Behind The Box Score

When you think of high school basketball in the state of Ohio, you have the key points: conference titles, district titles, and wins over your crosstown rivals. But for two teams, they have never had the chance to experience the last of the three mentioned. Today when Grove City (4-1, 2-1) and Central Crossing (0-5, 0-3) step on to the floor, it will be the first official meeting between the two schools. Standing only 4.1 miles apart, the two schools have never played each other in the 7, now 8 years of existence of Central Crossing.

The two have played before, but only in a “SWCS Classic” as they called it. But that also has not been played since 2006-07, the same year Central Crossing posted their first winning season at 12-9. The only “classic” part of those sets of scrimmages was a match-up between the Comets and Hounds, when the Grove City mini student section that made the trip harassed point guard Bryce Barnes in the early part of the game. The chanting and trash talk was stopped when Barnes pulled up a deep three and drained it. He then proceeded to put his finger up to his lips to “shh” the crowd, a very un-Bryce like move.

Had an actual game been played between the two in the past three years, it would have been an instant classic without a doubt. The senior classes of 2009 left a legacy behind that will never be forgotten on either side. Grove City, in the sophomore through senior seasons for the class of ’09 racked up a record of 46-16, with a district title, an outright OCC title, and a shared OCC crown. Central Crossing also had great success for a young program, going 33-30, with their first ever winning season, and first 1,000 point scorer in Bryce Barnes.

Even with everything mentioned above, the rivalry will still be played at a high level. Many of the players are good friends off the court, and the passion for the game will be shown when they step on to the floor in a few hours.