BEREA — The Browns can dream, can’t they? While they’re at it, they can calculate.
Here’s how Cleveland is back in the playoff race despite its 0-3 start:
n The Browns can reach the halfway point of the season at 4-4 and be tied for the second wildcard spot if they beat Baltimore on Sunday in tandem with the Jets losing at Buffalo.
n Cleveland will pull to within one game of AFC North leader Pittsburgh if the Browns win their next two games — at home against Baltimore and Denver — while Steelers go 1-1 at Washington and at home against the Colts.
One key for the Browns is to be no worse than a game behind Pittsburgh for the Dec. 28 season finale at Heinz Field.
If the Browns beat Pittsburgh and those two teams wind up with the same record — assuming Baltimore fades — the AFC North title will come down to the tiebreaker formula.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition. A Dec. 28 Browns win would make it 1-1.
The second tiebreaker is games within the division. That’s where the Browns’ Sept. 21 loss at Baltimore could sting. If the Browns win out against the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers, they would be 4-2 in the AFC North. Even if that happens, Pittsburgh must lose Nov. 20 to Cincinnati or Dec. 14 at Baltimore to match the Browns at 4-2.
Still, trailing the Steelers by two games puts the odds against a Browns division title.
On the other hand, a wildcard spot is realistic. That’s what a 3-1 hot streak can do for a team in the hole.
At the moment, New England (5-2) has the first spot. The Jets and Ravens, both 4-3, are tied for the second.
Suppose the Browns can put together another 3-1 stretch in games against the Ravens, Broncos, Bills and Texans. Easier said than done, but if they do it, there is little doubt they would be in control of one of the wildcard spots.
Other contenders will be knocking each other off. Consider some schedules for the next five weeks:
n Pittsburgh. At Washington, vs. Indianapolis, vs. San Diego, vs. Cincinnati, at New England.
n New England. At Indianapolis, vs. Buffalo, at NY Jets, at Miami, vs. Pittsburgh.
n NY Jets. At Buffalo, vs. St. Louis, at New England, at Tennessee, vs. Denver.
n Baltimore. At Cleveland, bye, at NY Giants, vs. Philadelphia, at Cincinnati.
Two division leaders also could fall back into the wildcard picture. Their five-week schedules:
n Buffalo (5-2). New York Jets, at New England, vs. Cleveland, at Kansas City, vs. San Francisco.
n Denver (4-3). Miami, at Cleveland, at Atlanta, vs. Oakland, at NY Jets.
Browns captain Willie McGinest knows as well as anyone that the Browns aren’t dead at 3-4. He played for New England in 2001, when the Patriots fell to 3-4 with a 31-21 loss at Denver. They won Super Bowl XXXVI three months later.
“Winning on the road was something we didn’t do well last year,” McGinest said in the wake of Sunday’s victory at Jacksonville. “This is kind of a start.
“Winning three of the last four means nothing, except, in the fashion we’re winning certain games, it proves we can win, compete anybody, beat anybody. ... We just have to do it consistently.”
The Browns need to make hay at home, where they play four of their next five.
Three of the four games after that are on the road.
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Into the home stretch
Browns back in the hunt, play four of next five in Cleveland
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Lakers make it four in a row
Amid a sea of pink and a blaze of red all over the court defensively, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers accomplished something many thought they couldn’t at the beginning of the season: Win the Northeastern Athletic Conference championship.
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Scholastic Schedule:
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Boys Basketball
n Jefferson at Lakeview
n US at Geneva
n Lakeside at Riverside
n PV at Badger
n Mathews at Grand Valley
n Madison at North
n Andrews at Edgewood
n Perry at Chagrin Falls
n Lake Ridge Academy at Grand River Academy -
An appreciation for the past
In 1958, a mere 54 years ago, the Grand Valley High School and Ashtabula County boys basketball career scoring record belonged to Jim Dodd. The ACBF hall of famer scored 1,377 points in his career as a leading post player for the Mustangs.
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ALL-TIME ASHTABULA COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL SCORING LEADERS:
- RK. PLAYER SCHOOL YEARS POINTS
- 1. A.J. HENSON GRAND VALLEY ’09-'12 1,531
- 2. Matt Zappitelli Conneaut ’85-’88 1,454
- 3. Steve Savel Pymatuning Valley ’05-’08 1,440
- 4. Jim Dodd Grand Valley ’55-’58 1,377
- 5. Adam Schumann Edgewood ’99-’02 1,341
- 6. Frank Zeman Deming ’52-’54 1,338
- 7. Sean Freeman Pymatuning Valley ’87-’90 1,301
- 8. Corey Shontz Pymatuning Valley ’05-’08 1,292
- 9. Fred Scruggs Harbor ’86-’89 1,248
- 10. Randy Linsted Pymatuning Valley ’73-’76 1,223
- 11. Emilio Parks Lakeside ’08-’10 1,221
- 12. Jemal Harris Harbor ’90-’93 1,214
- 13. Chuck Naso Jefferson ’54-’56 1,210
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Geneva doesn’t miss a beat
A team that knocks down half of its shots and takes care of the basketball is awfully difficult to beat. For a half, that’s exactly the kind of team Geneva was in downing Premier Athletic Conference rival Lakeside, 50-32, Wednesday night at Lakeside Gymnasium.
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Abbie answers call
When the game is on the line — no pun intended — it’s nice to have the ball in the hands of the area’s leading free-throw shooter.
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Maplewood too much for GV
The Maplewood girls basketball team has been a traditional power in northern Trumbull County while Grand Valley has struggled in recent seasons.
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Scholastic Statistics:
GIRLS BASKETBALL
PREMIER
Geneva 50, Lakeside 32
at Lakeside Gymnasium -
Area High School Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders:
INDIVIDUAL
POINTS PER GAME
1. Harry Story Lakeside 26.1
2. Cody Blizzard Lakeside 22.4
3. A.J. Henson Grand Valley 19.7
4. Tim Cross PV 17.7
5. Stephon Ortiz Madison 17.2
5. Quintin Ratliff PV 17.2
7. Mitchell Lake Grand Valley 16.3 -
Dibble can’t save Falcons
Gia Dibble scored a game-high 17 points, including a 3-pointer, but the Jefferson seventh-grade girls came up just short against visiting LaBrae on Wednesday, 25-21.
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Lakers make it four in a row
