Tag Archive for: Girls Basketball

MUSTANGS STAMPEDE PAST BLUE DEVILS

/in , /by

Wickliffe, OH- In a thrilling match-up, the Grand Valley Mustangs showcased their prowess on the court as they secured a hard-fought victory against the Wickliffe Blue Devils. The final scoreline of 42-35 reflects the intense competition and strategic gameplay that unfolded throughout the four quarters.

Game Highlights

The game’s opening quarter set the tone for a closely contested battle, with the Grand Valley Mustangs trailing the Wickliffe Blue Devils 9-11. However, the Mustangs demonstrated resilience and strategic skill in the subsequent quarters, outscoring their opponents and clinching the lead. The final quarter saw a remarkable display of teamwork and determination, as the Grand Valley Mustangs secured their victory with a total of 42 points to the Wickliffe Blue Devils’ 35.

Top Performers

Leading the charge for the Grand Valley Mustangs was Kaelyn Hart, contributing an impressive 13 points to the team’s total. Other notable scorers included Reagan Boiarski with 9 points, Dixie Miller with 7 points, and Cloe Turk with 5 points. The combined efforts of the team showcased the depth of talent and skill within the Grand Valley roster.

On the opposing side, the Wickliffe Blue Devils had standout performances from Ava Gabriel, who secured an impressive 22 points, and Eliza Wills, who contributed 6 points. Despite their strong individual efforts, the Blue Devils fell short against the determined play of the Grand Valley Mustangs.

Looking Ahead

With a current overall record of 3-1, the Grand Valley Mustangs are set to face the Crestwood Red Devils (1-2) in an upcoming away game on December 8, 2023. This promises to be another exciting matchup, providing the Mustangs with an opportunity to further solidify their standing in the league.

Meanwhile, the Wickliffe Blue Devils (3-1) will return to their home court for a game against the Cardinal Huskies (0-2). As they aim to return to their winning ways, the Blue Devils will be looking to build on their strengths and continue to improve.

Edgewood Athletics

LADY WARRIORS PROTECT THE HOME COURT

/in , /by

Photo Credit: Edgewood Athletics

East Ashtabula, Ohio- In a commanding performance, the Edgewood Warriors girls basketball team showcased their prowess on the basketball court as they secured a convincing victory against the West Geauga Wolverines. The game unfolded with an even first quarter, as both teams traded baskets to end the period with a tied score of 15 each. However, Edgewood quickly gained momentum in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents by one point and establishing a narrow lead.

The third quarter proved to be a turning point, with the Edgewood Girls intensifying their offensive efforts and putting up an impressive 20 points. Katelynn McCollister led the charge, contributing significantly to the team’s overall score with an outstanding 26 points. Leigha Guyton and McKenna Vencil also played crucial roles, securing 10 points each. The Warriors dominated the court, creating a substantial lead that West Geauga struggled to overcome.

The final quarter saw Edgewood maintaining their strong performance, adding 13 more points to their total. Meanwhile, the Wolverines faced challenges, managing only 6 points in the quarter. The game concluded with a decisive victory for the Edgewood Warriors, with a final score of 59-40.

Looking ahead, the Warriors, now boasting a 2-0 record, will face the Harvey Red Raiders in their next matchup on December 5, 2023. The Red Raiders, with a 1-1 record, aim to rebound from their recent loss to the Willoughby South Rebels. On the other hand, the West Geauga Wolverines (1-2) will take on the Chagrin Falls Tigers (0-3) on the same date. The Tigers, having suffered a close loss to the Chardon Hilltoppers, seek their first victory of the season.

HORNETS STING LISBON

/in /by

LISBON, OH – In a thrilling basketball showdown, the Malvern Lady Hornets emerged victorious against the Lisbon Lady Blue Devils with a final score of 42-36. From the opening tip-off, it was evident that the competition would be fierce. The first quarter saw Malvern taking an early lead, with a score of 9-5. The Lady Hornets, led by their star players Whitney Smith and Megan Kuba, showcased their offensive talent and defensive tenacity. As the first half unfolded, Malvern continued to maintain control of the game. At halftime, they held a 16-10 advantage over the Lady Blue Devils. Lisbon, however, was not ready to concede defeat.

The third quarter proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. Despite a strong effort from Lisbon, Malvern maintained its lead, heading into the final quarter with a score of 27-23. The Lady Hornets’ resilience and strategic play kept them ahead, setting the stage for an intense finish. Lylah Brown caught fire as she chipped in 6 points in the quarter to spark a Lisbon run.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Blue Devils fought to close the gap but a few late buckets from Malvern sealed their victory. Ultimately, it was the dynamic duo of Whitney Smith and Megan Kuba that secured the win for Malvern. Smith’s 17 points and Kuba’s 15 points, combined with a collective team effort on the defensive side of the floor, proved too much for the Lady Blue Devils to overcome. As the final buzzer sounded, it a hard-fought 42-36 triumph for the Malvern Lady Hornets.

The Lady Blue Devils were paced by Morgan Lively and Lylah Brown as Morgan contributing 18 points and Lylah finished with 10 points. Up next for the Lisbon Lady Blue Devils will be an EOAC match up on Thursday, 11/30, as they will travel down to Hanoverton to take on the United Lady Eagles.

EAST GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH TANISHA FRANKLIN

/in /by

By Ty Bartell

YOUNGSTOWN OH- Juggling the responsibilities of being an athletic director and a head coach is never easy.
Things are not made any simpler when a program needs to be re-established to the success it once had. But for Youngstown East Golden Bears girls basketball Head Coach Tanisha Franklin, it is the hard work and grit that is needed that she is more than accustomed to! Doubling as the schools Athletic Director, Coach Franklin is a driving force behind athletic programs at East making a turn around. For the girls basketball team, Coach Franklin and The Golden Bears are coming off one of their best seasons in recent years, with a 13-8 record a season ago, East looks to build off last year.

In this year’s edition of Coaches Corner, YSNs Ty Bartell got the chance to speak with Coach Franklin on the takeaways from last year, how to continue success this season, the impactful players to expect this year and so much more! Catch this first episode of Coaches Corner and catch all East High School scores, stats, stories and more on YSN!

Presented By:

LADY BLUE DEVILS FLY INTO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!

/in /by

DAYTON, OH – For the first time since 1991 the McDonald Lady Blue Devils are in the OHSAA State Final Four! The Lady Blue Devils took the hardwood on Blackburn Court at 2pm at the University of Dayton today to take on the Waterford Wildcats with a berth into the state championship game on the line!

The first quarter started off with a bang as Molly Howard won the tip and trailed right into a three which would set the tone for the rest of the quarter. McDonald established themselves early and often as they picked up the defensive intensity and turned those stops into buckets at the other end en route to a, 13-2 lead.  Molly Howard put her talents on display right out of the gates as she had 9 points and 3 rebounds in the quarter.

When the second quarter got under way, Molly Howard the rest of the Lady Blue Devils didn’t miss a beat. The defensive intensity was taken to an even higher level as the girls started to sense “blood in the water” and just like hungry sharks, the girls attacked! McDonald held Waterford scoreless from the 7:06 mark in the first quarter to the 4:35 mark in the second quarter as well as holding Waterford to just 19.2% shooting, 12.5% from beyond the arc as the Wildcats couldn’t figure out how to combat the Lady Blue Devils swarming defense. Not only did the defense pick up, the offense became unstoppable as McDonald shot 47.8% from the field, 16.7% from three, and 80% from the free throw line in the first half! McDonald led at the end of the first half, 27-11, as Molly Howard led the way with 13 points and 7 rebounds, Sophia Constantino chipped in with 6 points and 4 rebounds, Taylor Tuchek and Maddy Howard both added 4 points.

Coming out of the break McDonald showed no mercy and continued the beat down of the Wildcats as the Lady Blue Devils continued to play smothering defense and limiting any open opportunities from Waterford. The offense continued to execute and continued to roll as McDonald continue to stay on fire. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the quarter, the Lady Blue Devils led 47-17. Molly Howard and Sophia Costantino both were on double-double watch going into the fourth quarter as Molly had 21 points and 9 rebounds, whereas Sophia had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

The fourth quarter was over and done with quickly as McDonald never looked back and kept their foot on the gas pedal to close out the game. Molly Howard achieved a double-double and the Lady Blue Devils won this one by 28, as the final score was 57-29. McDonald’s suffocating defense forced 23 turnovers and held the Wildcats to just 21% shooting from the field and 15% from three, and 50% from the charity stripe for the entire game. The Lady Blue Devils offense shot 51% from the field, 30% from beyond the arc, and 67% from the free throw line on the night.

Leading the way for the McDonald Lady Blue Devils was Molly Howard with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Sophia Costantino chipped in with 15 points and 6 rebounds, Taylor Tuchek finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds, and Maddy Howard also added in 11 points and 3 assists.

The Waterford Wildcats were led by Mackenzie Suprano with 13 points and Cara Taylor with 11 points.

Up next for the McDonald Lady Blue Devils will be the final game of this memorable championship run as they will take on the Fort Loramie Redskins on Saturday morning at 10:45am in the Division IV State Championship game!

*Contributed by Quinn Puskar and Eric Bailey

I’M LOVIN’ IT; MCDONALD ONTO REGIONAL FINALS!

/in /by

MASSILLON, OH – The battle of the Blue Devils in the regional semi-finals was a game for the ages as Western Reserve took on McDonald with an opportunity to make the regional finals against Shadyside.

McDonald got off to a scorching hot start, establishing themselves and building momentum early and often as Lucia Wolford lit it up for 8 points and Molly Howard connected on a deep three en route to a 15-4 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the McDonald shooters begin to heat up as Wolford and Costantino both hit from beyond the arc as their lead grew to 35-14. Lucia Wolford led McDonald in scoring at the break with 15. Western Reserve was led by Dani Vuletich with 5.

Coming out of the break, both teams struggled to find their offense as they matched each other shot for shot and McDonald remained in control of the game by a score of 42-20.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, McDonald put their foot on the gas and put the game away as they went on a 6-0 run and never let up. As the final buzzer sounded, McDonald began the celebration as they won 57-25 and will advance to the region finals on Saturday night against Shadyside at Massillon Perry High School.

McDonald was led in scoring by Lucia Wolford with 19, Sophia Costantino with 14, and Molly Howard with 13.

Western Reserve was led in scoring by Dani Vuletich with 5, as well as, Brooke Schantz, Kennedy Miller, and Alyvia Hughes all with 4.

 

*Story contributed by Bill McCartney, Eric Bailey, and Quinn Puskar

EAST PALESTINE GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP. 1) WITH WILL FRANKLIN

/in /by

EAST PALESTINE, OH – Playoff time has come for head coach, Will Franklin and the East Palestine Lady Bulldogs as they advanced into the district semi-finals with an impressive 52-34, victory over Burton Berkshire! Up next for the Bulldogs will be a road match-up with the South Range Lady Raiders with an opportunity to advance to the district championship game!

YSN’s own, DJ Yokley, was able to sit down with Coach Franklin this week via video chat to discuss the Lady Bulldogs season so far, what it was like winning the EOAC for the first time in program history, what the Lady Bulldogs were able to do against Berkshire, and what we can expect from East Palestine in this district semi-finals game.

All that and much more in this week’s episode of East Palestine girls basketball coach’s corner with head coach Will Franklin!

PRESENTED BY:

 

2021 OHSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT MATCH UPS!

/in /by

The 2021 OHSAA Girls Basketball sectional/district playoff brackets have been released! Below you can see who each of YSN affiliates are matched up with in their first game of the playoffs.

Division One

Northeast 1 – Sectional/District:

#18 Hudson at #15 Canfield on Feb. 13th at 1pm

#28 Boardman at #25 Louisville on Feb. 13th at 1pm

 

Northeast 2 – Sectional/District:

#30 Austintown Fitch at #26 Madison on Feb. 13th at 1pm

 

Division Two

Northeast 1 – Sectional/District:

#27 Niles at #7 Canton South on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#22 Edgewood at #12 Struthers on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#19 Geneva at #18 Lakeview on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#4 Salem took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #25 Field at #13 Streetsboro game on February 20th at home at 1pm

 

Northeast 2 – Sectional/District:

#24 Chaney at #5 West Branch on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#20 Youngstown East at #9 Cardinal Mooney on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#21 Painesville Harvey at #14 Jefferson on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#17 Girard at #15 Hubbard on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#2 Poland took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #21 Painesville Harvey at #14 Jefferson game on February 20th at home at 1pm

 

East 1 – Sectional/District:

#18 Beaver Local at #1 Tri-Valley on Feb. 20th at 1pm

#13 Zanesville at #12 East Liverpool on Feb. 20th at 1pm

 

Division Three

Northeast 1 – Sectional/District:

#21 Crestwood at #1 South Range on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#18 Mogadore at #3 Brookfield on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#17 Waterloo at #6 Crestview on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#15 East Palestine at #13 Burton Berkshire on Feb. 20th at 1pm

#8 LaBrae took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #17 Waterloo at #6 Crestview game on February 20th at the higher seed at 1pm

#10 United took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #18 Mogadore at #3 Brookfield game on February 20th at the higher seed at 1pm

#22 Mineral Ridge took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #21 Crestwood at #1 South Range game on February 20th at the higher seed at 1pm

 

Northeast 2 – Sectional/District:

#11 Liberty at #7 Kirtland on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#16 Pymatuning Valley at #12 Columbiana on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#4 Champion took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #16 Pymatuning Valley at #12 Columbiana game on February 20th at home at 1pm

#5 Ursuline took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #11 Liberty at #7 Kirtland game on February 20th at home at 1pm

 

East 2 – Sectional/District:

#14 Edison at #4 Tuscarawas Valley on Feb. 18th at 7pm

 

Division Four

Northeast 1 – Sectional/District:

#22 Warren JFK at #1 McDonald on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#14 Sebring at #3 Newton Falls on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#20 Lordstown at #8 Springfield on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#17 Heartland Christian at #9 Valley Christian on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#12 Lowellville took the first round bye so they will play the winner of the #14 Sebring at #3 Newton Falls game on February 20th at the higher seed at 1pm

 

Northeast 2 – Sectional/District:

#23 Wellsville at #2 Western Reserve on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#19 Badger at #6 Jackson-Milton on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#16 Lisbon at #7 Maplewood on Feb. 17th at 7pm

#11 Cardinal at #10 Leetonia on Feb. 17th at 7pm

GREAT SCOTT! CAMPBELL MEMORIAL HAS THEIR MAN!

/in /by

CAMPBELL, OH- The Campbell City School District Board of Education hired Bernard Scott as the new Girls Basketball Coach as well as the boys and girls Intramurals coach effective for the 2020-2021 school year.

Coach Scott was a part of the VASJ (Cleveland) State Championship team while in high school and was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American. He went on to play at the University of Toledo. Coach Scott has 19 years of Division I College Basketball experience. Those stops included are the University of Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Arizona, Dayton, and Toledo. He enjoys teaching basketball and helping individuals reach their full
potential.

Coach Scott said, “I’m excited to have the opportunity to lead the Campbell Memorial girls varsity program! Campbell is a place with a lot of potential. It has nice facilities and the community is very supportive. I’m looking forward to working with the team and getting started. I would like to thank Superintendent Matthew Bowen, principal Bradley Yeager and athletic director Stacie Cepin for giving me this opportunity!”

Scott has been married for 16 years and has two daughters that also play basketball.

 

Story via Campbell City Schools Facebook Page

LEGENDS OF THE PAST: CHELSEA BOWKER (CRESTVIEW)

/in /by

COLUMBIANA OH- You can’t walk down the hallway to head to Crestview High School’s gym without seeing the basketball scoring records on the wall. On the top of that record place you’ll see the name Chelsea Bowker.

Chelsea is arguably the best basketball player boys or girls to play in Columbiana county. She leads Crestview basketball (boys or girls) in scoring with 2,012 career points. She also adds 1500 rebounds to her impressive stat sheet. In an era where girls basketball was playing at a high level in the area, Chelsea rose above the rest. She was a emotional player that liked to let everyone in the gym know who she was, and how good she was.

When it comes to success at the next level, not too many basketball players from the area can say they’ve done what Chelsea has. She went to play at St Bonaventure and her class won 99 games, more than any other in Bonaventure history. They also made a trip to the NCAA tournament. Then while in the bracket, they won 2 games and advanced to the Sweet 16. Chelsea is able to say she shared the court with WNBA legends like Skyler Diggins, Breanna Stewart, and Elena Delle Donne. Shes achieved what many girl basketball players can only dream of, and her story began at Crestview as a Rebel.

Now Chelsea lives in New York where she works as a teacher, and high school basketball coach. She still keeps in close contact with her coaches at Crestview, and a close eye on the basketball program she once led.

Anthony Hartwig caught up with Chelsea via video chat. They discussed her playing days at Crestview, her recruiting process, and much more. You won’t want to miss this exclusive look at one of the area’s greatest basketball legends from Crestview High School, Chelsea Bowker.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8C_5paN0kE[/embedyt]