CHAMPION SHOOTING ON FULL DISPLAY

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BROOKFIELD OH- In a commanding performance on Thursday night, Champion continued their success in the MVAC by dominating Brookfield at home with a decisive 51-26 victory.

Key contributors for Champion included Kayla Haynie, who scored 17 points, showcasing her prowess with 5 three-pointers. Bella Meyer had an impressive all-around performance with 16 points, including 4 threes, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds. Kennedy Caldwell added 14 points, connecting on 4 three-pointers. Champion hit 14 threes as a team

With an 11-4 record, Champion looks forward to their next challenge at home against Garfield on Wednesday. On the other hand, Brookfield, with a 4-10 record, will be hosting Liberty on Thursday.

CLIPPERS NARROW THE FIELD IN THE EOAC

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SALINEVILLE OH- In a pivotal matchup on Thursday, Columbiana made a significant impact in the EOAC by breaking a three-way tie at the top, reducing it to two. The Clippers secured a road victory against Southern with a final score of 35-26.

Columbiana’s standout performances included Averi Marshall leading the charge with 17 points, Ellie Venezia contributing 11 points, and Evy Rapp adding 7 points. Southern’s efforts were led by Ashley Shroades with 10 points and Alyssa Shroades with 8 points.

With a now 11-1 record, Columbiana looks ahead to a non-conference matchup on the road against Mineral Ridge on Saturday. Meanwhile, Southern, holding a 7-4 record, is set to travel to East Liverpool for their next challenge on Wednesday.

MOONEY MAKES A CONFERENCE STATEMENT

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By Ty Bartell

YOUNGSTOWN OH- For the second time this season, two members of the Steel Valley Conference (SVC) met on the girls side when The Chaney Cowgirls visited The Cardinal Mooney Cardinals on Thursday evening. The first meeting between the two programs was a thriller to say the least! The Cowgirls would come away victorious in the first meeting back on December, 9th at Chaney by a slim score of 43-41, meaning Mooney had revenge on their minds.

With the home crowd behind them, The Cardinals jumped ahead early. Playing good defense and turning that into transitional offensive opportunities, The Cards were able to manage a double-digit lead after a quarter of play at 14-4 over Chaney. The second quarter was a lot more even in terms of scoring; however, despite a lower scoring quarter, Mooney managed to be a bucket better in the second at 9-7 to ultimately take a 23-11 advantage into the halftime locker room!

Mooney star scorer, Sophia Diorio took over the game in the third quarter! Coming out of the half, Diorio scored 10 of Mooney’s 14 team points in the third, while completing all six of her free-throw attempts in the period, as The Cardinals outscored The Cowgirls 14-5 in the third to hold a commanding 37-16 edge heading into the fourth quarter. Not done there, Mooney capped off their statement to their west side rivals with a 17-3 fourth to emphatically win the ball game by a final of 54-19! A drastically different outcome from the previous meeting between the two schools, as Mooney obtained their revenge at home to even the season series up at a game a piece.

Sophia Diorio led the way for The Cardinals, putting up 23 points of offense while simultaneously playing some stifling defense all night long! Samantha Rotunno was also impactful in the game with her 14 points coming almost primarily in the paint, taking the physicality that The Cowgirls bring and matching it on the offensive side! Both Diorio and Rotunno earned Player of the Game honors and their postgame interviews along with Coach Diorio’s can be found below! Talecia Huff was also a key contributor for The Cardinals, scoring 8 points in the contest. Chaney was led by Ja’Ziya Anderson who finished with 10 points followed by Alyssa Brown who had 6 points.

The win for Mooney (4-7)(1-2) now sets them up with another conference opponent when they host The East Golden Bears (4-5)(0-2) on Monday, December 15th at Cardinal Mooney High School. For Chaney (9-4)(2-2) they will look to get back on the winning side when they travel to the Fieldhouse against Struthers (2-9) on Saturday, December 13th with a noon tip-off. Stay updated with SVC basketball all season long with live games, scores, stats, stories and more on YSN!

LADY BULLDOGS OPENING THE PRESENT IN WIN

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EAST PALESTINE, OH- There are many that look at the 2024 East Palestine Girls Basketball roster and wonder what the future will look like, and the  exciting potential it has in Bulldog Country.  Then there’s the actual roster this season that realizes that there is no time like the present to put potential on full display.  That was apparent on Thursday night in EP as the Lady Bulldogs showcased a true team victory to the tune of 38-29 over EOAC rival, Lisbon.

Senior Leila Martin helped EP shake off a slow start by leading all scorers with 17 points, and hustled on both sides of the floor.  Freshman Alivia Magness was a bright light for the Bulldogs as well, and she tallied seven points in victory.  Senior Gabby Andre had a pair of three-pointers that dazzled all in attendance as well, while freshman Marley Blythe chipped in 4 points in a great effort.

Lisbon was led by Layla Brown who was all over the floor and contributed 12 points on the evening. Morgan Lively was contested by double-teams throughout the night but was still able to post 9 points, while Alyssa Wells and Brooklyn Cousins were held to 3 points apiece.

The Lady Bulldogs improve to 5-7 overall and 3-4 in the conference, while Lisbon drops to 3-9 and 2-6 in the EOAC.

RIDGE GETS THEIR WINS TO A DOZEN

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MINERAL RIDGE OH- In a dominating performance on Thursday night, Mineral Ridge secured their twelfth win of the season with a resounding victory over Sebring, finishing 63-19.

Sullivan Sandy led the charge with 14 points, followed by Ava Hulett with 10 points, Lily Merolillo with 8 points, Samantha Aulet with 7 points, and Norah Schnieder contributing 5 points.

With a standout record of 12-1, Mineral Ridge looks forward to their next challenge as they host Columbiana on Saturday.

MOHAWK GETS NICKED BY NESHANNOCK

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By Eric Hughes

NEW CASTLE OH- Neshannock defeats Mohawk, 48-45, to survive the Warriors’ second half comeback bid and improve to 8-3 on the season.

The Lancers made their presence felt early, especially on the defensive end, and jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter.

Payton Newman gave the Lancers an early spark, scoring seven points in the first half and hauling in too many rebounds to count on both ends, leading Neshannock to a 30-20 halftime lead.

Mohawk came out swinging in the second half, despite the deficit, and went on a 17-7 run in the third quarter, creating a lot of turnovers in the process, to tie the game going into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, but their magic would run out shortly after, as Chloe Fadden, their leading scorer fouled out, and Kaitlyn Fries made a three-pointer with less than a minute left to give Neshannock the lead back.

Rian Owens made a layup with only a few seconds left to give the Lancers a 48-45 lead and tightrope out of danger on their bitter rivals’ home court.

Rian Owens led the Lancers in scoring with 12 points, Jaidon Nogay and Payton Newman each had nine points, and Kaitly Fries had eight points and made the game-winning shot.

Chloe Fadden led the Warriors with 14 points before fouling out late, draining three three-pointers, and Kiera Julian had 12 points.

Neshannock will face off against West Middlesex Saturday at 1:30 at Westminster College, while Mohawk will travel to Beaver County Monday to take on Riverside.

GIRARD STAYS STRONG IN THE CONFERENCE

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By Tim Corso


NILES OH- Girard’s girls’ basketball team rolled past Niles on Thursday 71-35 in a NE8 showdown.

The Indians’ suffocating full court pressure dominated the Red Dragon’s offense forcing countless turnovers en route to the win.

Junior Makenzee White led all scorers with 25 points and was the driving force behind the Indians’ victory.

White knocked down a pair of her game-high three triples in the opening frame, in which Girard took off 29-8 and never looked back.

White also secured double-digit rebounds.

Mia Malito (12) and Ally Grossman (13) finished in double figures as well on the night.

Malito got to the charity stripe numerous times where she converted eight of her ten attempts.

Niles’ Gianna Wagner and Hannah Grimm both led the Red Dragons with five points apiece in the setback.

Coach Bornemiss’ squad improved to a better than .500 record (7-6) with the win, while Niles McKinley drops to 5-8.

NEWTON FALLS HAS A DOMINANT ROAD TRIP

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CAMPBELL OH- In a decisive road trip on Thursday night, Newton Falls showcased their dominance, swiftly taking care of Campbell with a commanding 53-23 victory.

Newton Falls’ offensive charge was led by Dani Drake, who delivered an outstanding performance with 17 points. Torrie Fenton added 8 points, while Madison Davis, Chloe Butler, and Lilly Sait each contributed 7, 6, and 6 points, respectively.

Campbell, facing a tough challenge, had Diamon Sims leading their scoring effort with 10 points, while Angelis Diaz added 5 points to the tally.

With this convincing win, Newton Falls advances to a 4-9 record, aiming to maintain their positive momentum as they host LaBrae next Thursday. Campbell, now at 2-9, looks to rebound in their next Thursday matchup at home against Crestview.

ROCKETS STREAK BY MCDONALD

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By Matt Maher 


MCDONALD, OH – McDonald hosted Lowellville Thursday night for another great Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference matchup! The two teams showed very similar play styles with turnovers and scoring capabilities and because of that the game ended 50-40 in favor of the Rockets. 

 

McDoanld had the hot hands to begin this game as Cierra Shiley scored the first 5 points of the game. Addison Grewell also scored 5 points in the quarter while Gracie Callow found two impressive 3’s to score 6. Serena Tych and Gianna Palumbo would both score 4 points for Lowellville while Sydney Procick found 3 with a layup and a made free throw. 

 

Both teams stayed at it in the 2nd. Shiley scored 6 points all under the hoop as a dominant presence. Sophia Pecchia would also hit a 2 for the Blue Devils. Tych scored 4 more points for the Rockets and Morgan Lewis found an impressive 3 from far beyond the arc. Both teams played good defense against each other in the first half which contributed to the low scoring frames.

 

McDonald continued to be outscored coming out of the break, putting up 10 points to 12. Callow found two 2’s to lead her team this quarter while Grewell made 2 of 2 free throws. Lowellville saw Tych score 4 points including 2 from the line. Isabella Wilrich would also find a nice 3 for Lowellville to help them stay on top. 

 

Lowellville would see only two players score in this frame in Tych and Wilrich. Wilrich found 2 points in the paint while Tych found 9 points primarily from the line where she went 5 for 6. McDonald would only see the likes of Cierra Shiley find the bucket with 5 more points to her team leading 18. 

 

McDonald had their struggles against Llowellville including a multitude of turnovers in the 1st quarter and a number of powerful shots that went a little too far over the rim. Serena Tych would lead all scorers with an impressive 21 points, she was an all star on the hard wood for sure on Thursday night. Lowellville will stay on the road when they travel to Columbiana to face the Clippers at 6:15PM on January 15th. McDonald will hit the road when they visit Mineral Ridge on January 18th at 5:30PM. 

BULLDOGS ESCAPE STRUTHERS UPSET ATTEMPT

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POLAND OH- In a hard-fought battle on Thursday, Poland faced a determined Struthers team that had upset on their minds. Poland found themselves trailing for most of the 1st quarter, but a pivotal 22-0 run provided the Bulldogs with the cushion they needed. Struthers, however, displayed resilience, cutting the Poland lead down to 4 in the 4th quarter, but ultimately ran out of gas as Poland secured a 51-43 victory.

Poland’s scoring efforts were led by Mary Brant with 14 points, followed by Kate Harrell contributing 13 points, and Leanne Williams and Avery Jakubovic adding 7 and 6 points, respectively.

Struthers showcased their tenacity with Emma Morris scoring 12 points, Gianna Martin contributing 10 points, and Taiya Baraka adding 8 points to the effort.

With this hard-fought win, Poland advances to a 7-5 record and will enjoy a week off before traveling to face Girard on Thursday, January 18th. Struthers, now at 2-10, looks ahead to hosting Chaney on Saturday, determined to bounce back from the close defeat.