Portsmouth Trojans 2025-26

[MeanJoeGreene]

If this was the last game of the year and PHS looked like that, I'd be worried. Lots of games to be played and stuff to continue to work on. Always better to win ugly than losing games so I'll take it. Free throws need some serious work. Back to the lab!

[trojandave]

The 49-41 win over Minford was ugly by both teams, but still a win for PHS. The Trojans' defense was disruptive and caused a lot of turnovers, but the offense was very sloppy with turnovers, and poor shot selection. FT shooting needs to get better. As hoopsnut 1979 alluded to, the rebounding needs to pick up. As MeanJoeGreene said, if this were the last game of the season, there would be a lot of concern.......but being the 1st game, at least there's plenty of games to make improvements. The Trojans' biggest lead was about 15 points, but the Falcons pulled within 4 or 5 in the 4th quarter on several 3 balls.

There is talent on this team, but there are some new starters......Olynshay McKinley, Logan Adkins, and Crisshawn Dukes, which will require time to develop a good chemistry. The depth off the bench looks adequate. Adkins led the Trojans with 13 points, while returning starters Daequan Woods had 9 and Connie Thomas chipped in 8. The PHS JV started out with about a 12 point win over the Falcons JV.

Good to see Coach Smith start out 1-0, and also to JV coach Paul Wagner for his 1st win. PHS returns to action in 2 weeks at the Buckeye Elite @Shawnee State when they will play Racine Southern at 2 PM.

[trojandave]

Scores of the games will be posted on the 1st page of this topic.

[RheaRipley]

Portsmouth has never run a truly structured offense but scores points off a disruptive D not a containment D. Let’s see them turn up the heat and get into the passing lanes OR run some sets. Well wishes TrojanDave and Trojans.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth's All Time Record vs. Common Opponents, with PHS's win total listed 1st:

Ironton: 95-78..................8-7 all time in tournament play, including 1-0 in regional final (50-40 in 2012)
Chillicothe: 44-45..............9-4 all time in tournament play, including 4-0 in district championship games
Wheelersburg: 24-24..........5-4 all time in tournament play, including 1-0 in regional semifinal (45-39 in 2011)
Gallia Academy: 47-22........
Ashland KY: 46-28
Huntington WV: 19-13

Greater Ohio League Records:

Springfield (Springfield South included): 36-29
Middletown: 17-47
Lima: 12-19
Hamilton: 10-21

Last 6 years in SEOAL play (2010-2015), Portsmouth went 35-1 vs. Logan, Gallia Academy, and Jackson. The 1 loss was the final SEOAL game for Portsmouth as Logan won @PHS 60-56.

Records vs. OVC schools is listed earlier in this thread.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth's Record vs. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton schools, with a few highlights:

Columbus: PHS has a 79-32 record.......15-5 record all time vs. Columbus East; PHS beat Columbus Mifflin 64-49 in the 1978 Class AA regional semifinal; 1984 team went 7-0 vs. Columbus schools; 1990 team went 6-0 vs. Columbus schools; 1990 team scored 107 points each vs. Columbus Marion-Franklin and Columbus East; 1988 D2 State Champion PHS beat 1988 D1 State Runnerup Linden McKinley 88-66. PHS beat Linden McKinley 62-47 at the Buckeye Elite @Shawnee State in 2024.

Cincinnati: PHS has a 23-12 record......1931 State Championship team beat Walnut Hills 32-12; PHS beat Cincinnati Forest Park 90-80 in 2OT in the 1988 regional final at UD Arena; 1950 team beat Cincinnati Elder 55-34; 1969 team handed Cincinnati Withrow its 1st loss of the season 66-64; 1971 team swept Courter Tech; 1988 D2 State Champion PHS beat Cincinnati Moeller 73-62, and in 1989 PHS beat Moeller again 69-66. Moeller did beat PHS in 1984 which was 1 of only 3 losses by PHS in the regular season.

Dayton: PHS has a 21-11 record.........1934 team lost to Dayton Roosevelt 46-30 in the Class A State Championship game; Dayton Fairview beat PHS in the 1939 State Tournament; 1990 team lost to Dayton Colonel White 71-57 in the D2 State Championship game; 1987 team beat Dayton Dunbar 62-61 @PHS....Dunbar won Class AAA state title that year; 1988 D2 State Championship team beat Kettering Alter 76-68 in the UD regional semifinals; 1991 team beat Dayton Colonel White 92-67.

[val13]

@trojandave What does the role look like for Mekhi Berry this season being a very talented freshman?

[trojandave]

val13: Mekhi has been nursing a foot injury for the last few months, but has recovered enough to play limited minutes. He played quite a bit in the 1st JV game vs. Minford, but didn't see any varsity action. The coaching staff is trying to bring him along slowly and will eventually play him both on the JV and varsity. They just don't want to see him re-injure that foot. He can give us a much needed boost with his size (6-3) and athleticism.

[MeanJoeGreene]

Long layoff here for the Trojans but hopefully they use this time to work on the discrepancies we saw in the first game. Looking ahead, I like their chances to move to 2-0 and then I see some very winnable games ahead and a chance to stack some wins. One at a time!

[BandWagon]

Good to see the freshman getting on playing time. The Trojans looked much better now we have to get ready for coal grove

[MeanJoeGreene]

2-0! Keep it rolling, Trojans!

[A Trojan Confluence]

It was good to see Portsmouth battle back from an early deficit. I loved the improvement from the free throw line on this game too!
2-0!

[trojandave]

Portsmouth defeated a good Racine Southern team 67-59 @Shawnee State on Saturday. Like was posted above, the Trojans showed quite a bit of improvement overall, especially at the FT line. Coach Smith employed a mixture of defenses, all of which put a lot of ball pressure. PHS converted a number of turnovers into fast break points. Daequan Woods had 4 points at halftime, but a huge 2nd half saw him end with a 30 point game.

Coach Smith played 3 freshmen, Joe Greene, who scored 7 points, while Mekhi Berry and Manny Thomas also saw some action and both contributed to the win.

The 6-5 kid (Reed Briniger) on Racine is a very nice player, and I personally think he's a D1 talent; has a wide variety of skills. He scored 25 points.

Portsmouth now travels to Coal Grove on Monday to battle the Hornets. CG always plays hard and historically has been a tough place to win.

GO TROJANS!!

[trojandave]

Daequan Woods' 30 point effort vs. Racine Southern was the 1st game of 30 or more points by a player since DeAndre Berry in the 2023-24 season. Berry ended his career with 7 games of 30 or more points, which is a PHS record. He scored 40 points vs. Rock Hill, which is the 5th highest individual total in PHS history. Matthew Fraulini scored a school record 46 points vs. Rock Hill in 2020, Jayllen Carter scored 44 vs. Jackson in 2013, Dion McKinley scored 42 vs. Logan in 2012, and Larry Hisle scored 41 vs. Wilmington in 1965. Hisle's mark stood for 47 years until McKinley surpassed it.

To view the list of players who have scored 30 or more points in a game for PHS, go to www.trojanhoops.org. and click onto the last page. You don't have to register to read it.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth traveled to Rock Hill on Thursday and came away with a 52-38 win. PHS led throughout the game, and the lead ballooned to as much as 18 points. Daequan Woods had 17 points to lead PHS, and in the last 2 games has scored 47 points. Connie Thomas also had double figures with around 15. The Trojans are 3-0 (1-0 in the OVC) and off to their best start since the 2023-24 season, when they started 5-0. As in the previous game vs. Racine Southern, Coach Smith played freshmen Mekhi Berry, Joe Greene, and Manny Thomas. Berry had 3 dunks on the night, 2 in the JV game and 1 in the varsity contest.

The PHS JV squad won to go to 2-0 with Manny Thomas scoring 16 points, hitting four 3 balls.

Portsmouth travels to longtime nemesis Fairland on Monday. The Dragons have dominated Portsmouth in OVC play, with FHS holding a 18-4 lead since PHS joined the conference in 2015.

On another note, 7th grade player Royce Berry scored 34 points vs. Chesapeake this week to become the 1st Junior High Trojan to be included in the "30 points club" on www.trojanhoops.org. His 34 points is the 94th time that a Trojan or Lady Trojan has scored at least 30 points in a game.

[MeanJoeGreene]

Loving this start so far!!! Keep it rolling, Trojans!!!

[trojandave]

Logan Adkins is scheduled to return tonight vs. Fairland. That should be a big boost to the offense, because Logan led the Trojans in scoring vs. Minford with 13 points. He has missed the last 2 games.

[trojandave]

The nightmare of Fairland's dominance over Portsmouth returned last night in Proctorville as the homestanding Dragons routed the Trojans 92-70. For the 19th time in 23 OVC between the 2 schools, FHS emerged with yet another victory. PHS is now 3-1 on the season, 1-1 in the OVC.

Portsmouth started out with an 11-5 lead, but after that it was all Fairland. At the half, the Dragons led 49-30 as the Trojans' defense was virtually non-existent as the Dragons knocked down 3 after 3 after 3. The Trojans did show some fight in the 2nd half, cutting the lead to 10, outscoring the Dragons 22-16 in the 3rd quarter. But FHS went on another scoring surge to push the lead up to the final margin of 22 points. Portsmouth struggled mightily defending the perimeter.

Cliff Fransen of Fairland had a huge night, tallying 37 points, mostly in the post, with 14 rebounds, and 5 assists. Daequan Woods and Connie Thomas of the Trojans both had very good nights offensively, as each scored 17-20 points unofficially. Woods is averaging close to 20 PPG overall.

One bright spot on the night for PHS was a 71-51 win by the Trojans' JV squad, which is now 3-0 on the season.

In the 19 wins that Fairland has posted vs. PHS in OVC play, the average margin of victory has been 15.7 points. 7 times the margin has been 20 or above. Portsmouth more often than not has not been competitive in this series. The last PHS win over the Dragons @Fairland was in the 2022-23 season when the Trojans rallied from an 8 point halftime deficit to win 80-69. Amazingly, Portsmouth had a higher winning pct. vs. the Greater Ohio League (almost 30 years 39%) than against Fairland in OVC play (2015-2025 21%).

Portsmouth travels to Wheelersburg on Saturday to face a Pirate team that scored 84 points in its first game. The Trojans' defense had better regroup and adjust or it could be another long night for PHS, as WHS has a number of 3 point threats. The Burg has won 7 of the last 8 games between the 2 schools, and hold a 25-23 edge in the all time series.

[trojandave]

Wheelersburg won vs. Portsmouth for the 8th time in the last 9 games, as they bested the Trojans in a competitive game 73-63 @WHS. The Burg held a 34-22 lead at the half, but the Trojans rallied with some 3 point shooting to take a 3 point lead early in the 4th quarter. The Pirates responded by taking advantage of some defensive lapses by the Trojans to take back the lead. The game was a 3 point difference with 2 minutes remaining, but the Trojans went cold on their shots, with Wheelersburg knocking down FT's to push the final margin to 10 points. PHS is now 3-2 on the season.

Daequan Woods led PHS with 22 points, while Logan Adkins added 16 with Connie Thomas pitching in 13. Woods has had an outstanding start to his senior season, and is playing on a 1st team all-district or even an all-state level thus far. He's averaging near 20 PPG. Landon McGraw of the Burg had 27 points to lead the Pirates.

The Wheelersburg JV handed the Trojans JV their first loss of the season with a 42-36 win. The PHS JV's are now 3-1.

The win by the Burg pushes the all time series standing to 26-23 in favor of the Pirates.

Going forward, Portsmouth must get some defensive mojo because they're not going to win many games giving up 92 to Fairland and 73 to Wheelersburg. Offensively, the Trojans have firepower, averaging 60 PPG, but it's a hard ask for that offense to offset the defensive issues that PHS is facing. The Trojans did show some prowess from 3 point land, as they made 10 of 25 trifectas. The Burg was 6 of 18 on 3 balls.

Portsmouth returns to the hardwood on Tuesday @Trojan Arena to face a very good Valley Indians team, a team that is somewhat similar to Wheelersburg; not a lot of size, but has a well rounded lineup with some 3 point shooters. Then PHS hits the road again on Saturday with a trip to Manchester to face the Greyhounds.

[art_vandelay]

Wheelersburg won vs. Portsmouth for the 8th time in the last 9 games, as they bested the Trojans in a competitive game 73-63 @WHS. The Burg held a 34-22 lead at the half, but the Trojans rallied with some 3 point shooting to take a 3 point lead early in the 4th quarter. The Pirates responded by taking advantage of some defensive lapses by the Trojans to take back the lead. The game was a 3 point difference with 2 minutes remaining, but the Trojans went cold on their shots, with Wheelersburg knocking down FT's to push the final margin to 10 points. PHS is now 3-2 on the season.

Daequan Woods led PHS with 22 points, while Logan Adkins added 16 with Connie Thomas pitching in 13. Woods has had an outstanding start to his senior season, and is playing on a 1st team all-district or even an all-state level thus far. He's averaging near 20 PPG. Landon McGraw of the Burg had 27 points to lead the Pirates.

The Wheelersburg JV handed the Trojans JV their first loss of the season with a 42-36 win. The PHS JV's are now 3-1.

The win by the Burg pushes the all time series standing to 26-23 in favor of the Pirates.

Going forward, Portsmouth must get some defensive mojo because they're not going to win many games giving up 92 to Fairland and 73 to Wheelersburg. Offensively, the Trojans have firepower, averaging 60 PPG, but it's a hard ask for that offense to offset the defensive issues that PHS is facing. The Trojans did show some prowess from 3 point land, as they made 10 of 25 trifectas. The Burg was 6 of 18 on 3 balls.

Portsmouth returns to the hardwood on Tuesday @Trojan Arena to face a very good Valley Indians team, a team that is somewhat similar to Wheelersburg; not a lot of size, but has a well rounded lineup with some 3 point shooters. Then PHS hits the road again on Saturday with a trip to Manchester to face the Greyhounds.

dave: thanks for the rundowns. Can't understand why Portsmouth having so much trouble defending with the athletes they have. Possibly a "want-to" issue?

Also, any thoughts on Berry? Would think he'd be getting more time on varsity given his skillset and size*