ASHTABULA, OHIO- The Badger Lady Braves traveled on the road to take on the St. John’s Lady Heralds. The first half of the game was very back and forth as the Braves led the Heralds 28-22.
The Braves really picked up the defensive side of things and had 11 steals and 21 defensive rebounds. Katie Grexa led the way for the Braves, dropping 27 points. Hannah Betts also chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds as the Braves defeated the Heralds 58-35.
The Braves have now won 10 games in a row and improve to a record of 11-3 and will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Heartland Christian.
*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/812021D2-AFC0-4D2C-98C1-B683940A8AC5-scaled-1.jpeg15502560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-20 06:39:542023-01-20 06:39:54MAKE IT TEN IN A ROW FOR BADGER
LOUISVILLE OH- There is no rest for the weary with the schedule Louisville has put together. The Leopards know that all too well as they welcomed in a tough Canton Central Catholic team on Wednesday. Every quarter of the game was competitive, except the second. That was when the Leopards made their move. They outscored the Crusaders 18-8 in that frame and played clean basketball the rest of the way. That’s how they walked away with a comfortable 62-49 win.
Louisville got another fantastic effort from Brooke Haren who dropped 25 points on the night. Taylor McCully had a great night for the Leopards as well putting in 13. Taryn Miglich was also in double figures on the night with 11. McCully and Miglich combined for 6 shots from behind the arc.
Louisville continues their tough schedule on Saturday as they travel to Western Reserve Academy. Tip off for that contest is set for 1:30.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/DB5A12FF-BAF6-46C2-89CE-5C57B8EC2342.jpeg8711365Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-20 03:46:502023-01-20 03:46:50HAREN HELPS LOUISVILLE WIN AT HOME
CANFIELD OH- The Raiders hadn’t played in seven days coming in to Thursday’s conference matchup with Jefferson. The rust of a week off definitely showed early. That was something Jefferson tried hard to take advantage of. They led a lot of the first quarter, and a good chunk of the second. Tatum Bordeaux hit a three in the second quarter to put Jefferson ahead 10-7. That is when the Raiders woke up. They ended the first half on a 7-0 run, and extended it to a 26-3 run by the end of the third. It was all South Range from that point as they won 41-21.
Emma Cunningham continues to play well at home as she led the Raiders with 17 points. Sidney Penick was also in double figures with 11 points for the Raiders. Taylor McClish put in a solid night for South Range finishing with 7.
Jefferson was led by Bordeaux who finished with 8 points. Mia Contenza added 5 points for the Falcons.
South Range looks ahead to a non conference matchup with an old rival. They’ll travel to Springfield on Saturday for a 12:30 tip-off. Jefferson continues NE8 play on Monday as they travel to Niles.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7D4D5F87-FAB4-4399-92DA-EA0F97279A2E.jpeg15262560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-20 03:19:472023-01-20 03:19:47RAIDERS SHAKE OFF THE RUST
NEW MIDDLETOWN OH- Springfield has felt hungry all off season after getting to regionals and falling short last season. The Tigers had a lot of goals to get back to the level they were the year before, and take the next step. Now that we are sitting past the em half way point, we are seeing a phenomenal Springfield team dominate the MVAC. The Tigers are currently undefeated in the conference and serious contenders to come away with the title. They have a league matchup with Sebring coming up Thursday night , and a non conference matchup with South Range on Saturday.
Tigers second year head coach John Matisi hasn’t taken much time to breathe new life in to the program. He took the time to catch up with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig about his team’s season. He also breaks down each senior and what they bring to the table as the Tigers prepare for senior night. Check out Episode 2 of Coach’s Corner with John Matisi only on YSN.
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/E2A015EE-E8A9-43B3-9F7C-D1D67FCF3B55.png16202880Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-19 23:54:512023-07-15 04:49:40SPRINGFIELD GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH JOHN MATISI
AUSTINTOWN OH- The Austintown Fitch Falcons girls basketball team has been on a roll in recent weeks! Winners in four of their last five contests, including two wins against All-American Conference (AAC) teams in Howland and Warren Harding. Fitch was playing with a ton of momentum leading into Wednesday night where they would look to defend the nest against Greater Cleveland Conference representative, The Mentor Cardinals. A formidable opponent, Mentor drew even with an 8-8 record through their first 16 games prior to Wednesday.
Out of the opening tip, Cardinals junior Mallory Chicone went down and nailed a three pointer to take an initial lead for Mentor. However, Fitch had immediate answers with Jocelyn Jourdan and Destanie McCullough hitting back-to-back buckets to claim the lead for The Falcons. Austintown would promptly step on the gas pedal after taking their first lead, after Mentor took the opening 3-0 lead, Fitch would go on a 27-3 run, flipping the game on its head. Falcons senior Zayda Creque was hitting on all cylinders from distance, nailing down four first half threes and scoring 14 points through the opening 16 minutes. Cardinals sophomore Hailey Watson started establishing her shot and helped cut the Mentor deficit down to 14, with Fitch leading 27-13 at the half.
The Cardinals would limit the turnovers to start the third, promptly allowing their offense to get into rhythm and it quickly became The Nina Rodriguez show! As the Mentor freshman scored 11 of her team’s 20 points in the third quarter! Ayla Ray became “The Answer” for Fitch in the third, scoring 10 points herself in the quarter, and limiting the Mentor counter punch and preserving The Falcons lead 44-33 after three quarters. Rodriguez and Chicone were a scoring tandem for The Cardinals in the fourth, both finishing with double-digits in the scoring column on the night. But it was Fitch senior Zayda Creque who hit two more dagger threes in the fourth, giving her seven shots from distance on the night and 23 total points to help lead Austintown to the 58-51 victory over Mentor! Creque earned Player of The Game honors along with Fitch junior Destanie McCullough who was dishing the ball, effectively starting the Austintown offense while scoring 12 points of her own.
Mentor (8-9) will go back in-conference, as they will hit the road to battle The Euclid Panthers (1-13) on Saturday, January 21st. Fitch (8-9)(2-3) will also be in action on Saturday, as they will be back in AAC action with a road trip to take on conference leader Canfield (14-1)(4-0) and will be on YSN! Interviews with Fitch Head Coach Natalie Lynn and Co-Players of The Game Zayda Creque and Destanie McCullough can be found below!
Scoring (Fitch)
Zayda Creque: 23 PTS. (Co-Player of The Game)
Destanie McCullough: 12 PTS. (Co-Player of The Game)
Ayla Ray: 12 PTS.
Rachel Spalding: 4 PTS.
Kylie Folkwein: 4 PTS.
Jocelyn Jourdan: 3 PTS.
Scoring (Mentor)
Nina Rodriguez: 16 PTS.
Hailey Watson: 13 PTS.
Mallory Chicone: 10 PTS.
Christine Katava: 5 PTS.
Kylie Maxwell: 4 PTS.
Lexi Berwald: 3 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Fitch 17 – 6 Mentor
Q2: Fitch 10 – 7 Mentor
Q3: Fitch 17 – 20 Mentor
Q4: Fitch 14 – 18 Mentor
Final: Fitch 58 – 51 Mentor
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/D9A33F10-456E-4DCA-A31B-DC7715E34821.jpeg7431336Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-19 23:02:442023-01-19 23:02:44FALCONS FLYING WITH MOJO
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO- The Ursuline Lady Irish took on the visiting St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Lady Irish. Ursuline struggled with turnovers throughout the game and kept trying to climb out of the whole that they were in. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s kept the strong hold on Ursuline by overwhelming defense and quick in transition buckets as they went on to defeat Ursuline 61-27.
Ursuline will be back in action at home on Saturday when they take on the Girard Indians.
*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/EB1D96E3-8321-4810-9EBA-087D9D26FD6C.jpeg457732Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-19 17:15:432023-01-19 17:15:43URSULINE RUNS INTO A STRONG IRISH TEAM
BOARDMAN, OH- The Canfield Cardinals continued to impress with a ten point victory over the Boardman Spartans on Wednesday night. Canfield got off to a hot start in the first two quarters, and took the lead the entire way to pick up win number 14 of the season.
Canfield came out of the gate firing as they scored 8 consecutive points before the first Boardman timeout. Canfield would lead 23-8 after one quarter of play. In the second quarter, Boardman started to find some offensive rythm, scoring 11 second quarter points to get some momentum going into the halftime.
The Spartans kept that spark rolling in the third quarter, outscoring Canfield 13-6 in the third quarter and pulling within 10 points before the final 8 minutes of play. Both Boardman and Canfield would each score 12 points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Cardinals to keep that 10 point advantage and win by a final of 54-44.
Canfield was led by both Kate Sahli and Camie Dill who each totaled 14 points on the night. Canfield freshman Jenna Triveri scored 9 points for the Cardinals as well. For the Spartans, junior guard Mackenzie Riccitelli and senior Gia Triveri led all scorers with 15 points. Triveri found her groove in the second half, knocking down 3 three-pointers.
The Cardinals are now 14-1 on the season, and host Austintown-Fitch on Saturday night. The Spartans drop to 9-5 and will host Howland Saturday afternoon.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_8472.png7451284Richie Julianohttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngRichie Juliano2023-01-19 16:52:462023-01-19 16:52:46CARDINALS BIG FIRST HALF PUSHES THEM PAST SPARTANS
AUSTINTOWN OH- In an intriguing non-conference Tuesday night matchup, The Copley Indians traveled down to Austintown in a bout with The Falcons. The two schools were scheduled to square-off for the second time in as many years after no previous meetings in the last 20 years between the programs. In the last game, Copley came away victorious after a close game 60-56 in January of 2022. This year both teams went into Tuesday night sporting winning records, setting up an exciting matchup between representatives of both The All-American Conference (AAC) and The Suburban-American Conference!`
The first quarter saw The Indians take an early lead, with Copley getting Trent Wininger and his distance shot going in the first quarter. Fitch had an answer that came in the form of Marcel Finkley and Gianni Maley, as the guard combo found their rhythm and propelled The Falcons to a 16-7 lead after a quarter. Finkley and Maley kept up the scoring consistency through the second, while Wininger found another shot from distance for Copely. Fitch was a point better in the second quarter and led 26-16 by the halftime buzzer.
Starting out the second half, Copley cleaned up the turnovers that plagued them the two quarters prior. Pair that with Wininger continuing to splash home shots from the arc and The Indians came roaring back in the third quarter, cutting the Fitch lead down to just two points during the quarter. The Falcons sophomore guard Marcel Finkley would have his biggest quarter of the night, scoring ten points in just the third quarter alone and keeping Fitch in front heading to the final quarter of play. Austintown kicked up the defensive intensity in the final eight minutes and once again started to force turnovers from Copley. Gianni Maley would have the next big quarter as the senior scored ten in the fourth as both he and Finkley finished with 24 points a piece on the night. The Falcons out scored their adversaries 21-7 in the fourth to eventually fly away with the 65-44 win, their ninth of the season.
The loss will keep Copley (6-6) on the road, as they will head to Aurora (2-7) to try and gain their second victory of the season against The Greenmen. While Fitch (9-4) will be dealing with a green monster themselves, heading to John J. & Janet Cafaro Gymnasium for a date with Ursuline (11-1) on Friday night! It will be a battle of two teams ranked in the top five of The YSN Power Rankings and it will be live on YSN! Interviews with winning Head Coach Brian Beany and Player of The Game Marcel Finkley can be found below!
Scoring (Fitch)
Marcel Finkley: 24 PTS. (Player of The Game)
Gianni Maley: 24 PTS.
Allen Hill: 6 PTS.
Carter Owens: 3 PTS.
Allex Hill: 2 PTS.
Lucas Ardino: 2 PTS.
Cam Jaros: 2 PTS.
Johnny Ruggles: 2 PTS.
Scoring (Copley)
Trent Wininger: 16 PTS.
Noah Edinburgh: 7 PTS.
Wendell Parks: 6 PTS.
Ben Firestine: 6 PTS.
Christian Hood: 5 PTS.
Alex Carillo: 2 PTS.
Scooby Stanford: 2 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Fitch 16 -7 Copley
Q2: Fitch 10 – 9 Copley
Q3: Fitch 18 – 21 Copley
Q4: Fitch 21 – 7 Copley
Final: Fitch 65 – 44 Copley
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0C94BC0F-647A-4CFC-AF76-4FAC23A6DE45.jpeg473742Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-19 07:33:392023-01-19 07:33:39FALCONS SPREAD THEIR WINGS IN THE FOURTH
LIBERTY OH- On January 17th the Champion Golden Flashes made their triumphant return to the win column after breaking a 32-game losing streak with a 48-47 road victory over the Liberty Leopards.
Champion got off to a great start in the third quarter after trailing by seven points at the half and took a slim four point lead into the fourth quarter. Liberty put up a valiant effort down three players, including leading scorer Evan Bates, as they put up 15 in the fourth quarter but wound up a point short after a late game decision to hold on to the ball for over a minute and try for the final shot. Julius Ferrell in his season debut for Liberty heaved up the final shot from the corner but couldn’t hit the target and Champion came away with their first win since December 10th of 2021 when they beat Pymatuning Valley on the road.
Player of the game went to Brett Chanell who finished the night with 12 points and a couple of three pointers that gave Champion enough momentum to take the night. Liberty was led in scoring by Kalen Turner who put up an outstanding 24 points and Silas Robinson who finished with 13.
Champion will try and make it two in a row as they will take on Newton Falls on Saturday in a road game. Liberty finally broke a winless month of January after beating Academy for Urban Scholars on Monday, but they found themselves back on the losing side Tuesday night. The Leopards will take on Crestview this Saturday on YSN at 7:00 p.m. ET as they will look to pick up win number four against the seven-win Rebels.
*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/E4188909-7D90-4B6A-BB9A-5E0AFFC88816.jpeg237391Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-19 07:16:482023-01-19 07:16:48CHAMPION FINDS ITS WAY BACK TO WINNING
GARRETTSVILLE OH- From the outside this season looked like a rebuild in Garfield. Little did people know what head coach Aaron Gilbert had in mind. Senior Laura McCoy joins a cast of players that has made the Lady G-Men a major force to be reckoned with. They stormed through the first half of the season going 11-0 before their first loss of the season. They have a hold of the top spot in the MVAC. Things are looking bright for Garfield as we speed towards the tournament.
McCoy has been a staple for the G-Men offense. She averages over 16 points per game on the season. She’s also been known to go off for huge nights. She has a season high of 32 in a game. McCoy also reached a career milestone this year hitting that 1000 point mark that every player dreams of. However, McCoy is more than just a scorer. She distributes the ball very well, which helps keep Garfield’s offense so balanced. McCoy averages over 3 assists per game. She also isn’t afraid to get in the paint and rebound. Laura averages over 5 boards per contest. All the numbers are just tangible proof of what an impact she has made on the team. There are plenty of intangibles that shine through as well. You could call her coach Gilbert’s ace in the hole.
Laura took the time to chat with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig about her career. She talks about how welcomed she’s been at Garfield, what makes it such a special place, and so much more. Check out the latest Garfield Girls Basketball Player Profile only on YSN.
