Four basketball teams from the Ohio Valley Publishing area were recongnized as some of the best in the respective states of Ohio and West Virginia, as the Eastern girls and boys basketball squads from Point Pleasant, Southern and South Gallia were honored this week in the weekly polls released by the Associated Press.

The lone West Virginia school on the state lists was Point Pleasant, as the Big Blacks (6-3) finished 10th overall in the second Class AA poll. The Big Blacks were eighth in the inaugural list after starting the season with a 5-0 mark.

Bluefield (7-0) sits atop the Class AA poll with a 7-0 mark, while fellow Cardinal Conference teams Sissonville (4th), Chapmanville (5th) and Herbert Hoover (9th) are also in the top-10.

The Eastern girls basketball team (9-1) had the highest finish of any of the three local Ohio programs, as the Lady Eagles placed 11th in the first Division IV girls poll. Fellow TVC Hocking member Waterford (9-1) came in eighth in the same poll, which has Ottoville (11-0) atop the D-4 rankings.

Both Southern (8-1) and South Gallia (6-2) finished out of the top-10 in the Division IV boys poll, as the Tornadoes paced 17th overall while the Rebels came in at No. 19. It’s the third time in the last five years that Southern has been recognized in the AP poll at some point of the season.

Other area teams from Ohio to be recognized in the AP poll included Warren (4th) in the D-2 boys poll and both Chesapeake (7th) and Ironton (8th) in D-3 boys, while Oak Hill came in at third in the D-3 girls poll. Unbeaten Jackson also placed 12th in the D-2 girls poll.