POLAND OH- West Branch controlled the first three quarters of the game Saturday but had to hold on as Poland made a fierce comeback bid. What was a thirteen point lead quickly shrunk to as low as three. The Warriors made enough plays to hold on to a 46-42 win. The Poland girls team came into the day as the only team in the United Way Classic’s 10 year history to be undefeated in the event’s games. They are now 9-1 in 10 seasons competing in the Classic.
Anna Lippiatt led the Warriors with 13 points on the night. Hannah Egli hit some big shots from behind the arc on her way to a 9 point night. Sophie Gregory, and Livvie Showalter both added 8.
Poland was paced by Connie Cougras with 11 points. Morgan Kluchar had a solid night in double figures with 10 points. Katie McDonald chipped in with 6 points.
A big matchup awaits for both teams as West Branch will lock horns with Salem on Wednesday, while Poland travels to South Range on Monday.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/43B9C0D9-1E2F-40C9-85D6-1B68694F857D-scaled.jpeg15252560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2021-12-13 01:27:342023-07-14 23:05:50WARRIORS HOLD STRONG TO GIVE POLAND THEIR FIRST LOSS
CORTLAND OH- South Range took a three game win streak into Lakeview on Thursday night. They also took their impressive suffocating defense. The Raiders held Lakeview to under 20 points in a 35-16 win. The win keeps the Raiders undefeated inside the league.
Lexi Giles finished with her season high to this point with 20 points. She hit four three pointers. Devin Sauerwein contributed 5 points.
Maggie Pavlansky led the Bulldogs with 6 points on the night.
This sets up a battle for first place in the NE8 on Monday as Poland travels to South Range. Lakeview will try to bounce back Monday as they travel to Struthers.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3C78AE78-F574-4DCB-9403-4021B8F1FF06.jpeg9551332Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2021-12-10 16:10:322023-07-14 23:02:09RAIDERS KEEP PACE IN NE8
POLAND OH- It was a battle between cats and dogs on Thursday night as Struthers invaded Poland for a NE8 matchup. The game was competitive for the first two quarters, with Struthers getting an early lead. Poland would take back the advantage but never pull away in the half. They’d only take a 3 point lead into the locker room 20-17. The Bulldogs then outscored Struthers 31-13 in the next two quarters to roll 51-30.
Poland was led by Connie Cougras who finished the game with 19 points. Mary Brant was also in double figures finishing with 11 points. Sarah Forsyth was able to add 6.
Chloe Neider led Struthers with 11 points. She went 6/7 at the free throw line. Emma Morris contributed 8 points for the Wildcats.
Both teams return to action Saturday as Poland hosts West Branch in the United Way Classic, while Struthers stays on the road and travels to Austintown Fitch.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/50DB5C4D-E32F-43C0-A71F-1D709F8A0CBD.jpeg15312410Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2021-12-10 15:40:592023-07-14 23:01:20BULLDOGS BURST AHEAD IN THE SECOND HALF
GIRARD, OH – Both the Lakeview and Girard girls’ teams started off their Northeast 8 campaigns with a loss, but Lakeview used a strong 14-4 third quarter to help propel them to a 48-44 victory over the Indians.
“Girard’s a good team,” said Lakeview coach Kevin Haynie. “They came in with a nice record. I know they are a little banged up. We had a nice lead, though, in the second half and we just got to learn from that. In this league, any win’s a good win and it does not get any easier.”
After Girard controlled the tempo in the first half to hold a 25-23 advantage going into the locker room, the Bulldogs utilized a very good mid-range game with the likes of Maggie Pavlansky and Brooke Schneider. The perfect shooting forms and drives to the basket helped Lakeview build up a 44-34 lead. Girard, however, went on an 8-0 run late in the fourth to bring it within two. Coach Haynie then wanted to remind his girls that they belonged in the moment.
“I told the girls at the timeout, I said, ‘I’m done. You figure it out. You guys, it’s up to you now. You guys have played enough games. Most of you have a ton of varsity experience. It’s time for you to figure this out. I’m done,’ and I did use a timeout, I told them I was not going to use it anymore, so I did tell them I lied, but I was proud of the effort. I wish we could make our foul shots and close out even easier, but, take the win.”
Lakeview was a team coming into their game with Girard having only scored 177 points and averaging 35.4 in their first five games. The late second-half push helped push the Bulldogs to their season-high in points scored in a game with 48. Some nice steals in the end and buckets in transition by Schneider helped make that happen. Coach Haynie was extremely pleased to know that Lakeview went well above their season average in this early-season conference matchup.
“I know we can shoot the ball, and today, we shot it pretty good, so, I’m glad it’s not 33, because I was looking at the scoreboard, I’m like, ‘Oh, we already beat that 33,’ so I’ll take it.”
The Bulldogs will move back to .500 on the year as they improve to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Northeast 8 play. They will go back to home on Thursday to play defending Northeast 8 champion South Range, a team that only had one conference loss a year ago and also a team that beat Girard 45-36 last Thursday. Coach Haynie is aware of the tough challenge that his team faces on YSN Live.
“Well, let me tell you, they are aggressive on defense, they get after it, they have got some scorers. We have got to look at film, we have got to learn. The girls have got to watch film, they have got to invest, that’s one thing we talked about. We said those who invest the most are the last to surrender, and it kind of worked into our favor here at the end. We didn’t give up, so we got the win.”
The Indians with the close loss will drop to 3-2 on the year as they remain winless in conference play at 0-2. They will play another home conference game on Thursday as they play host to Jefferson. That game can be streamed on YSN Live.
You can watch the full interview with Coach Kevin Haynie and YSN’s Noah Ricks below.
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NILES OH- Poland continued their long road trip to open the season Monday night as they traveled to Niles and dominated the Dragons. Holding Niles to just one point in the second frame, Poland took a 38-10 lead into the break. They didn’t look back and rolled 64-22.
Connie Cougras led the Bulldogs with 10 points. It was a Bulldog offense that saw 12 different players get into the stat sheet. Katie McDonald chipped 8 points and Abby Farber added 7.
Niles was led by Abby Reed, and BROOKE Money who both scored 6 points.
Poland will finally have their home opener on Thursday as they host Struthers. Niles stays home on Thursday to host Hubbard.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/711B9C9E-C019-40C8-91B5-D7892202E5C7.jpeg15932250Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2021-12-07 16:08:402023-07-14 22:55:28BULLDOGS NOT PHASED BY NILES
LEETONIA OH- It was a clash of EOAC hopefuls on Monday night in Leetonia as the Bears hosted an East Palestine team that was coming off their first ever league title. The Bears took control early building a 9-1 lead and never looked back. Every time East Palestine would push towards the lead, it seemed the Bears would have an answer. The Leetonia defense eventually halted any come back chances as the Bears dominated the final frame. They would go on to win 40-22.
Ella Gregorino led the Bears with a game-high 22 points. She scored from everywhere on the floor in an impressive performance.
Patience Champney wasn’t afraid to shoot for East Palestine. She led the team with 11 points.
Leetonia returns to action on Thursday as they go on the road to Lisbon. East Palestine will return home on Thursday to host Southern.
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HUBBARD OH- Coming in to this season, a lot of people on the outside were questioning Poland’s ability to stay at the top of the NE8 with the loss of last year’s seniors. Hubbard came in to the NE8 opening night with two big wins feeling ready to take the next step. Poland had other Poland though, as emphatically sent a message to the league that they are still there. They beat Hubbard 53-15.
Leading the Bulldogs was Connie Cougras with 12 points. Both Arianna Daniels, and Ava Nicholudis added an important 7 points. Mary Brant, and Morgan Kluchar chipped in with 6 points.
Poland returns to action on Monday as they’ll stay in the league to travel to Niles. Hubbard will stay in the league as well as they host Struthers on Monday.
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HOWLAND CENTER, OH – Coming off a 6-17 season and a lot to prove, coach Dan Bubon and the Howland Tigers utilized their experience and well-rounded depth and made a big statement against area powerhouse Poland, a team with a new head coach for the first time in 28 years in Eric Felder. The Tigers scored both inside the paint and beyond the arc to pull off a 67-56 victory over the Bulldogs on opening night.
“We thought we had a chance to be a good team this year,” Bubon told YSN’s Noah Ricks. “In any of our scrimmages. we didn’t play real well. We were still trying to find our pieces and who was going to do what, so I did not know what was going to happen tonight.”
Howland got off to a fast start by putting up 23 points in the first quarter while good defensive switching held Poland to just 10. Senior Anthony Massucci showed even more improvement from his junior year to this year. He scored 15 of those first quarter points, along with the first eight, en route to a red hot 32-point night. Bubon was very pleased with Massucci’s performance after his season-ending knee injury during the COVID year last year.
“I told everybody last year, and because of COVID, and because of him getting hurt about eight, nine games in, nobody really got a chance to see him. He was averaging 19 points and eight rebounds last year, and I’m telling everybody, ‘This kid can really play’, and then he was done for the year. Honestly, he didn’t start practice until about a week and a half ago. He hurt his other knee in the fall here, so you are not 100% sure of what you’re going to get, but he was raring to go. Give the kid credit, man. He put the work in in rehab and that kid is a competitor. He took a few bad shots that we’ll try to correct, but when you’ve got a kid that’s that hot, you’ve got to let him know that we’ll win.”
Poland is a team that has never been known for being down and out when they fall behind. They took some needed runs to keep the Tigers on their toes throughout. Senior Christian Colosimo helped the Bulldogs cut the lead to 31-24 at halftime with 7 of the team’s 14 second quarter points. He also picked up two three-pointers in the third period for 10 of the 18 third-quarter points. He led the Bulldogs in scoring with 28 and 6 three-pointers overall.
In a game with only three lead changes, the Tigers fell behind by one in the third quarter, but took the lead right back and never trailed from there. Howland’s bench came up strong tonight with the likes of sophomore Alex Henry. He went all out in his first varsity game and got twelve vital points in the eleven-point victory. He helped pick up 4 two-pint field goals and was perfect from the free throw line with 4. Bubon was really happy with how his role player exceeded his expectations for his bench to step up when they needed to.
“You never know what you are going to get out of him. We know Alex has the talent, but the first real varsity game, you never know what you are going to get, but he played great in the fourth quarter.”
Howland used a well-balanced motion offense and did a great job getting feeds and finishes inside. They also had some aggressive defense from the likes of Grant Brown.
“I thought Grant Brown played great defense on #4 (Rodd Dedo) for them, who’s a really good player, and I thought Bobby Sullivan was huge at the end getting baskets underneath and really playing smart, so they were really unheralded guys coming up, but we thought they were going to be good and help us, and it’s great to see them do that in game one.”
With the win, the Tigers will start off their season with a 1-0 mark and a 1-0 record in non-conference play. They will get ready for their next game on Friday at home against Lakeview, who Bubon says will be ready and prepared.
“They never slouch. They knocked us out of the tournament last year in a game that we had a ten point lead in the third quarter, so I know these guys don’t forget that. It’s always great, intense, just like this. This was awesome for a Tuesday night having fans back in the stands, kids were loud, and I think it will be even bigger on Friday.”
The Bulldogs will start off their season 0-1 as they drop to 0-1 in non-conference play. Poland will look to rebound as they open their home slate next Monday against Austintown Fitch.
You can watch the full interview with Coach Dan Bubon and YSN’s Noah Ricks below.
Box Score:
1234F
PHS 10 14 18 14 56
HHS 238 12 24 67
Game Stats:
Howland
#11 Ben Bronson – 5 points, 1 3PT, 2/2 FT (100%), 1 foul
#14 Michael Vacha – 2 points, 2/2 FT (100%), 1 foul
#25 Grant Brown – 4 points, 1 3PT, 1/2 FT (50%), 4 fouls
#30 Anthony Massucci – 32 points, 11 2PT, 3 3PT, 1/1 FT (0%), 1 foul
#35 Gabe Bedea – 2 points, 1 2PT, 0/2 FT (0%), 4 fouls
#4 Alex Henry – 12 points, 4 2PT, 4/4 FT (100%), 2 fouls
#33 Alex Vacha – 2 points, 1 2PT, 1 foul
#40 Bobby Sullivan – 8 points, 4 2PT, 2 fouls
Poland
#2 Jack Fulton – 3 points, 1 2PT, 1/3 FT (33%), 1 foul
#3 Christian Colosimo – 28 points, 2 2PT, 3 3PT, 6/6 FT (100%), 1 foul
#4 Ross Dedo – 14 points, 5 2PT, 4/6 FT (66%), 3 fouls
#11 Noah Huda – 4 points, 2 2PT, 2 fouls
#12 Carson Maurel – 4 points, 2 2PT
#21 Michael Nittoli – 3 points, 1 2PT, 1/2 FT (50%), 4 fouls
Postgame Interview With Don.Bubon:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/9E63F6EE-170D-4B62-8B4A-1DE2DF69DFE8.jpeg12242262Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2021-12-01 15:10:132023-07-14 22:47:03HOWLAND PUTS A LEASH ON THE BULLDOGS
AUSTINTOWN OH- Snow fell on a cold Monday in Northeast Ohio. As folks struggled with the cold, the ladies of The Fitch Lady Falcons and Poland Lady Bulldogs heated up Austintown with offense Monday night.
With a combined 131 points of total offense, the two young teams squared off in a good battle. As Zayda Creque was setting the tone early from behind the arch. Hitting three of her five total 3’s on the night in the first quarter alone.
Fitch came away with a first quarter lead; however, Coach Blanch and The Lady Bulldogs responded defensively in the second. Opening up on a 7-0 run, Poland took a lead that the would never look back.
Connie Cougras and Katie McDonald each had 15 points on the night, with key contributions from Mary Brant, Sarah Forsyth, Ariana Daniels and Abby Farber. It truly was a team effort for Poland.
Several times Fitch would scratch their way back within 15, but Poland kept the pressure up offensively. Winning the rebounding battle heavily, The Lady Bulldogs used offensive rebounds for multiple 2nd chance buckets throughout the game.
Fitch will have a lot of young returning talent, from Ayla Ray and Destanie McCullough, plus new faces of Sam Severn and The Spaldings (Liz and Rachel), Fitch will get better throughout the season.
Zayda Creque had another great performance of 26 points on the night, but Poland did a great job of keeping her scoring limited. By bringing traps and presses as the game went on, they did a good job of trying to keep the ball out of Creque’s hands.
As Poland will open up 1-0 on the season, they will waste little time before opening up NE8 play. With a matchup at The Hubbard Lady Eagles place scheduled for Thursday, December 2nd.
Fitch will look to build off the positives in Monday’s game, as they will visit Chaney Saturday, December 4th.
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
Postgame Interview With Nick Blanch:
Postgame Interview With Connie Cougras:
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EAST LIVERPOOL OH- The Beaver Local Lady Beavers improved to 2-0 for the season with a 51-31 win over the visiting East Palestine Lady Bulldogs Monday night.
Beaver Local’s Peyton Roberts scored a game high 21 points with teammate Jordan Palmer adding 11 points.
For the Bulldogs, Mia Lee had 10 points.
Next up for Beaver Local is a Monday night home battle with rival East Liverpool.
