Tag Archive for: Blue Devils

WESTERN RESERVE GETS SIDELINED BY THE RAMS

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MINERAL RIDGE OH- The Lady Rams defended home court on Thursday night and defeated the Western Reserve Blue Devils 50-48. The Lady Rams were lead by Ava Hulett with 18 points and Olivia Booth with 14. The Lady Rams played tough defense the whole night and are playing their best basketball down the stretch.

Also contributing in the victory was:

Gianna Gilbert with 9 points

Gianna Paris 3 points

Sam Aulet 3 points

Neri Benitez 3 points

Senior Night for the Lady Rams is this Monday against Sebring. Western Reserve will travel to Springfield on Monday to try and give the Tigers their first loss in the conference.

*Story Contributed by Amy Harrison at ramsathletics.org

MCDONALD SERVES UP A WIN ON THE ROAD

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The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC) has plenty of premier programs that make for a number of incredible conference matchups throughout the course of the regular season. The Scarlet Division side of the conference had another night of boys conference matchups on Tuesday night. Inside The Scarlet Division, The McDonald Blue Devils made the trip up to Atwater in their second bout of the year with Waterloo. Playing in plenty of nail-biters in recent seasons, three of the last five meetings between The Blue Devils and the Vikings have been decided by a single bucket prior to Tuesday. 

The first quarter looked to set the makings of another instant classic between the two programs. With guys like Wyatt Wolford from McDonald and Navarre Alhassan of Waterloo exchanging buckets in the early going. Wolford would score 7 points in the quarter while Alhassan would contribute 5 points; however, three shots from distance found the mark in the first for McDonald, allowing them to take a slim 17-16 lead into the second eight minutes of play. By the second quarter, The Blue Devils Greg Costantino started to heat up after a quiet first. With Costantino hitting a pair of triples in the second quarter alone, he would chip in 8 points before the half, which happened to be all of the offense McDonald could muster in the second quarter. The Blue Devil defense did enough to pump the brakes on The Vikings while allowing McDonald to hold a 25-24 lead at halftime. 

The third quarter saw The Vikings regain momentum, capturing a lead a few times throughout the quarter. Initially taking the lead to start the quarter, before the efforts of Costantino and Kyle Crown from McDonald prying the advantage right back. Ryan Wise put on a show for Waterloo, scoring 8 of his team’s 15 third quarter points to propel The Vikings ahead 39-37 with the final quarter in sight. In an eight minute race to the finish, the final quarter of the conference battle ensued! Like two heavyweights in a championship slugfest, the two squads exchanged critical blows to one another down the stretch. Ryan Wise had a phenomenal game for Waterloo, scoring 5 more points in the fourth and finishing with 21 on the night. But it was The Blue Devils that would not be denied! Hitting three more triples in the fourth as a part of ten total distance shots that connected on Tuesday night for McDonald. Greg Costantino earned player of the game honors, finishing with 22 points total and scoring 9 in the final quarter, including a three pointer and two free throws that ended up sealing the slim 54-51 win for The Blue Devils over Waterloo! 

Waterloo (10-5)(5-4) will now set their sights on Sebring (10-7)(4-5) where they will have a date with The Trojans on Friday January 27th. Also on Friday, McDonald (5-10)(3-6) will also be on the road, heading to North Jackson next as Jackson-Milton (5-10)(3-6) will entertain their conference foe in a battle of Blue Devils versus Blue Jays on Friday! Interviews with winning Head Coach Jimmy Francechelli and Player of The Game Greg Costantino can be found below! 

 

Scoring (McDonald)

Greg Costantino: 22 PTS. (Player of The Game)

Wyatt Wolford: 13 PTS.

Drew Zajack: 6 PTS.

Shane Stoops: 6 PTS.

Nolan Agler: 4 PTS.

Kyle Crown: 3 PTS.

 

Scoring (Waterloo)

Ryan Wise: 21 PTS.

Navarre Alhassan: 12 PTS.

Anthony Podojil: 10 PTS.

Jackson Eichler: 4 PTS.

Kai Warren: 2 PTS.

Drew Flarida: 2 PTS.

 

Scoring by Quarter

Q1: McDonald 17 – 16 Waterloo

Q2: McDonald 8 – 8 Waterloo

Q3: McDonald 12 – 15 Waterloo

Q4: McDonald 17 – 12 Waterloo

Final: McDonald 54 – 51 Waterloo

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

LISBON GIVES VALLEY THE BLUES

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LISBON OH- Lisbon is on the rise.  The Blue Devils have shaken off some mid season adversity and have quickly gotten themselves back to where they want to be.  They came in to Tuesday’s game on a three game winning streak.  Valley Christian was just as hot though, they had won 4 of their last 5. Something had to give, and Lisbon made sure it wasn’t on their side. In the clutch Lisbon came up the biggest plays. They went to overtime and got the 54-49 win.

Trevor Siefke just went off for Lisbon. He was unstoppable on his way to a 30 point performance.  Hunter Dailey was also in double figures grabbing 13 points.

Jon’Trell Mixon led the way for Valley Christian as he put up 13 points.  Raquan Bell rang true in double figures with 11 points.  Jhordan Peete made the Eagles offense even more balanced with 10 points.

Lisbon returns home on Friday as they host Leetonia. Valley Christian stays at home on Friday as they host Columbiana.

LOWELLVILLE WAKES UP AND THEN TAKES OFF

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BERLIN CENTER OH- It wasn’t the start that Lowellville imagined to the game on Tuesday, but they definitely finished it the right way.  In Western Reserve a slightly short handed Blue Devils team was geared up for an upset. Their initial game plan to keep Lowellville out of the paint was working to perfection. The Rockets high powered offense was kept quiet for a big chunk of the first half. They only had 9 points in the first quarter.  Their defense held strong though and didn’t let Reserve take advantage of their slow start.  After leading 9-8 after one, Reserve opened the second on a 7-3 run taking a 15-12 lead with a Luke Henning three.  Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, that three served as smelling salts for the Rockets. They went on a tear almost immediately ending the half on a 12-0 run to lead 24-15 at the break.  The Rockets would continue that run into the second half as it extended to 28-2 to make their lead as big as 40-17.  They’d go on to get a comfortable road win 58-29.

Anthony Lucente led the Rockets rampage with double figures getting 13 points.  Alex Modelski was able to grab an impressive 9 points on the way to the win.  Ryan Hvisdak also worked his way to a 9 point evening.  Vinny Ballone did solid work inside as he scored 8 points. Henning led the Blue Devils with 8 points.

Lowellville will return home on Friday as they host Springfield.  Western Reserve hits the road as they go to Ram’s country to take on Mineral Ridge.

 

 

BIG DUB FOR THE DEVILS

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BERLIN CENTER OH- Thursday night on the network saw various girls basketball conference matchups take place, primarily occurring in The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC). The Scarlet Division of The MVAC had a premier matchup happening in Berlin Center when The Western Reserve Blue Devils hosted The Waterloo Vikings. In the last meeting in Atwater, The Viking were able to claim the 6 point victory. After losing three consecutive matchups to The Vikings, this one was of high importance to The Blue Devils.

The first quarter saw teams exchange buckets with Brook Schantz nailing down a three pointer for Western Reserve, while Rose Couts hit a mid ranger for Waterloo. The two teams played with the lead early on in the quarter before Reserve started to pull away late in the first. Impressively, The blue Devils did not relinquish the lead from that point on!

Alyvia Hughes and Lisa Eichert did a great job establishing a paint presence, both offensively and crashing the glass in the rebounding department. While seeing Lindsay Jones back on a basketball court is a great sight and an example of hardwork and accomplishing a long journey back! Kaira English and Rose Couts were scoring in bunches for Waterloo and several times helped cut the Western Reserve lead down to a single possession. But for every run Waterloo would muster up, The Blue Devils had a response and kept them at bay. 

A lot of great performances attributed to a 40-36 win for The Blue Devils, allowing them to split the regular season series with Waterloo! The Player of The Game performance went to Brooke Schantz who controlled the tempo throughout all four quarters, while contributing offensively, consistently, throughout. All while shouldering a ton of pressure down the stretch when both Hughes and Eichert were in foul trouble. Schantz hit a game-sealing free throw that stretched the lead to four and clinched the victory for Western Reserve! 

Both teams will be in-action again on Monday, January 23rd. Following the loss, Waterloo (10-6)(6-2) will be back home to host McDonald (5-9)(1-6). While Western Reserve (11-4)(5-2) will stay home to host Lowellville (7-8)(2-5). Interviews with winning Head Coach Steve Miller and Player of The Game Brooke Schantz can be found below!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

RESERVE RUNS AWAY FROM THE CLIPPERS

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BERLIN CENTER OH- Non conference matchups place in the middle of conference play can be difficult.  Teams are so focused in on their conference opponents and what it’s going to take to come away in first place, an unfamiliar team coming in the middle can throw a team off. Western Reserve refused to fall in to that trap on Monday night as they hosted Columbiana.  Although it wasn’t a great start.  Columbiana caught fire in the first half. They ran up to a 25-21 lead late in the 2nd quarter.  That was the last time the Clippers had any control of the game. The Blue Devils ended the half on a 8-0 run, and kept their grasp on the game in the second half.  Reserve ran away from the Clippers to a 54-41 victory.

Leading the way for the Blue Devils was Alyvia Hughes who put in 15 points.  Brooke Schantz was also in double figures for the Devils as she brought in 12 points.  Reserve had one last player in double digits with Maddie Leone scoring 11.

Columbiana had a good offensive day despite the loss. They were paced by Ellie Venezia with 12 points.  Caitlyn Pleska was also in double figures scoring 10 points.  Alaina Johnston hit three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 9.

Western Reserve has a huge matchup on the horizon as they welcome in Waterloo on Thursday.  Columbiana has a rare Friday matchup as they host Lisbon.

TIGERS STAY TOP OF THE CLASS IN THE MVAC

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MCDONALD OH- Springfield started their second stretch in MVAC play on Thursday night as they traveled to McDonald.  The Tigers made quick work of the Blue Devils to earn their season sweep of the conference rival. The Tigers turned a 28-16 lead at the half into 52-36 win.

Eight different Tigers scored on the night for the balanced offense.  Jacey Mullen led the way with 23 points.  Ava Vecchione had a nice night contributing 7 points to the cause.  Mariana Tuscano chipped in 6 points for Springfield.

Alyvia Morrison paced the Blue Devils scoring in double figures with 14 points.  Juliana Krumpak also got in the stat book with 6 points.  Gracie Callow was able to add 5.

Springfield has a big test from the other end of the MVAC on Saturday as they welcome in Garfield to the jungle.  McDonald gets back at it Monday as they host Heartland Christian.

LATE SURGE PUSHES BLUE DEVILS AHEAD

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BERLIN CENTER OH- In a game where Western Reserve was spending most of their time playing catch up to Jackson Milton, a late push was enough to give them a hard fought 59-52 win.  The Blue Jays led at the end of the first three quarters, and although their lead never ballooned into a big problem, Reserve couldn’t seem to find a way to crack through. In the fourth quarter however it was a mix of timely shooting, and a few easy transition buckets that propelled the Blue Devils to win the frame 24-14.

It was a hard nose effort from Hayden Fellows that paved the way for Reserve. He was able to finish with a game-high 21 points.  Dominick Ricciardi also finished in double figure for the Devils with 10.  Luke Henning hit a pair of late threes on his way to 8 points.

Aaren Romigh was his same old self for the Blue Jays leading the scoring with 20 points. Ryan Romigh wasn’t too far behind him as he finished in double figures with 13 points.  Ezekiel Brock chipped in 8 points for the Jays.

Western Reserve hits the road on Friday as they travel to Sebring.  Jackson Milton returns home to face off with Mineral Ridge.

EAGLES KEEP THEIR PERCH AT THE TOP

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HANOVERTON OH- United came into Monday night’s game with Lisbon looking to maintain their undefeated record in the EOAC through the halfway point of conference play. The Golden Eagles responded after a sluggish start to top the Blue Devils 43-23 and solidified their spot atop the perch in the EOAC.

Lisbon came to Hanoverton ready to play as the Devils brought the intensity on the court matching whatever United threw at them as the teams were tied 7-7 after one quarter. United would begin to separate themselves in the second quarter scoring 8 unanswered behind Samantha Lippiatt and  Grace Knight 3 point shots building the Eagles lead to 15-7. Lisbon would simply refuse to lie down as a Lylah Brown layup would complete a 6-0 run bringing the Devils within 15-13. The momentum would be short lived as the Eagles would finish the half in a flurry as a Knight runner in the lane would make it 23-15 at the break.

Grace Knight would go on to finish the evening recording a double double recording 15 points and 14 rebounds. The second half would prove to be the Blue Devils demise as the Eagles behind Madison Kibler’s 7 third quarter points separated themselves from their opponents building the lead to 37-20. The United defense would limit Lisbon to just 3 points in the 4th quarter sealing the victory.

Madison Kibler contributed 9 points in victory for United, teammate Addyson Blazer added 8 points and 5 steals for the victors. Lylah Brown led the way for Lisbon with 8 points, Morgan Lively added 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Lisbon (3-8, 2-4) will look ahead to a home contest Thursday as they take on East Palestine. United (7-4, 6-0) will make the trip north to take on Valley Christian as well on Thursday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Chris Sigler

WESTERN RESERVE WINS A TUG OF WAR

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BERLIN CENTER OH- It’s always a fun time when Western Reserve and McDonald match up with each other in the battle of the Blue Devils. Both teams came in to Friday nights game hoping a win would turn them in the right direction.  They both fought like their year was on the line as well. Im a night that saw both teams trade runs that were greater than ten points, Western Reserve pulled last and hung on 42-38.

Western Reserve was led by Hayden Fellows who scored 11 points including a pair of free throws that iced the game for the Blue Devils with 3 seconds left on the clock.  Luke Henning was also in double figures for Western Reserve with 10 points.  Joe Serensky contributed 7 points to the cause.

McDonald was led by Greg Costantino who finished with a game-high 13 points.  Wyatt Wolford gave everything he had down the stretch and pulled McDonald back in the game. He finished in double figures with 11 points.

Western Reserve stays home on Tuesday as they host bitter rival Jackson Milton.  McDonald will try to bounce back on Tuesday as they stay on the road at Sebring.