quest for the MAC championship, which will continue to unfold over the course of the next few weeks.  Midway through the regular season, the Redskins sit at 10-1 overall, but head coach Eric Rosenbeck understands that his troops still have a long way to go.  “We still have plenty to work on - we really haven't hit our goals on defense throughout the year,” he began.  “We have done an excellent job on offensive rebounding, which we stress; however, we are struggling against some of the zone and junk defenses we have seen lately.  Our record is probably about right, but we are not passing our own eye test when we watch the film.”

Following a low-scoring loss to Wapakoneta midway through December, the Redskins, are winners of five straight, including two last weekend on the road against New Knoxville and at home over Eaton.  Kyle Stahl has continued to be the Redskins’ workhorse hitting 18.9 points and grabbing 10.8 rebounds per game.  Rosenbeck doesn’t hesitate to point out the effort needed to compete against Versailles (8-0) on Friday.  “We match up size wise pretty well - they are unreal on the glass though, and they are so athletic that we will have more than our hands full,” he explained.  “They are an outstanding team, and it will take our best effort to come away with a win.”

The Tigers have averaged nearly 65 points per game this season and enjoy a margin of victory of nearly 17 points each time out.  They dominated a both games in last weekend’s double-header with a 60-33 MAC win over the Parkway Panthers before blasting the Fort Loramie Redskins 66-38. 

by Robb Hemmelgarn