RAIDERS OVERTIME WIN CREATES THREE WAY TIE FOR A NE8 TITLE

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JEFFERSON OH- There aren’t too many times when you’ll see a three way tie for a conference championship.  However, with how crazy the NE8 was this season, no one is shocked that there was a serious chance of that happening.  South Range met Jefferson on Tuesday in the final NE8 conference game of the season.  The Falcons were seeking an outright league championship, and the Raiders were trying to cause a three way tie at the top.  Just like you’d expect out of a top tier matchup, this game went back and forth all night. After Jefferson jumped out to a 24-14 lead after one quarter, the Raiders evened the score by winning the next three frames.  Tied at 40 at the end of regulation the two teams needed one extra stanza to decide a winner.  It came close to needing another too. Enter Luke Rohan.  The Raiders biggest perimeter threat showed up in the biggest moment with a game winning three that gave South Range a 48-45 win.

Landon Moore earned the team lead with his big 21 point performance.  Rohan’s three gave him 10 points on the night to break in to double figures.  Ayden Leon was able to add 9 points to the Raiders cause.

Joe DeGeorge led the way for Jefferson as he was able to knock down 17 points.  Anthony Covetta was also in double figures for the Falcons as he grabbed 12 points.  Luis Padilla also scored 12 as well for Jefferson.

 

LISBON GIVES THE EAGLES THE BLUES

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LISBON OHIO – The Lisbon Blue Devils boys basketball team cruised to a 67-44 victory against the Valley Christian Eagles on Tuesday night.

Lison junior Trevor Siefke exploded for a game high 35 points with teammate Austin Dailey following that up with 22 points. Finishing out the score sheet for the Blue Devils were Hunter Dailey with four points and Logan Stauffer and Luke Craft each with two points.

Although it came in defeat, the Eagles had a balanced scoring attack with two players reaching double figures and four players in single digits.

With the 13 point victory, the Blue Devils improved their record to 15-6 and will be back in action Thursday as they welcome in East Liverpool Christian for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Wolfgang

A BRIEF HISTORY OF NCAA MARCH MADNESS

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If you enjoy the NBA, you should also look at the NCAAB, because soon the biggest odds in sport will be the odds for March Madness. But what is March Madness? 

Well, The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament has taken on this nickname. It is a single-elimination tournament that is played every spring in the US, with 68 college basketball teams across Division I of the NCAA in order to determine the championship. 

If you are new to March Madness and want to find out more about this aspect of college basketball, keep reading to find out more about its awesome history.   

 

What We Know

The March Madness tournament was founded in 1939, but the National Association of Basketball Coaches, however, it was primarily the idea of Harold Olsen, the Ohio State coach. 

As it is played mostly during the month of March, this can explain part of the reason for its nickname ‘March Madness’. However, it is also one of the biggest sporting events every year in the United States, next to the Super Bowl, and NBA Finals. 

It is very common in pop culture as well, especially when we consider how people seek to predict the end outcome of each game, even for non-sporting fans, it is believed that millions of Americans take part in the bracket pool each year. 

Many Mainstream media outlets such as CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports will host tournaments online wherein the contestants are able to enter for free. 

Employees tend to act differently in workplaces as well, with an increase in sick days, longer lunch breaks, and conference calls often get rescheduled as well, allowing for employees to spend more time watching the tournaments. 

There are champions from 32 Division 1 conferences that make up the tournament teams, as well as 36 teams which are awarded ‘at-large’ berths. These are chosen by an NCAA selection committee and will then be announced in a televised event which we know as ‘selection Sunday’. 

The total 68 teams are then divided into 4 different regions and organized into eliminated brackets which help to pre-determined which team wins, who they face next. 

Each team will also be ranked within its region from 1-16, and after the first four the remaining part of the tournament begins on the 3rd Thursday of March and will be played over a course of 3 weekends, at select sites across the US. 

Teams which are seeded by their rank will proceed through a single-game elimination bracket which begins with the First Four round, which is made of 64 teams that play 32 games over a week, then there are the sweet 16 and elite 8 rounds and of course, the final 4 round is the last. 

 

The First NCAA Tournament In History

So, now we know about how it works today, but how different it is from how it was when it first started. 

Well, in the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament in 1939 had only 8 teams, and Oregon was the first champion of the tournament. It grew to 16 teams in ‘51, and in ‘75 doubled again to 32, the 64 team size we know now was reached in 1985. 

The opening-round game came into place in 2001, and then in 2011, another 3 games were added to create the ‘First 4’, which is one of the best times for March Madness prop bets.

Speaking of which, the nickname ‘March madness’ was a term used first in 2939, by Henry V’ Porter, however, it was not a title associated with the NCAA tournament until the tournament in 1982, thanks to Brent Musbergers coverage. 

 

When Did It Expand To 64 Teams

Back in 1939 the tournament only had 8 teams, but in 1951 it became 16, and this continued until 1985 when it finally reached its 64-team count. Then in 2001, the Mountain West Conference joined Division I, getting an automatic bid which pushed the overall total to 65. A single game was then added before the first round. 

In 2011, 3 teams were added again, and another 3 games added again, which is the reason now, for the First 4 games. 

 

Where Did ‘March Madness’ Come From?

The term, March madness was first used in reference to basketball by Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school official back in 1939, however, it wasn’t affiliated with the NCAA tournament for a few more years. 

In 1982, Brent Musbuger, a CBS broadcaster, used this phrase during coverage of the tournament. Since then, this phrase has become synonymous with the tournament.

 

The Biggest Upset In The History Of March Madness

We all like a bit of drama, so which moment was the most dramatic? 

We think that the 16-seed UMBC 74-54 win over the first seed Virginia back in the NCAA tournament in 2018. This was the first time in the tournaments’ history that a 16 seed team beat a 1st seed. After all, 1st seeds were a solid 135-0 all through NCAA history, so it is hard to find an underdog more so than that! 

RICCITELLI RAMBLES THE SPARTANS TO THE NEXT ROUND

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A Riccitelli Rampage Vaults Boardman To Round 2

 

The middle of February has quickly approached and you know what that means? High school playoff basketball! Division 1 got a head start on the playoffs for the girls side of basketball and a premier matchup on the network  to kick-off the postseason festivities! That matchup was, of course, none other than Austintown-Fitch taking on The Boardman Spartans. These two fellow All American Conference (AAC) foes were quite familiar with one another and actually both tasted victory against their rival in the regular season. Boardman took the first matchup in Austintown on December 21st, 2022 in a 47-38 win. However, Fitch got their revenge on The Spartans at Boardman with a 58-51 victory of their own against their rival. With both teams holding a win against each other, round three had big stipulations in that it is “win or go home” time in basketball! 

Defense took precedence from the opening tip, as both squads were full of energy and looking to rely on a high motor of defensive effort and intensity. In a struggle to find field goals through the first eight minutes, The Spartan senior Gia Triveri was the offensive answer both squads were looking for. An opening quarter three pointer that helped start curbing momentum in favor of Boardman early, Triveri was looking to be effective early on since getting back to 100% on the court! Paired with some stifling defense from The Spartans, aiding Boardman in holding a 9-3 lead after the first quarter. Following the first, Triveri was still feeling it, as she battled through Falcon pressure a few times to draw some early fouls on Fitch! Going to the line four times and converting three shots, while also chipping in a made field goal in the second that helped The Spartans stretch their lead to double digits, 20-9 at halftime and Triveri having 9 points in the first half as well! Equaling The Falcon offense through the first 16 minutes.

The Saturday afternoon matchup returned from the halftime buzzer and Fitch needed to find offense in hopes to get on the comeback trail. Jocelyn Jourdan and Kylie Folkwein attempted to will The Falcons back into the ball game as they went to the line after drawing fouls off second chance looks created by offensive boards. Both players scored 5 points a piece in the third quarter and totaled six of seven made free throws in the quarter combined. But it was none other than Mackenzie Riccitelli that trend up the intensity in the third and once again found her groove against Fitch! A typical 20+ point scorer against Austintown in her career, she has been nothing short of a thorn in the side of The Falcons. Although, through the first half, Fitch held her to six points, The Riccitelli Rampage started in the third. The junior scored half of The Spartans 16 third quarter points to, not only, keep Boardman in front but allowed them to build on their lead once again 36-21! 

Both teams were able to draw six team fouls a piece from each other in the third quarter, leaving both of them one foul away from the bonus and setting up a free-throw fiesta in the fourth! A load of players were in foul trouble through the first three quarters of play, forcing the teams to get creative with how they were going to play defense. Spartans Sarah Bero was a disrupter on the glass and with the defense, as she gave Boardman more than one additional possession on the day. The difference in the final quarter? Boardman clamped down on defense without fouling, while going to the line for ten shots at the stripe and converting seven of them. Riccitelli went five of six at the stripe in the final quarter scoring 7 points total in the quarter and finishing with 21! The free throws made all the difference and The Spartans did not relinquish the lead once they captured it, winning over their AAC rival 47-34 on Saturday and sending The Spartans to the next round! 

 

Congratulations and good luck are in order for The Austintown Fitch seniors as their high school basketball journey comes to an end, but not without leaving loads of memories from the last four years. As us here at The Network wish nothing but the best for The Falcon seniors as they embark on their next journey. To Zayda Creque, Kara Pirone, Jocelyn Jourdan, Jordan Binion and Amya Barnette we thank you for the opportunity to cover your careers and be such a small part of your high school journey! 

The win for #16 Boardman (15-8) will not only get them bragging rights over their rival, it will now send The Spartans on the road for a Sectional Final against #11 Shaker Heights Red Raiders (15-6) on Thursday, February 16th slated for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off! Interviews with winning Head Coach Jeff Hammerton and Player of The Game Mackenzie Riccitelli can be found below! 

 

Scoring (Boardman)

Mackenzie Riccitelli: 21 PTS (Player of The Game)

Gia Triveri: 12 PTS.

Sarah Bero: 7 PTS.

Bella Martin: 3 PTS.

Cami Goske: 2 PTS.

Ava Freeborough: 2 PTS.

 

Scoring (Fitch)

Jocelyn Jourdan: 12 PTS.

Zayda Creque: 7 PTS.

Kylie Folkwein: 7 PTS.

Destanie McCullough: 5 PTS.

Jordan Binion: 2 PTS.

Rachel Spalding: 1 PT.

 

Scoring by Quarter

Q1: Boardman 9 – 3 Fitch

Q2: Boardman 11 – 6 Fitch

Q3: Boardman 16 – 12 Fitch

Q4: Boardman 12 – 13 Fitch

Final: Boardman 47 – 34 Fitch

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

BROOKFIELD SHINES IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

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BROOKFIELD OH- Brookfield and South Range have had a lot of important games in the last 8 seasons.  They’ve met in 3 district championships in that time span. While the Raiders have wins in all of those tournament meetings, Brookfield came in to Saturday with a win in the last meeting, the season finale of last year.  With that little boost of confidence Brookfield zipped through the Raiders. After a slow start where they trailed by as many as six, the Warriors went on a huge run between the second and third quarters to take control.  They would walk away with a 57-43 win.

Sophia Hook and Cailey Wellman both led the Warriors with 17 points each.  Wellman also finished with another double double to add to her collection with 12 rebounds.  Katie Gibson stepped up big for the Warriors with 11 points. Mikenzie Jumper hit some big shots and contributed 8 points.

Emma Cunningham led the Raiders with 15 points on the day. She had 12 of those points in the first half as the Raiders jumped out to an early lead.  Taylor McClish finished in double figures as well for the Raiders with 12 points. Devin Sauerwein was able to add 6 points to the cause.

Brookfield now looks ahead to tournament play. Their run will start on Wednesday as they host Cardinal Mooney at 7:00.  South Range will open their tournament on Wednesday as well as they travel to United.

WARRIORS RING THE VICTORY BELL

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Beloit OH- Coach Brown and West Branch were looking for a momentum building win before tournament play starts in just one week. The Warriors were able to grab that quality win over Girard 51-41 who came into the game with a 14-6 record. 

 

Both teams really struggled to shoot the ball especially in the first half. The Warriors picked things up in the second half as they shot it better, hitting some big shots, but Girard continued to struggle from the perimeter. Most of the Indians’ points came off of layups.

 

On senior night, Senior Dru Deshields was able to score his final basket with West Branch as he has been out the whole year with an Injury. The cheers from both West Branch and Girard were heartwarming to see as Dru came off the court after making a layup.

 

 Joey JacksonJackson had a solid performance with 15 points. He was able to knock down two three pointers as well. Cooper Anderson was strong also scoring 11 points and doing a great job rebounding. Finally, sophomore Camden Lane was big down the stretch scoring some important baskets.

 

The Warriors had a difficult time stopping Thomas Cardiero who led all scorers with 19 points. Mike Palmer contributed 10 points for the Indians.

 

With the win, West Branch improves to 11-9 on the season. The Warriors will travel to Columbiana to take on Heartland Christian tonight at 7 pm. Girard drops to 14-7 and will be back in action on Tuesday at Springfield.

*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi

 

ITS ALWAYS TIGER TIME IN SPRINGFIELD

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NEW MIDDLETOWN, Ohio – Springfield explodes for twenty-five fourth quarter points to win their fifth in a row against McDonald and close out MVAC play with four straight victories.

Last night’s matchup saw both teams light it up from beyond the arc in the first quarter with each team ending the period with three makes from long-range.

The second quarter was the lowest scoring period of the night for both squads as they’d combine for just nineteen points. The Devils would make another two shots from three, while Springfield would have just one but still outscored McDonald 11-8. McDonald would end the first half without a make from two-point range.

In the third quarter, McDonald would close the Springfield lead to as little as two before the Tigers would end the period on a run to take a six point lead into the final quarter.

Five different Tigers would score in the fourth led by Seandelle Gardner’s eight. McDonald saw strong finishes from Greg Costantino and Joey Cappuzzello with 9 and 6 respectively but would struggle to keep pace otherwise with Springfield who emerged victors 64-50.

TOP PERFORMERS –

SPRINGFIELD:

Seandelle Gardner – 17 points, 3 made 3’s

Connor Hudran – 11 points

Nico Servedio – 11 points

McDONALD:

Greg Costantino – 26 points, 4 made 3’s, 8/9 FT’s

Joey Cappuzzello – 10 points, 2 made 3’s

WHAT’S NEXT –

Springfield: Taking back-to-back conference games this week in the Tiger’s Den, the Springfield Tigers will host once again this coming Tuesday the 14th for a cross conference matchup with the NE8’s Girard Indians (14-7). The Indians stumble into the matchup losers of their last twoin a row and five of their last seven. Springfield has taken the previous two matchups in the series, most recently last season 61-35 in Girard. Catch the game live at 7:00 pm right here on YSN Live.

McDonald: Unable to end conference play on a high note, the McDonald Blue Devils will look to grab some momentum with a non-conference matchup before heading into postseason play. The Blue Devils will hit the road Tuesday the 14th to take on the Lakeview Bulldogs (2-19). These squads faced off last season in a matchup dominated by the Dogs, 52-34.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

SENIOR KNIGHTS OWN SENIOR NIGHT

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AKRON OH- Senior season, what is so often talked about as the pinnacle of a high school sports career. The season when kids apply everything they have learned from the three previous into play and make themselves an all-around complete player and the best version of themselves. Senior night is a celebration of all the hard work put in through years of dedication that made these young men and women the leaders of not only their schools, but our future as well. Friday night was not only boys basketball night on the network, it was a senior night celebration for The Archbishop Hoban Knights! 

Accomplishing yet another winning season for the program and seeding already sorted in the tournament, Hoban took to the floor with one goal, win for their seniors. Head Coach T.K. Griffith has been to this rodeo plenty of times and acknowledged the moment for his leaders by ensuring plenty of playing time all around. The Knights opponent? None other than a young and very talented Cornerstone Christian Patriots squad! Both programs entered into Friday night with a 16-3 record and were looking to test their might against tough competition before the upcoming State Championship Tournament! 

The Patriots also had a sophomore superstar in Quinn Kwasniak who was averaging 30.4 points per game prior to entering The Castle. Right out of the gate, The Knights started to set the tone with early steals that led to plenty of transition buckets. Creating the live-ball turnovers tended to be a theme for Hoban, as they picked and dished their way to a 21-12 lead after one quarter of play. That script did not change entering the second quarter, especially with Hoban being as hot as a blowtorch from the arc! A total of eight Knights connected with distance shots over the course of the game, including five seniors! “Passing up good shots for great shots.” as Coach T.K. Griffith said this was the mentality for Hoban who out scored The Patriots 23-9 in the second quarter and really separated themselves from Cornerstone, taking a 44-21 halftime lead! 

Following the ten minute intermission, Cornerstone Christian came back swinging and refused to go down without a battle. DJ Niles and Carter Armstrong were getting into rhythm for The Patriots, cleaning up the glass for extra looks while creating and converting some tough looks of their own in an attempt to trim their deficit. However, The Knights maintained enough offense to ride out the second half in a convincing enough fashion to capture their 17th win of the season! 

Following the loss, Cornerstone Christian (16-4) will now host International Sports Academy. While the win for Hoban (17-3) will put them on the road in a matchup with The Federal League’s Perry Panthers (5-15). Interviews with winning Head Coach T.K. Griffith and Player of The Game Logan Vowles can be found below! 

 

Scoring (Hoban)

Andrew Grffith: 12 PTS.

Jonas Nichols: 11 PTS.

Logan Vowles: 10 PTS.

Will Scott Jr. : 9 PTS.

Colin Coyne: 7 PTS.

Nate Korwin: 6 PTS.

Brody Franjesh: 6 PTS.

Sam Greer: 6 PTS.

Joey Hardman: 5 PTS.

Josh Greer: 5 PTS.

Mookie Barclay: 2 PTS. 

 

Scoring (Cornerstone)

DJ Niles: 22 PTS.

Carter Armstrong: 19 PTS.

Quinn Kwasniak: 17 PTS.

 

Scoring by Quarter

Q1: Hoban 21 – 12 Cornerstone

Q2: Hoban 23 – 9 Cornerstone

Q3: Hoban 22 – 15 Cornerstone

Q4: Hoban 13 – 22 Cornerstone

Final: Hoban 79 – 58 Cornerstone

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

RESERVE AVENGES EARLY SEASON LOSS TO SEBRING

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BERLIN CENTER OH- The first time Western Reserve and Sebring played each other this season, it didn’t go the Blue Devils. It was a result that stuck in the Blue Devils mind all the until Friday night when the two teams met again. Sebring won the first matchup 49-39, but this time Reserve’s offense was much more efficient.  They grabbed control quickly and cruised this time around to a 62-41 win.

Hayden Fellows had some kind of day for the Blue Devils. He finished with a game-high 19 points.  Luke Ramsey did a lot of hard work in the paint, especially in the second half as he finished with 14 points.  Joe Klasic was also in double figures on the day with 11.

Kade Leisure tied for the game high in points for Sebring with 19 points.  Scott Boston added 8 for the Trojans.

Weatern Reserve will now look ahead to one final tournament tune up on Tuesday as they travel to Salem.  Sebring will try to get some rest before the tournament as they finish the regular season.

LOWELLVILLE FINISHES OFF MVAC TITLE

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LOWELLVILLE OH- Lowellville defeated Waterloo 69-41 on Friday night to get the season sweep on them and remain undefeated against the MVAC.

It was a back and forth first half and Lowellville had only an 8-point lead at the break, but their offense exploded in the second half, per usual, and outvoted the Vikings, 43-23 down the stretch.

Anthony Lucente led the way with 18 points, Vinny Ballone had 15 (13 in the second half), and Brady Bunofsky had 12 and made 2 threes.

Navarre Alhassan was the game-leading scorer with 24 points in the losing effort.

Lowellville will host Warren JFK on Tuesday, while Waterloo will travel to Ravenna to take on Southeast.

*Contributed By YSN’s ERIC Hughes.