Tag Archive for: Basketball

O’HARA COMES UP BIG AGAINST EDISON; POTTERS ROLL

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EAST LIVERPOOL, OH- One of the biggest threats in the area just got a little bit stronger with the emergence of a new star.  The East Liverpool Potters have been known to have big nights on the floor from the likes of their thousand point scorer, Tresean Jackson, and fellow bucket-filler, “The Real Deal” Timmy Neal.  Now, you can add another head to that monster as senior Brennan O’Hara had his Potter Party on Friday night in a big victory over Buckeye 8 opponent, Edison, 75-47.

O’Hara went off to the tune of 19 points and 5 helpers.  This coming just a week after sitting out the Steubenville game for health reasons.  Izaiah Browning had 17 points for the Blue Machine that included 5 splashes from beyond the arc.  Tresean Jackson would lead all scorers with 21 points, and Timmy Neal would chip in a dozen for the 6-2 Potters.

For Edison, Andrew Pugh led the way with 12 points while Jayden Sanders had 11.

The Potters have a huge Buckeye 8 matchup coming up on Tuesday in hostile territory.  East Liverpool will face off against rival Beaver Local in the Beaver Den, that game will be on YSN, but tickets are still available but will be sure to be a sellout.

The Wildcats will turn their attention to Buckeye Local on Tuesday at home.

DEVILS REGAIN FOCUS IN 2020; UPSET WELLSVILLE

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LISBON, OH- If you’re a fan of motivational coaches, you don’t have to look very far to find one in Lisbon.  Chris Huckshold is renowned for firing up his team, and in turn, his team fires off victories that raise eyebrows county-wide.

Friday was no different.

The Blue Devils have had struggles in the early going after losing their all-time leading scorer Justin Sweeney to graduation.  However, if you ask any of the current players, they don’t buy into that excuse anymore, and on Friday a true TEAM victory propelled Lisbon back into the EOAC spotlight after a convincing 60-34 victory over rival Wellsville.

Ryan “Peanut” McCullough played inspired with 22 points and four assists, while the big man, Blayne Brownfield chipped in 14 points.  Adam Spencer cleaned the glass all night on his way to 11 boards.  Michael Davis had 6 rebounds, while Joey Fisher had 4 helpers and 4 steals for the Devils.

For Wellsville, Justin Wright had 10 points.

Wellsville (2-4) will return to action today on the road in Oak Glen, while Lisbon (3-7) will host Heartland Christian on Tuesday.

BUSINESS IS BOOMIN; REBS BOP BROOKFIELD

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COLUMBIANA, OH- What a difference a year makes.  A team that has been yearning for experience and leadership has now found it under the tutelage of veteran coach, Rick Gates.  More importantly, though, Coach Gates has his team believing they can step toe-to-toe with anybody they face.

On Friday night, Brookfield had a firsthand glimpse of the new-look Rebels in the Rebeldome.

In a game that went down to the wire, Crestview was able to hang on for a 56-54 victory that featured the Rebs going 19 of 25 from the free-throw stripe.  Junior, Drake Golden led the Rebels with a 23 point effort, while Jack Yerkey was clutch in a 9-point performance.

Connor Stevens had 19 for the Warriors, while Haden Gibson added a dozen.

Crestview now gears up to head to Springfield on Saturday to take on the Tigers.  Game is set for 7pm.

 

GAME PHOTOS: HERE

KNIGHTS SNAP BEAVER LOCAL STREAK

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EAST LIVERPOOL, OH- The Beaver Local Beavers had a 4 game win streak snapped at home as they fell 51-40 to the St. Thomas Aquinas Knights.

The first quarter was filled with fireworks offensively, as the Knights took a 15-10 lead into the second quarter. From there, defenses dominated. The Knights created separation in the second quarter, as they took a 27-14 lead into the locker room. The second half wasn’t much different. It was an eleven point game heading into the 4th.

The Beavers finally found some offense and tried to pull closer to the Knights, but couldn’t finish the job, as late fouls cost the Beavers a comeback opportunity as they fall to 7-4 on the season.

They are back in action tonight, as they travel to Columbiana to face the Clippers at 7:00 on YSN Columbiana. 

 

*Story contributed by YSN’s Michael McKenzie

BROWN CLUTCH DOWN THE STRETCH; RAIDERS KNOCK OFF URSULINE

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YOUNGSTOWN, OH- You know the UPS saying, “What can brown do for you?”  Well, if you’re South Range, apparently he can dial up 10 big points when the game is on the line to help put away one of the area’s better teams to the tune of 67-56.

South Range’s Nate Brown was hitting on all cylinders late Friday evening as he tossed in 16 points for the Raiders who were tied with the Irish before outscoring them 23-12 in the final moments of the game.  Senior, Chris Brooks would lead the Raiders with 17, Dante Digaetano would add 11, and Kris Scandy would go for 10 in the South Range victory.

For the Irish, Daysean Harris would lead the way with 14, Vince Armeni would chip in 13 points, while Brady Shannon had 10.

Ursuline (5-5) will now turn to Lake Catholic on Tuesday on the road, while South Range (5-2) head to the Struthers Fieldhouse to take on the Wildcats.

 

PERIMETER POWER; CLIPPERS OUTLAST LEETONIA

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COLUMBIANA, OH-  Columbiana’s hot start from beyond the arc gave them an early cushion against Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference foe Leetonia, and they cruised to a 78-53 victory Friday night.  Launching early and often, the Clippers drained six treys in the first quarter building a 24-7 lead. Zach Clark and Dalton Whitehair each hit two while Carter Pasco and Ryan Fahs added one apiece in the opening stanza.

Pasco would hit two more three balls in the second quarter as Columbiana took a 37-20 lead into the locker room.  The senior finished with four of the Clippers’ thirteen total threes for 14 points overall. Clark nailed three of his own and finished with 11 points off the bench.  

Ryan Fahs owned the third quarter for the Clips as he scored 15 of his team-high 18.  The Clippers would outscore the Bears 25-11 in the quarter to extend their lead to 62-31.  A balanced attack saw Whitehair finish with 10 while Matt Mazei and Sean Whitehead added 8 and 7 respectively.  

Leetonia’s Ian Davis hit his stride in the second quarter.  He drilled four treys en route to a game-high 24 points. Marco Ferry, Sefton Houlette, and Dylan Lennon each scored 8 for the Bears.

The Clippers move to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the EOAC and will host Beaver Local tomorrow night here at Richard Berryman Gymnasium.  There will be a freshman game starting at 4:30 before the junior varsity contest.

 

*Story contributed by YSN’s Mark Franken

 

GAME PHOTOS: HERE

WILDCATS, BULLDOGS, AND COUGRAS, OH MY; POLAND WINS OT THRILLER

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STRUTHERS, OH- For many, Struthers Fieldhouse will forever be remembered for the events that have been hosted in its time, but on Friday night, the historic building served as home to another set of memories for many as Poland and Struthers played in an instant classic inside the CatHouse.  Poland rallied to force overtime and later prevailed on a Michael Cougras layup that sealed a 57-56 NE8 victory.

This was Struthers’ first loss of the season.

Cougras would finish with 19- a game-high on either side of the sideline, while teammate Adam Kassem supplemented with a dozen points.

For Struthers, Brandon Washington and Carson Ryan continued to be steady for the Wildcats.  Ryan led the way with 15, while Washington had 13.  Week 2 YSN/Baird Brothers Big Dog of the Valley, Trey Metzka had 8.

Poland (4-2) will now host Lakeview on Tuesday, while Struthers (6-1) will host South Range.  Both games will be available on YSN if you can’t make it in person.

 

BIG FINISH IN BULLDOG COUNTRY; EP WINS OVER EAGLES

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EAST PALESTINE, OH- Bulldog Head Coach, Bill Stanton knew how teams would approach his offense this year.  “Stop number 11.”  What he had up his sleeve was that if he could carve out a scorer or two with the heart his team possesses, it could give teams fits.  To open up the new year, East Palestine did things a bit different in their 64-57 victory over United, they found confidence with the basketball, which in turn, made them a very dangerous team.

John Bertovich, AKA “Number 11”, was able to muster up 31 points in what was an impressive showing all around the floor.  Dazzling buckets on the inside, and shots from beyond the arc that would make Steph Curry blush.  However, it was the combination of Tyler Bistarkey, Brandon Turcola, Zion Figley, and Westin Jones that sealed the deal in this one.  Figley showed incredible heart and determination when he splashed a pair of three’s at crucial moments to keep the Bulldogs surging while finishing with 12 tallies on the night.  Bistarkey had 10 points, but his defense was his calling card on Friday, as he was tasked with defending 6’7 Nate Miller down low, and at one point had a rejection that sent the Dog Pound into a frenzy.  Brandon Turcola and Westin Jones combined for 11 points, but the hustle and drive throughout the game closed out the victory for East Palestine.

United continues to look for its first victory on the season.  Nate Miller finished with 22 for the Eagles on the inside, while Keaton Baker had 14.  Parker Berdine would finish with 6 on the night for the Eagles as well.

East Palestine (2-5) will now prep for EOAC leader, Columbiana on Tuesday in the Dog Pound.  Tip is set for 7pm, with Dan and Tim Figley on the call on YSN.

ALLIANCE SNEAKS PAST FALCONS

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ALLIANCE, OH- Austintinwon Fitch lost a thriller to Alliance as the Aviators scored with 5 seconds left to take a 61-59 lead, and that’s the way things would finalize.

The Falcons had one last chance with 2.0 seconds left but were unable to get a shot off.

Leading the way for the Falcons was Todd Simons with 19, Devin Sherwood 14, Mike Remish with 10, Kris Brown with 9, Trae Wilks with 4, and Brian Ferguson with 3.

The Falcons fall to 4-4 and begin Conference play on Tuesday, January 7th vs Howland at 7:00.

 

*Story contributed by Brian Beany and austintownathletics.com

PEANUT LEADS THE WAY

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When you think of what you want in a basketball player, consistency and a leader usually come to mind. Junior, Ryan “Peanut” McCullough, is one of those players for the Lisbon Blue Devils, as he has not missed a single game in his three years as a player. Not only is Ryan a consistent player, but he is also the fuel that makes the Lisbon boys basketball team run. The confidence he has built up over the past two seasons is what makes him a true leader this year for the Blue Devils as he was named one of the team captains for the first time in his high school career. When asked what makes Peanut the player he is, his response is simply “the team around me.” Peanut is always the first person to give credit to his surrounding cast and build his teammates up before he takes the credit for himself. His playing style is identical to that as well, as he is one to get everyone involved on and off the floor as a leader and great teammate.

D.J. Yokley took some time to catch up with the junior guard this morning as they talked about his goals, what his personal multi-sport success can do on the basketball court as well as the football field, his plans for after high school, and much much more. Learn all about the man they call “Peanut” in this player profile with Lisbon Blue Devils star, Ryan McCullough!