EAST PALESTINE, OH- We continue this season with a couple of snipers from the field. This week two VERY deserving candidates were crowned and will now be in the running for the Baird Brothers Big Dog of the Year in their respective sports.
Without further ado, here are the King and Queen of Week 2:
After starting off the 2019-2020 boys basketball season with a tough non-conference schedule, Coach Chris Huckshold and the Lisbon Blue Devils look to turn the corner as the “meat” of the EOAC conference play begins this Friday. The Blue Devils will play host to the Wellsville Tigers on January 3rd, as they look to improve to 3-1 on the year in the conference and 3-7 overall.
YSN’s own, D.J. Yokley, caught up with Coach Huck this week to discuss the season so far but also what he is planning on doing the rest of the season as the conference is still up for grabs to any team.
Lisbon boys basketball Coach’s Corner with head coach, Chris Huckshold, is LIVE!
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MALVERN, OH – On a night that saw the Lisbon boys basketball team travel to Malvern looking to for an upset victory, it was the Hornets that controlled the game from start to finish, as they would eventually come out with a 74-60 hard fought victory over the Blue Devils.
The Lisbon Blue Devils started off strong leading 16-15 after the first. Malvern however went on a little run to end the quarter which gave them the momentum going forward. The second quarter was all Hornets, as they went on a 20-7 run to lead 35-23 at halftime. The second half however was a story of trading baskets between the two teams as Malvern would lead 48-34 at the end of the third. The fourth quarter was much of the same as both teams scored twenty six points in the quarter. The final score turned out to be a fourteen point win for the Hornets, 74-60.
The Malvern Hornets were led by Johnny Browning with 28 points on 12/18 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Lisbon Blue Devils were led by Ryan McCullough with 24 points, going 10/12 from the free throw line, along with 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kaden Crawford also chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.
Lisbon returns home on Friday, January 3rd, as they welcome the Wellsville Tigers to town.
EAST PALESTINE, OH- If you look at the history of East Palestine sports, it’s peppered with the name Snyder. From sport to sport, East Palestine history has been touched by one way or another by the likes of this family. Add in another great sports name in Unger, and produce a new generation of talent on the court. That is what we see each night with Paige Snyder.
Vicky (mom) and John (dad) have set the stage for the rest of us to watch the progression of aggression in the sophomore. Paige has found her switch to turn her game on and set the tone for the physicality that is the 2020 Lady Bulldogs.
Although Snyder started her career as a wing, she’s moved to a post to help out the team. Her transition took all but 3 games before coaches have been forced to game plan around her, and her tenacity that she exudes on both ends of the floor. She’s a wing that forces her defenders to play her game instead of the other way around.
Through all the changes, all the records, and the glimpses of the past; Snyder continues to write her story in a Bulldog uniform: A PAIGE AT A TIME.
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YOUNGSTOWN, OH- In a back and forth affair which saw both teams exchange baskets during the First Quarter and into Halftime with Ursuline taking a 40-39 lead.
The Third Quarter saw Ursuline further their lead only to see the Falcons battle back to get within 4 (58-54).
In the Fourth Quarter, the Falcons grabbed the lead for good by outscoring the Irish 24-8. The Falcons had tremendous balanced scoring with Todd Simons scoring 29, Devin Sherwood with 17, Kris Brown with 15, Nate Leskovac with 11, Trae Wilks with 4 and Brian Ferguson with 2.
Ursuline senior, Vince Armeni would lead the Irish with 16, while Tyler Peck had 14.
The Falcons improve to 4-3 with their next game on Friday, January 3rd at Alliance.
*Story contributions from Brian Beany and austintownathletics.com
GAME PHOTOS: HERE
EAST PALESTINE, OH- It wasn’t quite a playoff game in the Dog Pound last night.
But boy, did it feel like it.
In a game that neither Springfield nor East Palestine wanted to let slip through their fingers, it was an incredible showing of togetherness and tenacity from “The Fab 5” dressed in white that stole the show on their way to a 61-59 victory over Springfield in overtime.
Outstanding and timely defense from junior Payton Sherry and Kenzee Johnston set up opportunities for the offense on the other side of the floor. Sherry was able to cash in on a perfect play call on an in-bound pass to set up overtime. Then, in the extra session, it was Joclyn Fristik who came up with the shot of the night from beyond the arc down by 1- leaving 6 seconds on a running clock to which Springfield couldn’t respond.
Fristik led the way in points for both sides with 26, along with a side of 3 steals. Payton Sherry had 10 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 vital charges taken that swung the momentum back to the Brown and White. Contributions were spread evenly offensively as Morgan Rutledge and Paige Snyder tacked on 8, while Kenzee Johnston tallied 7.
Abby Joseph led the way for the Lady Tigers with 16, while Kylee Kosek chipped in 15.
EP will now ramp up for EOAC leader and rival, Columbiana on Monday.
EAST PALESTINE, OH- When it comes to Christmas, it’s better to give than to receive. For East Palestine Junior, Morgan Rutledge, she gave a Christmas performance her parents will never forget as she and her teammates outlasted EOAC rival United to the tune of 45-42 Monday evening.
In a game that came down to last-minute free-throws, the Lady Bulldogs cashed in diamonds when the pressure looked to burst pipes.
Rutledge posted a career-high 16 points in a physical game, controlling the paint against the Lady Eagles. Payton Sherry had a double-double with a team-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while Sophomore Paige Snyder continued to thrive with 11 tallies, 8 rebounds, and 3 rips for East Palestine.
For the Lady Eagles, Bailey Boosz had a game-high 23 points, while Morgan Briceland contributed 6.
Both teams will break for Christmas before they return to action. East Palestine will welcome Springfield to town on December 30th, while United will have some time to regroup when they meet Lisbon on January 6th.
YOUNGSTOWN, OH – Coming into Monday night’s match up, the Valley Christian Eagles and the Lisbon Blue Devils were both in search of a season changing victory. Both teams came into the game coming off a loss so the urgency to take care of business and come out with a win was at an all time high.
The first quarter started off with both teams trading baskets which led to an 11-9 Lisbon lead. The second quarter proved to be much of the same as both teams kept the even pace going, at the half the Blue Devils led by three, 27-24. The second half however saw Valley Christian turn up their defensive pressure and Lisbon went ice cold from beyond the arc. The Eagles went on to outscore the Blue Devils 33-18 in the second half, and pulled out the victory, 57-45.
The Valley Christian Eagles were led by Mark Revere with 20 points on 7/11 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, as well as, Lohron Brown, who finished the night with 18 points on 7/10 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Lisbon Blue Devils were led by Ryan McCullough with 14 points on 5/15 shooting. Blayne Brownfield also chipped in a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Up next for Lisbon will be a match up with a very talented Malvern Hornets squad on December 30th at Malvern.
AUSTINTOWN, OH- It wasn’t exactly the way the Fitch Girls wanted to go into the Christmas break, but a tough 54-51 loss at home will provide motivation moving forward for the Lady Falcons. Perry came to the Falcon’s Nest and behind a 16-point fourth quarter, were able to go home happy on Saturday afternoon.
For Fitch, Daria Williams had 19 points while Emma Bartlett had 16.
Austintown Fitch (4-3) will now prep to play Kenmore Thursday, January 2nd at 7pm at home.