Tag Archive for: Featured

MOONEY LIVES AND LEARNS

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YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Cardinal Mooney Cardinals overcame the odds on Friday night. Despite a rough first half against Howland, they would chip down and adjust. Mooney would erase a 25-18 halftime deficit and outscore the Tigers in the second half 25-14 to get the 43-39 comeback win.

 

Howland would control much of the first half with the post work of John Perry and the sharp three-point shooting of Ben Bronson, as they both led the Tigers with 10 points. They also had athletic prowess from Connor Durig, who plugged in two first-quarter treys and a driving two-handed slam dunk in the second, en route to his 8 points. In the first two quarters, Howland led by as much as ten before going into the locker room up seven.

 

The Cardinals had to settle in and play their own game in the second half. They would rely on Nick Pregibon to do the dirty work, and he would impress, scoring 11 second-half points to finish the night with a game-high 15. It was a well-balanced effort by Pregibon in that spurt, as he had two important treys, two two-point field goals, and a free throw in the fourth.

 

Trailing Howland 37-33 late in the fourth, Mooney would storm back for a quick six points to force Howland to pick up quick fouls to give in order to put the Cards in the single bonus. Rocco Turner was sent to the line, and he shined in the clutch, sinking both foul shots to give Mooney a two-possession lead to seal the game. With that effort, Turner would end his night with 8 tallies.   

 

Mooney (8-5) will ride a two-game winning streak going into their home matchup with Salem on Tuesday. The Cardinals bested the Quakers last season in the Salem Holiday Classic 56-37. Howland (6-8) has now lost six straight with another close loss. They will seek their first win since December 30th on Tuesday when they play host to East. The Tigers took down the Golden Bears last year on the road in a good 58-51 contest.

 

YSN’s Noah Ricks got a chance to speak with Mooney coach Carey Palermo following the come-from-behind win. The full interview can be watched below.

*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks

IRISH PROVE TOO TOUGH FOR INDIANS

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- It was an intriguing non conference matchup on tap Saturday afternoon as Ursuline welcomed in a strong Girard team.  After facing some adversity early, the Irish put their heads down and ran through the Indians 57-47.

Alayna Smith led the Irish charge as she scored a game-high 19 points for them. Trinity Lamb was also in double figures for Ursuline with 11 points.  Chelsea Johnson was just one off the double figure pads as she scored 9.  Meredith Gray added 8 points to the cause.

Girard led by 10 at halftime and it had a lot to do with Sieasia Triplett’s 11 points in the first two frames. She would finish with 14.  Allison Durkin was 6/8 at the free throw line on the way to 12 points.  Abbie Rafferty was also in double figures for Girard with 10 points.

Ursuline gets back to it next Saturday as they host Salem.  Girard gets back to NE8 play on Monday as they play at home against Hubbard.

BEAVERS DAM UP THE WILDCATS

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EAST LIVERPOOL OH- Beaver Local headed into Friday nights affair with Edison looking for answers to a tough stretch in their season. The red & white quickly answered their questions surrounding their recent lack of offensive output as the Beavers scored early and often in routing Edison 76-35 at the Beaver Dome.

Beaver Local handled the 2-3 zone of Edison quite easily in the 1st quarter sprinting out to a 23-8 lead. The Wildcats would scratch back in the 2nd quarter behind a 9-0 run cutting the margin to 23-17. Hunter Rothacker was key to the run as the Edison big man would finish the night scoring all 10 of his points in the frame. This would be as close as Edison would come as Beaver Local would find a spark from the bench just before the half.

Sophomore Hunter Warrick would connect twice from behind the arc helping lead his team to a 34-21 halftime lead. Warrick would go on to finish the night with a game high 14 points. The Beavers decided to take out all of their recent offensive frustrations on the Wildcats in the 3rd quarter. The home team went on a 17-2 run on their way to a 30 point quarter to essentially put the game away leading 64-31.

The red & white saw a balanced offensive attack as Mike Mckenzie & Evan Stephanson would tally 12 each in the victory. Owen Bzinak contributed 11 tough points inside for the Beavers Owen Hill would finish with 10 while Broc Taylor would add 9 points off the bench.

Edison (4-11) looks to get back on track Tuesday as they visit Toronto. Beaver Local (7-7) has no time to think about the win they welcome rival Wellsville to the Beaver Dome Saturday in a varsity only contest starting at 6pm.

*Contributed By YSN’s Chris Sigler

OLD SCHOOL RIVALRY NEW SCHOOL TIGERS

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NEW MIDDLETOWN OH- On Saturday afternoon two teams that were once the biggest of rivals took the floor again to renew a nostalgic grudge match.  If you look at the last several years of these two programs playing each other before the hiatus, it was South Range that was the dominant team.  The only Tigers win over the Raiders you’ll find since 2010 was a Callie Ford buzzer beater in the jungle in 2014.  But now in 2023 it’s a new Tigers team, and the tables have turned.  Springfield eyed down the ghosts of the past and dominated their way to a 47-33 win over the Raiders.  It was the Tigers 13th win of the season.

Jacey Mullen was an unstoppable force for the Tigers as she bullied her way to 23 points.  Jameka Brungard used her dominance inside to contribute 8 points.  Mariana Tuscano was able to rack in 7 points.

Emma Cunningham led the Raiders with 8 points on the day. Gwen Lowry had one of her better games of the season adding 7 to the Raiders offense.  Taylor McClish chipped in 6 points.

Both teams get right back to conference play on Monday as Springfield will travel to Mineral Ridge, and South Range will hit the road to Poland.

WELLSVILLE ELUDES INDIANS FOR ANOTHER EOAC WIN

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WELLSVILLE OH- Wellsville has made themselves comfortable at the top of the EOAC.  While their margin is still only a game, the way they’ve been playing of late makes that feel like a mountain.  The Tigers rushed their way to another EOAC on Friday as they kept visiting Southern at bay.  Trailing by two points after one frame, the Tigers scored 20 points in the second to grab control of the game. They would never release it from their paws on the way to a 56-47 win.

Eddie Stock had a tremendous game for the Tigers leading the scoring with 17 points.  Jaxon Brewer shared that lead with 17 as well in a gritty effort.  Isaiah Greathouse was akso in double figures on the day with 11.  Tyrell Watkins was one point off of double figures with 9.

Southern was paced by Colton Soukup who was the best in the gym. He scored a game-high 20 points.  Brady Ketchum was also j  double figures with 12 points for the Indians.

After a weekend matchup with Beaver Local on Saturday, Wellsville will return to league action Tuesday against Columbiana.  Southern will hit the road again on Tuesday traveling to United.

 

QUAKER COMEBACK; SALEM WINS OT BATTLE

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SALEM, OH- In what is certain to be a contender for “Game of the Year” the Salem Quakers were able to overcome a 12-point deficit in the second half to take the game to overtime and eventually win over South Range 61-56 on Saturday night.

The Quakers trailed 24-17 at the half and outscored the Raiders in each frame the rest of the way.

Leading the way in scoring was Ross Davidson with 20 points while being supplemented by Caden Swiger’s 13 points and Cam Sampson’s 11.

South Range was paced by Ayden Leon’s tenacity in the paint resulting in 19 points, and Landon Moore’s 14 as well.

The Salem win snaps a 6-game winning streak for the Raiders and creates a 2-game streak in the right direction for the Quakers.

The Quakers (6-8) will prep for Cardinal Mooney on Tuesday on the road, while South Range will look to battle Girard.

CANFIELD STAYS A-TOP THE AAC IN HOME VICTORY OVER AUSTINTOWN

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CANFIELD, OH- The Canfield Cardinals and the Austintown Fitch Falcons met for the second time in AAC play on Saturday night in Canfield. The first meeting was back on December 14th at Austintown with the Cardinals taking that one by a final of 48-35. The Falcons made it much closer the second time around, but Canfield used a three point attack to pick up win number 15 of the season.

Both Austintown and Canfield came out of the gates slow with long offensive possessions and turnovers as the score was just 11-8 Canfield after one quarter. The second quarter was a completely different dynamic, as the Cardinals hit five three-pointers in the second quarter to take a 28-22 lead at the half. The Cardinals and the Falcons went back and forth in the third quarter, but Canfield would have a ten point lead heading into the final eight minutes of play. The Falcons turned it on early in the fourth quarter to make it a one possession ballgame, but Canfield was able to get to the free throw line down the stretch, knocking in 7 charity tosses to seal the deal by a final of 57-51.

The Falcons were led by point guard Destanie McCullough who dropped in 12 points, while senior guard Zayda Creque was right behind with 11 points on multiple made three-pointers. For Canfield, the trio of Jenna Triveri, Kate Sahli and Abby Muckleroy combined for 35 points in the win. Sahli led all scorers with 14 points on the night.

Canfield is now 15-1 on the season with a clean record of 3-0 in AAC play. Austintown Fitch is now 8-9 overall. To hear Canfield’s coach Matt Reel after last nights ballgame, check out this interview brought to you by Cocca’s Pizza:

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 5) FEATURING JAKE STARKEY

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It’s another wonderful week of talented grapplers making their names known on the matt.  Although this past week was one of the slower ones as the programs gear up for the final stretch, their still were several duals and tournaments that gave us reason to talk. As always our in house wrestling expert Gary Althiser is here to break it all down and then help us preview the week to come.

On this week’s edition of Wrestling Wednesday, we brought in an athlete that not only has 100 wins in his career, but 100 pins. That’s pretty impressive considering that once you hit 105 you eclipse the top 50 in the wrestling history of the state of Ohio.  Jake Starkey is his name, and he leads a South Range team that is trying to repeat as state champions. When Starkey’s athletic career at South Range started, he never could have imagined he’d have an opportunity to hoist 3 state championship trophies before he graduated. After the football team won him his second in the fall, now it’s a serious goal.  Coming off a long championship football season and being ready to go wrestle is not east, but Jake doesn’t need easy, he just needs possible.  We hope you enjoy this exclusive conversation with Jake Starkey on the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

 

DEJA VU FOR THE SPARTANS

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BOARDMAN, OH – For the second straight time, the Boardman Spartans girls’ basketball team did the unthinkable against the Howland Tigers. After a come-from-behind win against the Tigers back on December 14th, they wanted to do it again. Trailing by fifteen late in the third, the Spartans would score 19 unanswered points and hold off Howland as they stole one from the Tigers by a score of 38-36. 

 

Boardman started off strong as they took a 15-4 lead late into the first. That was mostly successful thanks to four successful treys, and 8 first-quarter points by junior Mackenzie Riccitelli. It would be a tale of two quarters, though, as the Tigers turned the game completely around and outscored the Spartans in the second quarter 19-2 to take a 25-17 edge at intermission.

 

Howland had a well-paced scoring effort from individual players, but their bread and butter was inside the paint with junior Mia Barrish grabbing key offensive rebounds and getting putbacks. Alyssa Massucci and Gia Hoso also had their fair share of two-point buckets, as Massucci led the Tigers with 9 while Hoso picked up 8. Howland continued their momentum from the second quarter, starting the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 34-19 advantage.

 

It was the Spartans’ time to return the favor, and it would start with Reagan Smith sinking a corner three to give the Spartans a huge burst of momentum. Transitioning into the fourth period, Riccitelli went off for the Spartans, as she piled up 10 of the Spartans’ 14 fourth-quarter points to finish the afternoon with a game-high 19 points. Gia Triveri went alongside Riccitelli with the other four tallies, including two pivotal foul shots, to finish with 9 overall. It is also important to note that Boardman only gave up two points in the final stanza off of Howland free throws. 

 

Boardman (10-5) completes a season sweep of Howland with the epic win, with both victories coming from late-game rallies. The Spartans will now prepare for a grueling week ahead as they will go to Uniontown Lake on Monday. They will then play Fitch on Wednesday, as well as traveling out to Canfield on Saturday for their second meeting with the Cardinals in ten days. Howland (8-9) will look to rebound on Wednesday when they travel out to Warren Harding for a rematch with the Raiders. The Tigers will seek a season sweep of Harding as they won the first meeting in the Toni Ross Tournament back on December 21st 43-39.

 

YSN’s Noah Ricks got a chance to speak with Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton following the thrilling victory. The full interview can be watched below.

*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks

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