Tag Archive for: Cardinal Mooney

RAIDERS FLIP THE SCRIPT ON MOONEY

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CANFIELD OH- After hosting 12 games in two days as part of their Holiday Hoops Classic, it was finally time for South Range to take part in the fun. They squared up with Cardinal Mooney in the 13th and final game of the event.  It wasn’t too much fun to start for the Raiders, the first half went all to the Cardinals. As South Range struggled offensively, Mooney took advantage and built a strong 19-4 lead heading into the break. The second half would be a completely different story however, as the Raiders went on an 18-3 run in the 3rd frame, and ended up winning the second half 33-6.  The mighty second half push got them to a 37-25 win.

Sydney Penick had a great night for the Raiders and led the way with 13 points.  Emma Cunningham turned on the energy in the second half and finished with 7 points, and 6 blocks.  Devin Sauerwein hit free throws through the end of the game to seal the victory.  Mooney was led by Maria Fire and Allee Blohm who both put together 9 point performances.

BIG START ENDS UP THE DIFFERENCE FOR GARFIELD

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CANFIELD OH- In the first All-YSN matchup of the day at The South Range Holiday Tournament, The Cardinal Mooney Cardinals, acted as the home team, squaring off with The Garresville-Garfield G-Men. Both squads rode into Wednesday evening with a ton of momentum, with The Cardinals coming away with the victory against the red hot Youngstown East Golden Bears. For Garfield, despite a scare from Champion, The Lady G-Men were a perfect 7-0 going into Wednesday. 

Wasting little time, Garfield jumped out of the box immediately, creating turnovers that were then converted to points, The G-Men jumped ahead 7-2 within the first minutes of gametime. Highlighted by great passing, Garrettsville was able to open up the floor offensively in the first quarter, putting up 24 points throughout the first eight minutes. However, despite trailing by almost 20 points to start, Mooney was able to battle back before the half! Flipping the script, The Cardinals held the previously potent Garfield offense to just five points in the second quarter, thus allowing them to trim their deficit. Going into the half, The Lady G-Men held a 29-18 lead.

Out of the half, Garfield looked to establish themselves in the passing game to create open looks. Initially finding success, Mooney quickly responded by clogging those passing lanes to force turnovers. Sophia Diorio was acting as a spark plug for The Cardinals offense in the second half and Maria Fire always ignited the flame of the defense to get them fired up. On the other side, Madeline Shirkey, Laura McCoy and Mandy Cardinal acted as a three-headed dragon on both sides of the ball, with a good blend of height and athleticism. 

Mooney continued to have success on the defensive end, allowing just 26 points in the following three quarters after the first. However, Garfield showed the difference between good teams and great teams, as The G-Men did enough defensively to maintain the lead through rough waters. Emerging victorious for their eighth time this season, The Lady G-Men are now a perfect 8-0 on the campaign. Mandy Cardinal was The Player of The Game, with her 16 points of offense to complement her ball handling and rebounding skills, she was an all-around all star in a winning performance! Both teams will be back in South Range on Thursday, December 29th for their second consecutive day of The South Range Holiday Tournament!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

MOONEY DEFENSE STEALS A VICTORY

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YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO- The Canfield Cardinals traveled to Cardinal Mooney to take on the Cardinals. In the first both offensive side struggled to produce as the score at halftime was just 13-10 Mooney lead. After both teams just scored 6 points in the 3rd quarter, the 4th quarter is when Mooney heated up. Mooney scored 18 points in the 4th quarter, led by Ashton O’Brien who led the way with 16 points.

Jake Schneider and Ben Weaver both had a productive night, each scoring 9 points but it wasn’t enough as the Canfield Cardinals fall to the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals 39-29.

Mooney will look ro be back in the win column again when they face off against Urban Scholars tomorrow night. Canfield will look to get back on track against Marlington on Monday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison

FALCONS FOCUS ON STAYING UNDEFEATED

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As a cool December chill filled the air, The Austintown Fitch Falcons and Cardinal Mooney Cardinals looked to bring the heat. A perennial matchup every year between the two programs and a matchup that, every year, brings us some memorable moments. Checking in as the third game on the season for both teams, they both brought a goose egg opposite the win column going into Friday night. 

Fitch, being 2-0, was looking for the win to give the program one of its best starts in recent years. On the other side, Mooney was coming off a Regional Finals appearance in the 2021 campaign and was looking to build off a great season. The first quarter saw Fitch jump out of the gate with a fury, grabbing an early lead with an energetic crowd feeding momentum. The opposite side saw a well-traveled Mooney student section that helped revitalize The Cardinals to come storming back and capture a 17-14 lead after one quarter of play. 

Having possession out of the second quarter, Mooney’s Rocco Turner put a beautiful alley-oop pass on a dime to a back cutting Eddie Nieves that sent the cardinal crowd into a frenzy. Mooney would build on that momentum to extend their lead into double digits in the second quarter. However, a calm, cool and collected Falcons squad was able to nickel and dime their way back to a two point deficit going into halftime, with Mooney leading 28-26. 

Austintown would make the correct adjustments out of the half, getting their big three scorers involved in Gianni Maley, Marcel Finkley and Carter Owens. All would be in the double-digits in scoring for the third time in three games this year. With Finkley and Maley operating smoothly when pressed by the defense of Mooney. Adding to that, the twin Hills were more like mountains, as Alex Hill and Allen Hill had The Cardinal offense seeing double, as they swatted away many would be shot attempts. 

The Falcons played superb defense, allowing only seven points in the second half, while Carter Owens showed why he is “The Perfect 10” from behind the arc, splashing home some dagger 3’s to send Fitch to 3-0! 

Fitch (3-0) will hit the road for the first time this year, heading to Leopard Country in a matchup with Louisville (2-2) on Tuesday, December 13th. As for Mooney (2-1) they will have little rest to recover in a quick turn around game with Girard (2-1) on Saturday, December 10th. 

 

Scoring (Fitch)

Carter Owens: 15 PTS. (Co-Player of The Game)

Marcel Finkley: 12 PTS. (Co-Player of The Game)

Gianni Maley: 11 PTS.

Alex Hill: 6 PTS.

Allen Hill: 4 PTS.

Total: 48 PTS. 

 

Scoring (Mooney)

Ashton O’Brien: 11 PTS.

Eddie Nieves: 7 PTS.

Jaxon Menough: 6 PTS.

Jibri Carter: 5 PTS.

Rocco Turner: 4 PTS.

Will Desmond: 2 PTS.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

CARDINALS BLOCK HARDING

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- The ladies of Cardinal Mooney basketball got the week started with a big home victory over formerly undefeated Warren G. Harding. After 32 minutes in a tough defensive battle Mooney had made all the right moves to conquer the invading Raiders in a stunning 21-point victory on Wednesday night. Mooney was once again led by Maria Fire who had 20-points and 4-blocks against the Raiders and her partner in battle Olivia Rouser had 12-points. Her performance was one for the ages as she had more points than the Raiders for the majority of the game before Coach Diorio decided to shorten his starters minutes to bring in some younger players to finish out.

Cardinal Mooney jumped out to an early lead in this one as they held a 10-5 advantage after a first quarter in which they had led at one point 10-1. With all of the points for Mooney Wednesday night it is possible their defense might be left out of the conversation, but they allowed just 2-points in the second quarter and led 18-7 going into the half. Fire and Olivia Rouser each had 8-points at this time. Out of the halftime break Mooney’s offense exploded for one of the biggest quarters they’ve had all season long. They nearly double their points total from the first half and allowed just five-points the other way. They led after three quarters 33-12. The fourth quarter saw a lot of subs coming in and out of the game for both sides as there was no hope for a comeback.

Both teams earned 10-points and Mooney came out with their fourth victory of the season (4-3) 43-22 and handed Harding their first loss of the season (4-1). Mooney has a tough test in front of them this weekend as they travel into Boardman to take on the Spartans. While Harding will look to bounce back as they travel a few minutes west to Chaney this Saturday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

1987 CARDINAL MOONEY AND BOARDMAN FOOTBALL REVISITED- 35 YEARS LATER

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By Radar Pavlov

This weekend will mark the Golden Anniversary of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Championships from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Pro Football Hall if Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Here in the Mahoning Valley, we have a rich tradition of seeing High School Football over the years.

Many of us that lived in the Mahoning Valley in the past and in the here-in-now present still remember the 1973 Class AAA Football Championship Game between Cardinal Mooney and Warren Western Reserve, the 3 times that 3 schools from the Mahoning Valley that played in the Football Championship Game:

1989: Campbell Memorial (Division III), Warren JFK (Division IV), McDonald (Division V),

1994: West Branch (Division III), Wellsville (Division V), McDonald (Division VI),

2022: Canfield (Division III), South Range (Division V), and Warren JFK (Division VII),

2009 with Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline (Division V) winning football state titles in their respective divisions.

And then, there was the year of 1987, the year that Cardinal Mooney won their fourth OHSAA Football title under the late Don Bucci in Division III while Boardman came oh so close to winning it all in Division I.

This year marks 35 years since Mooney’s and Boardman’s Football deep run to the OHSAA Championship Round.

If you’re a football fan living in the Mahoning Valley that follows High School Football regularly, here was how we got to ‘87.

In the first 11 years of the OHSAA Football Playoffs, between the years of 1972 and 1982 – 4 different schools from the Mahoning Valley won an OHSAA Football Championship on 6 different occasions:

Brookfield – 1978 (Class AA)

Cardinal Mooney – 1973 (Class AAA), 1980 (Division II), 1982 (Division II)

Warren Harding – 1974 (Class AAA)

Warren Western Reserve – 1972 (Class AAA)

In the 4 years that proceeded 1987 between the years of 1983 and 1986, only Cardinal Mooney played for an OHSAA Football Title during that period, but they were shut out by Gallion, 6-0, in the 1985 OHSAA Division III Football Championship Game played at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Coming into the 1987 High School Football season in the Mahoning Valley, the Mahoning Valley was coming off a fourth straight season of no school winning an Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Title of any of the 5 Division classes in 1986.

Going into 1987, the Boardman Spartans Varsity Football Team had never made an Ohio High School Athletic Athletic Association Football Postseason Appearance which includes the years that Boardman was led by a future Miami Hurricanes NCAA National Champion and Cleveland Browns Quarterback by the name of Bernie Kosar (1979 to 1981) while the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Varsity Football Team we’re perennial OHSAA Football postseason Contenders, but was coming off an embarrassing playoff upset by Campbell Memorial in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III Region 9 Semifinals the previous year.

There were three other Mahoning Valley schools that qualified for the OHSAA Football Playoffs in that memorable year of 1987: Struthers (Division III Region 9, defeated Orrville in the Regional Semifinals; lost to Cardinal Mooney in the Regional Finals), Springfield Local (Division IV Region 13, lost to Gate Mills Hawken in the Regional Semifinals) and McDonald (Division V Region 17, lost to Mogadore in the Regional Semifinals), but Boardman and Cardinal Mooney we’re the cream of the crop in High School Football in the Mahoning Valley in 1987.

Here is a look at those two schools from 1987, beginning with the school that almost won it all in OHSAA Division I, the Boardman Spartans.

1987 Boardman Spartans Football

Led by Boardman Head Football Coach Bill Bohren, the Boardman Spartans Football posted a record of 7-2 in the regular season which was good for a #3 Seed in the OHSAA Football Division I Region 1 Computer Rankings at the end of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in school history. Only losses to New Castle (Week 1, 1987) and future OHSAA 1987 Division III Football State Champion Cardinal Mooney (Week 6, 1987) prevented Boardman from going undefeated during their 1987 Regular Season.

While Boardman’s Offense scored only 165 points in their 9 regular season contests (conservative in today’s OHSAA Football), Boardman’s defense was king, posting shutouts in 5 games during the regular season, allowing a total of 29 points.

In the OHSAA Playoffs in ‘87, Boardman took full advantage of being in the football postseason for the first time in school history by posting their 6th shutout of 1987 by upsetting Euclid, 31-0, in the Division I Region 1 Semifinals played in Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, then in the greatest football game in Boardman history, they upset a Cleveland St. Joseph team that featured a future Heisman Trophy from Michigan, a future Super Bowl MVP and college football analyst by the name of Desmond Howard in 3 overtimes, 20-19, in the Division I Region 1 Finals played at the old Rubber Bowl in Akron. Boardman then defeated Sandusky in the Division III Semifinals 21-14, in a game played at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio before losing to Cincinnati Princeton, 14-7, in the Division III Championship Game also in Columbus.

Boardman Spartans Football had never advanced to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Championship Game before 1987, and they never advanced to one since 1987, even though Boardman made a State Semifinal appearance in 1995 in Division I.

Here is a game-by-game results summary of 1987 Boardman Spartans Football:

9-4-1987 0 at New Castle 9

9-11-1987 35 Chaney 0

9-19-1987 35 at Lorain Admiral King 6

10-2-1987 47 Howland 0

10-10-1987 6 vs. Cardinal Mooney (at YSU) 7

10-16-1987 7 Ursuline 0

10-23-1987 32 Indiana (PA) 7

10-30-1987 3 at Austintown Fitch 0

11-6-1987 10 South 0

11-14-1987 * 31 Euclid (at Mentor, Ohio) 0

11-21-1987 * 20 Cleveland St. Joseph (3OT) (at Akron, Ohio) 19

11-28-1987 * 21 Sandusky (at Columbus, Ohio) 14

12-5-1987 * 7 Cincinnati Princeton (at Columbus, Ohio) 14

*-OHSAA Football Division I Playoffs Head Coach: BILL BOHREN Record: 10-3

Next, the one that won it all in OHSAA Division III, were the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals.

1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football

Led by Cardinal Mooney Head Football Coach Don Bucci, the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football team posted a regular season record of 8-1 in 1987 which was good for a #1 Seed in the OHSAA Football Division III Region 9 Computer Rankings at the end of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs. Only a loss to a Cleveland St. Joseph team that featured Howard and a future Michigan and NFL journeyman quarterback named Elvis Grbac in Week 2 prevented a perfect season for Cardinal Mooney. While Mooney’s Offense scored only 135 points in 9 games of regular season play, Mooney’s defense permitted only 29 points from their opponents, posting shutouts in 6 regular season games for Mooney.

In the OHSAA playoffs, Mooney football kicked it into another gear by outscoring their 4 Division III football playoff opponents by a combined score of 95-10 in victories over Wickliffe (21-0, Division III Region 9 Semifinals at Stambaugh Stadium), Struthers (21-3, Division III Region 9 Finals at Stambaugh Stadium), Elyria Catholic (23-0, Division III Semifinals at Berea, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland) and Thornville Sheridan (30-7, Division III Finals at Ohio Stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio) to claim their 4th OHSAA Football Championship under Don Bucci while posting 2 more shutouts bring their season total of shutouts to 8 games overall while becoming the first Ohio High School Football school to win OHSAA football championships in 3 different classes: (1973 – AAA, 1980 – II, 1982 – II).

Sadly, it would be the last OHSAA football title for Mooney Football under Bucci even though they would make 3 state semifinals appearances in the 1990s (1990, 1996, 1999, all in Division III), and they would not win it all again until 2004 under Bucci’s successor, P.J. Fedko.

Here is a game-by-game results summary of 1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football:

9-5-1987 28 Ashtabula (at YSU) 0

9-11-1987 11 Cleveland St. Joseph (at YSU) 20

9-18-1987 7 at Austintown Fitch 3

9-25-1987 8 at Canton McKinley 0

10-10-1987 7 Boardman (at YSU) 6

10-16-1987 15 at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s 0

10-24-1987 20 at Cincinnati St. Xavier 0

10-31-1987 14 Ursuline (at YSU) 0

11-6-1987 25 vs. Chaney (at YSU) 0

11-13-1987 * 21 Wickliffe (at YSU) 0

11-20-1987 * 21 Struthers (at YSU) 3

11-27-1987 * 23 Elyria Catholic (at Berea, Ohio) 0

12-4-1987 * 30 Thornville Sheridan (at Columbus, Ohio) 7

*-OHSAA Football Division III Playoffs Head Coach: DON BUCCI Record: 12-1

As this unforgettable 2022 High School Football season in the Mahoning Valley comes to a close this weekend in Canton, Ohio, all of us at YSN would like to say a big thank you to the student-athletes, the coaches, and the families of the 1987 Boardman Spartans Football and 1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football teams 35 years later for making our community proud of all of the accomplishments from that great year of 1987.

To share a quote from a hit song from 1987, both Boardman and Cardinal Mooney Football had the time of their lives in the year 1987.

Until the next On The Radar, this is Radar Pavlov reporting for YSN Live.

CANFIELD THE TOP CARDINALS IN TOWN

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- The battle of the state birds was a one-sided fight Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal Mooney Cardinals played host to the Canfield Cardinals in a game that was all Canfield from the very beginning. Canfield dominated straight from the tip behind a very potent and electrifying offense that looked to attack with every chance they had. Their defense was just as strong as their offense as they held Mooney to just one made field goal in the first quarter as they led 22-5 behind seven points from Kate Sahli.

Mooney’s offense continued to struggle in the second quarter as they only managed one more made field goal scoring another five points thanks to free throws. They were led in scoring by Maria Fire in the first half as she accounted for eight of the ten points scored. Canfield did not have any problem keeping the hot hand as they added on 19-points behind four points from Callie Harmon and four points from Jenna Triveri. The Cardinals led 41-10 at the half.

Canfield would let off the gas in the second half as their scoring finally hit a wall as they scored just six points. But on the flipside Cardinal Mooney turned their shooting woes aroundwith Olivia Rouser and Maria Fire as they helped the team cut the lead down to 47-22 before the end of the quarter.

But their comeback was cut short as Mooney’s scoring would not keep up pace and they would be outscored by Canfield in the final quarter 10-8. Canfield would take home the win 57-30 over the Mooney Cardinals. Canfield was led in scoring by Kate Sahli who finished with 13. Mooney was led by Maria Fire who scored 16 of the teams 30 points.

Cardinal Mooney will be back in action on Wednesday against Warren G. Harding and will look to get back over .500 as their record is now (3-3). Canfield moves to (2-0) on the season and they will play host to the Liberty Leopards on Monday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

CARDINALS UP FOR THE TASK

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BOARDMAN, OH- Basketball season is underway as we are already seeing some big comebacks, like the one in Boardman as the Spartans hosted Cardinal Mooney Friday night. Boardman got the better start, but Mooney turned the tide as the first half came to an end. The momentum swing carried over into the second half as the Cardinals roared back in the third and stood tall in the fourth to come away with a 47-38 victory over the Spartans.
It seemed as if Boardman would be the better team from the start as Mooney was just behind cutting the lead various times within the first half. In the second, Mooney slowly turned the notch up and ended the first half with a buzzer beater to tie it up at 21 going into halftime. To start the second half, the roles reversed as Mooney came out and used the momentum to get a lead and Boardman was fighting to cut the deficit. The Mooney offense turned out to be too much for the Spartans in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals extended their lead out of the reach of Boardman.
For Mooney, Rocco Turner led the way with 14 points. Nick Pregibon added 11 for the Cardinals on the night.
For Boardman, David D’Altorio led the way with 14 points of his own.
Looking ahead, Mooney will be back in action at home Tuesday night as they will host Urban Academy. For Boardman, they will also be back in action Tuesday night as they go on the road and will travel to Hickory.

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller

MOONEY GUARDS AGAINST CRUSADERS INVASION

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- The ladies of Cardinal Mooney defended home floor for the fourth time this season as the Canton Central Catholic Crusaders came to town. Mooney had won 2 of their 3 home games prior to the meeting while the Crusaders were making their first road trip of the season.

Mooney had the hot hand early on in the night as they went on a 15-3 rampage in the first quarter allowing only field goal and a free throw. Maria Fire and Olivia Rouser were dominant in the painted area forcing the Crusaders into tough shot after tough shot. It was Sam Rotunno that got the offense rolling early in the night as she accounted for 6 of the teams first quarter points.

Action evened out as they moved into the second quarter. The Crusaders led by Kristen Belden mounted 13-points in the second quarter which pulled them within single digits of the Cardinals. Makayla Johnson would cap off the half with a buzzer beater three from near half court to make 25-16 going into the break.

Both teams cooled off in the third quarter after a combined 23-point second they had just 14 combined points. Strong defense led the way on both sides as turnovers and fouls came by the handful. Both teams were on the edge of the bonus as they entered into the fourth quarter.

The fourth belonged to Mooney as they dropped 16-points to close out the game. Alle Blohm put on a magnificent minute long stretch in which she handed Mooney all the momentum thanks to a three pointer, a steal, and free throws. She scored all five of her points during this minute long stretch. Her points proved to be all the Cardinals needed to strike down the Crusaders run that had brought them within three points.

The final run pushed Mooney out front, and they pulled off their third win of the season 47-33 over the Crusaders. Sam Rotunno led all scorers with 12-points and grabbed more than a few steals and rebounds to help out her night. They will host the Canfield Cardinals this Saturday at 2:30PM on YSNLive.com and look to continue their now two-game long winning streak. The Crusaders were sent home with their second loss of the season but were led in scoring by Kristen and Sarah Belden who each had six points. They will play host to the Tuscarawas Catholic Crusaders next Wednesday before a six-game road trip takes them through the month of December.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

MOONEY GETS DRAMA FROM THE JUMP

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LIBERTY OH- Cardinal Mooney and the Leopards faced off in Liberty to start the season Tuesday night. Mooney comes into the year having won the district championship in each of the last two seasons. The Leopards were eliminated by Cardinal Mooney at home last season in the district semifinals. Each team had to replace a number of key players from a year ago as Mooney brought up five guys to the varsity program and Liberty brought up eight new players.

The lack of experience was evident early on in this one as neither team had much of a shooting rhythm in the first quarter as a tight defensive battle gave way to a 6-5 Mooney lead heading into the first break of the night. However, after such a slow start each team began to click as we reached the halfway point of the night as Nick Pregibon for Mooney led all scorers going into halftime with 8-points and for a few minutes had taken over the Cardinals offense. But the Leopards would not be denied from distance as they cashed in on five threes from Silas Robinson, Bra‘Sean Black, and Dearmani Franklin in the second quarter to take a 22-15 lead into the break.

With fresh legs and a revamped defensive scheme Mooney was able to retake control of the game out of the halftime break as Jibri Carter and Rocco Turner finally hit a switch after combining for just 3-points in the first half as they drained shot after shot. The Leopards went a little chilly from range in the third and that allowed Mooney to sneak right back in. They went into the fourth quarter in a 1-point game thanks to a buzzer beater three from Carter 34-33 with the Leopards still out in front. Both teams gave it their all in the final quarter of play as Kalen Turner got hot from deep. But the defending district champions would not be denied a win to start the season as they were able to hit clutch shots in the late stages and near perfect free throw shooting put them in position to win despite a late Leopards push.

Mooney took home the season opening win 47-43 over the Leopards who drop to (0-1) on the season. Both teams will look to continue to build the chemistry with their younger teams as the season rolls on as Mooney will stay on the road as they visit Boardman this Friday, and the Leopards will remain at home to host the Warren G. Harding Raiders on Friday. Player of the game went to Jibri Carter as he finished the game second on the team in points with 11 and was given the award for his outstanding shooting down the stretch that flipped the momentum away from the Leopards and gave his team all that they needed to take home the win. Rocco Turner led Mooney with 13 points and Kalen Turner led all scorers with 14 points.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna