Portsmouth Trojans 2025-26

[devilfan08]

Is there a livestream somewhere tonight

[trojandave]

The Gallia Academy Blue Devils beat Portsmouth @Trojan Arena last night by the count of 57-42. It was GAHS's 6 win in the last 7 games vs. PHS. The Trojans found themselves down early 10-4, and by halftime the Blue Devils' advantage was 31-14. Portsmouth rallied in the 2nd half to cut the lead to 10, but the first half hole they dug themselves in was too much to overcome. PHS outscored GAHS by 2 points in the 2nd half. The game was similar to the Fairland contest earlier this season when the Dragons had a 49-30 halftime lead, then the Trojans cut the lead to 10 but FHS ended up winning 92-70. #21 Hammond had a really good scoring game for GAHS, in which he was almost unstoppable in the paint. I believe the Blue Devils have at least 4 maybe all 5 starters back for next season. PHS starting 5 included freshmen Joe Greene and Mekhi Berry. PHS now leads the series between the 2 schools 47-23.

Portsmouth (4-4, 1-2 in the OVC) was led by Connie Thomas with 19 points, which followed a 24 point game by Connie vs. Manchester. The PHS JV won handily and are now 5-2 and still undefeated (3-0) in the OVC, having beaten Gallia, Rock Hill, and Fairland.

The Trojans have another rugged test on Thursday as the Ironton Fighting Tigers come to Trojan Arena. IHS holds a 14-8 lead in OVC contests between the 2 schools. Overall Portsmouth leads the all time series 95-78.

[trips_Y_slot]

I believe the Blue Devils have at least 4 maybe all 5 starters back for next season

Only one senior played for GA last night and he did not start.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth played its best game of the season last night, as they defeated their oldest rival Ironton 73-72 @Trojan Arena. The Trojans and Fighting Tigers have played 174 times, and PHS's now leads the series 96-78. Ironton had defeated Portsmouth in 12 of the last 14 games between the 2 schools, but last night Daequan Woods' short baseline jumper at the buzzer gave PHS the win. PHS is now 9-14 in OVC play vs. IHS.

The two teams stayed fairly close to each other throughout the contest, with neither holding a double digit lead. Ironton forged ahead 30-23, but the Trojans responded with an 8 point rally to take a 1 point lead. PHS led at the half 36-34. The game continued to be close in the final periods, with IHS and PHS tied at 53. The Fighting Tigers took a 59-53 lead, but the Trojans refused to quit. They rallied to tie the game, and it stayed within a point or two the rest of the way. A 3 pointer by Ironton and a FT gave them a 72-71 lead with under a minute to play. Portsmouth then worked the clock down, and inbounded the ball to Woods with 2.6 seconds to play. Without hesitation, Daequan made the winning shot and the home fans of Trojan Arena erupted into hysteria.

Woods led PHS with 24 points, while Connie Thomas scored 22, and Logan Adkins added 11. PHS is now 5-4 on the season, and 2-2 in the OVC. Ironton has a really good basketball team, very capable of getting to the regionals, maybe to the Final 4. They have an excellent starting 5, led by Ashton Layne and Bryson Mullins, with good depth. Probably the best Ironton team I've seen since the days of Zac Carter and Trey Fletcher. They are that good, which for those who watched the game in person or on a stream would have to impressed with the Trojans' effort.

If Portsmouth can play at this level going forward, good things are sure to follow. Congratulations to Coach Smith on his best win in his 31 games as PHS HC. He played 8 players, with Jay Lofton, Joe Greene, and Mekhi Berry coming off the bench to make important contributions. 6-5 Olynshay McKinley played his best game of the season as a starter, while Crisshawn Dukes started and played well also.

Ironton was ranked #8 in Pfloyd's most recent Elite 8.

[trojandave]

Through 9 games, Portsmouth is averaging 55 PPG on offense, 55 on defense.

[trojandave]

The Trojans raised their record to 6-4 with a hard fought 61-51 win at Coal Grove on Saturday. PHS is now 15-8 vs. the Hornets all time in OVC play. It was a typical game between the 2 schools, in that the Hornets hung around and kept the lead single digits for quite a while. PHS's biggest lead with about 13 points. Portsmouth was led by Logan Adkins with 14 points, while Crisshawn Dukes had his best scoring game with 13. Olynshay McKinley scored 11 along with 3 blocked shots, while Daequan Woods chipped in 11. PHS is now 3-2 in the OVC. The JV team raised their record to 6-3. Doan #23 for the Hornets scored 23 points.

Coach Smith played Jay Lofton, freshman Joe Greene, and Mekhi Berry off the bench. The starting 5 of Olynshay McKinley, Crisshawn Dukes, Daequan Woods, Connie Thomas, and Logan Adkins seems to be clicking right now. They played an outstanding game vs. Ironton and followed that up with a win over always competitive Coal Grove.

Going forward, this week could very well determine if the Trojans will post a winning season. Today they play at Trojan Arena vs. South Point, tomorrow hit the road at Eastern Pike, then on Thursday travel to Chesapeake for another OVC tilt, then on Saturday will host Lewis County, KY starting at 8:00 with no JV game. The Lewis County game is part of the Buckeye Elite showcase.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth led South Point only 14-12 after 1 quarter last night, but after that the Trojans outscored the Pointers 54-18 the rest of the way to post a 68-30 win @Trojan Arena. The Trojans (7-4) recorded their 3rd straight win. PHS led at the half 39-19. Daequan Woods led PHS with 22 points, Connie Thomas added 15, and Logan Adkins scored 12. Portsmouth raised its OVC mark to 4-2.

South Point had beaten the Trojans in the tournament 3 of the past 4 years, and in 2017 in the district semifinal. The PHS JV team trailed 28-14 at the half, but came back to win 48-46 mainly on some good 3 ball shooting by freshman Manny Thomas. The JV team is now 7-3 on the season.

Condolences to the SP community on the loss of an assistant coach who passed away a few days ago.

Portsmouth will travel to Eastern Pike today, then at Chesapeake on Thursday, then return home to host Lewis County, KY in the Buckeye Elite on Saturday.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth traveled up to Pike County yesterday and came home with a 71-47 win over the Eastern Pike Eagles. The Trojans took control of the game early, but the Eagles only trailed by 4 points at halftime. In the final 2 periods, PHS outscored Eastern by 20 points. 4 players scored in double figures for Portsmouth, led by D.Woods with 19, Connie Thomas with 15, Olynshay McKinley with 13 and 11 rebounds, and Logan Adkins scored 12.

Portsmouth is now 8-4 on the season, having won 4 games in a row. The trio of Woods, Thomas, and Adkins have been consistently scoring in double figures. Each has led the team in individual game scoring. What really has emerged as a huge boost going forward is the play of 6-6 senior Olynshay McKinley. Early in the season Shay was still trying to fit in to the starting rotation. Now he is a much different player and has shown the ability to not only score and rebound, but be a defensive force as well He had a double/double last night against the Eagles 6-7 post player. Coach Smith and his staff were patient with Shay, and he has proven to them that he is a very valuable player who makes the Trojans much better. Crisshawn Dukes has developed into a role where he plays hard D, can give the team some points, although not a big scorer, and helps out on the boards. The bench of Jay Lofton, freshmen Joe Greene and Mekhi Berry are giving productive minutes every game at both ends of the court.

Beating a very good Ironton team has energized PHS. They look like a much better team than they did earlier when they lost to Valley and Gallia Academy. The team is playing team defense, they share the ball, and they bring a lot of energy to the court. It has been exciting to see this team playing team basketball and winning games. Credit to Coach Smith and his staff for molding this group of Trojans into a team that could be posting a winning season for only the 2nd time since 2018. I'm quite sure that the kids and coaches want to go beyond just having a winning season.

Portsmouth travels to Chesapeake to face the Panthers on Thursday. PHS is 4-2 in the OVC, with CHS having only lost to Ironton. So this is a very important game is the Trojans want to stay in the OVC title race.

The PHS JV won their game and are now 8-3 on the season.

[A Trojan Confluence]

It's great to see the Trojans buying into the coaches' team defense and team offense strategies. 4 wins in a row probably has not happened in a while. 4 players in double figures is also great. Let's change both of those to 5 against Chesapeake! It looks to be a tough matchup with the Panthers.

Thank you for the update trojandave!

[trojandave]

A Trojan Confluence: You're welcome on the updates, and you're right about the Chesapeake game........looks like a real tough test for the Trojans. Always important to get off to a good start on a road game. Our Trojans have been playing well of late, so I'm hoping that continues tonight.

You mentioned winning 4 games in a row. PHS won its first 6 games in the 2023-24 season under Coach Jeff Lisath, then lost to Wheelersburg. The Trojans ended up with a 17-7 record, the most wins since the 2016-2017 season, and was the first winning season since the 2017-2018 team.

The PHS Junior High 7th grade team still has only 1 loss on the season, that @Wheelersburg. The 8th grade team has won 4 games, which is a big improvement over what they did last season.

[basketballohio]

the trojans looked to appear like their normal selves last night against the peake. Verbally all arguing with the coaches and displaying bad attitudes.
Trojan Dave, do you think portsmouth will ever be a good program?

[trojandave]

Portsmouth's 4 game winning streak came to a screeching halt last night, as the Chesapeake Panthers routed the Trojans 81-57 @CHS. PHS trailed at the half 35-27, and did fight back to cut the Peake advantage to 42-39 in the 3rd quarter. The Trojans' surge then died when they make several turnovers, and the Panthers went on to outscore Portsmouth 39-18 the rest of the way. No official scoring totals were available, but Logan Adkins did hit 4 trifectas. PHS is now 8-5 on the season, and 4-3 in the OVC. The Trojan JV team won by about 4 and was led by Manny Thomas who had about 6 trifectas. The JV squad is now 9-3 on the season.

Despite the loss to the Peake, the Trojan varsity has a great opportunity to post another winning streak. Tomorrow they face Lewis County, KY in the Buckeye Elite, then play Coal Grove and Rock Hill @Trojan Arena next week, followed by a trip to South Webster. PHS could be 12-5 if they could manage to win these very winnable games.

Chesapeake is a very good basketball team. The are well balanced with their starting 5, and #22 Kazee (Spelling) might be the best player the Trojans have faced this season. He scored close to 30 points. The Panthers have good size and a deep bench. No doubt they will be one of the main players for a district title.

[trojandave]

the trojans looked to appear like their normal selves last night against the peake. Verbally all arguing with the coaches and displaying bad attitudes.
Trojan Dave, do you think portsmouth will ever be a good program?

The Trojans just had a bad night against a really good team, and sometimes kids get frustrated. PHS is 8-5, so they've got to be doing something right. As I said in my recent post, they have a great chance to put the Peake game behind them with the next 4 games all very winnable. Let's see what happens going forward before we cast doubt on this team. I don't think it's fair to the team to isolate one loss and try to categorize the Trojans as an out of control, undisciplined team. When they won 4 games in a row, I didn't see virtually any positive comments on here.....but when they lose the way they did vs. Chesapeake, the sky is now falling. Not true.

As far as being a good program again, the Trojans have already won more games this season than they did last year (8 wins compared to 7 last season). So they're doing considerably better. Can the program rise again to win district and regional titles, and play in the Final 4? Absolutely......because just look at the girls program. 40 years without a district title, and now own 2 Final 4's and a State Championship. This can happen with the boys program, and this year looks to be one where it's headed at least in the right direction. We have some really good kids coming up, and I'm looking at 2 years from now that the Portsmouth Trojans can be in the conversation as one of the best teams in SE Ohio with a chance to recapture some of the tournament magic that this program was once known for.

But for right now, let's see what this year's Trojans can do. They are good enough to pull an upset or two in the tournament.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth played a lackluster game at the Buckeye Elite on Saturday, as the Lewis County Lions defeated the Trojans 65-55 @Trojan Arena. The Lions jumped to an early lead, with the Trojans struggling with a number of turnovers which led to a double digit LC advantage. PHS did manage to hang around and did cut the LC lead to 5, but could get no closer. Daequan Woods continued his outstanding senior season with 23 points, while senior Connie Thomas added 12. Portsmouth is now 8-6 on the season with 2 straight losses, and will entertain Coal Grove on Tuesday @ Trojan Arena. Coal Grove lost to Eastern Pike 58-34 at the Buckeye Elite. PHS defeated EP @Eastern 71-54 last week, and also topped CG 61-51 @Coal Grove.

[trojandave]

The Trojans made it a sweep of the Coach Grove Hornets last night, as they bested the visitors 53-43 @Trojan Arena. 2 weeks earlier PHS beat CG 61-51 on the Hornets hardwood. Last night, the Trojans jumped to a 12-0 lead, and a 20-10 advantage after 1 period, only to score 4 points in the 2nd quarter, with the Hornets leading 26-24 at the break. In the 2nd half, PHS amped up their pressure defense which caused some CG turnovers. Portsmouth gradually built a 10 point lead, but the Hornets rallied back within 4 points. Some clutch FT shooting by Daequan Woods, Connie Thomas, and Logan Adkins helped seal the win.

Portsmouth is now 9-6 on the season, and 5-3 in the OVC. Daequan Woods and Logan Adkins led PHS in scoring with 14 points apiece, while Connie Thomas added 12. The Trojans continue OVC play on Friday as the Rock Hill Redmen come calling to Trojan Arena. PHS defeated RH 52-38 earlier this season.

The PHS JV raised their fine record to 10-3, and to date have lost only 1 OVC contest, that to Ironton by 5 points. Paul Wagner is the JV coach.

Portsmouth is 16-8 all time vs. Coal Grove in OVC play.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth (9-6) has beaten 3 teams with a winning record......Ironton (11-2) 73-72, Racine Southern 10-2 (67-59), and Eastern Pike (8-6) 71-47. The win over Ironton is the Fighting Tigers' only OVC loss. IHS also lost at Wheelersburg.

[trojandave]

Congratulations to Sabe Brown of the Portsmouth 7th grade boys team on his outstanding performance vs. Ironton yesterday. Sabe scored 31 points to lead the PJHS 7th grade Trojans to a 57-35 rout of Ironton @IHS. Sabe is now a member of the 30 points club which is listed on the last page of www.trojanhoops.org. He joins Royce Berry as the 2nd PJHS player to make that list. Josiah Greene added 18 points in the win, while Xander Purdy scored 6, and Kaden Johnson scored a bucket. The 7th grade Trojans are currently undefeated and in 1st place in the OVC, with about 4-5 games remaining, including tonight's game @Trojan Arena vs. Fairland. Game will tip at 6 PM, followed by the 8th grade game. Josiah's father, Joe, is the coach of the 7th grade team.

[Rza1]

Congratulations to Sabe Brown of the Portsmouth 7th grade boys team on his outstanding performance vs. Ironton yesterday. Sabe scored 31 points to lead the PJHS 7th grade Trojans to a 57-35 rout of Ironton @IHS. Sabe is now a member of the 30 points club which is listed on the last page of www.trojanhoops.org. He joins Royce Berry as the 2nd PJHS player to make that list. Josiah Greene added 18 points in the win, while Xander Purdy scored 6, and Kaden Johnson scored a bucket. The 7th grade Trojans are currently undefeated and in 1st place in the OVC, with about 4-5 games remaining, including tonight's game @Trojan Arena vs. Fairland. Game will tip at 6 PM, followed by the 8th grade game. Josiah's father, Joe, is the coach of the 7th grade team.

That 7th grade team is a helluva group..

[trojandave]

How some Trojans rank among OVC top 5 stat leaders, according to Max Preps:

Daequan Woods.......2nd in scoring 17.8, 2nd in steals, 4th in rebounds, 4th in blocks.....FT pct. 70%.....FG pct. 45%
Connie Thomas........3rd in scoring 14.5, 3rd in assists.....FT pct. 79%.....FG pct. 42%
Olyshay McKinley......4th in blocked shots

[peake71]

Trojandave I see you got the info from Maxpreps but no Peake player is listed in any category so as usual Maxpreps isn't always up to date. Not saying your guys aren't up there but without Kazee, Perkins and Frecka not listed would change it some.