Tag Archive for: High school basketball

OWENS OWNS THE NIGHT

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AUSTINTOWN OH- The All-American Conference (AAC), despite just five teams as representatives, always has tough, hard-nosed and competitive matchups amongst the five member schools. Friday night’s meeting between The Howland Tigers and The Austintown-Fitch Falcons was no different! Dating back to 2018, Howland and Fitch were 5-5 against one another in their last ten matchups. Squaring-off with each other earlier this month at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse up in Cleveland, Fitch got out to an early run and capitalized through four quarters, claiming victory 50-29 against Howland at The Home of The Cavs. The second time around, the host site for this matchup was at the friendly confines of Austintown-Fitch High School!

The Tigers were looking to give The Falcons a receipt for what went down in Cleveland and one look across the Howland faces and you could tell, this matchup would be different. Fitch attempted to repeat what happened in their last matchup, grabbing an early 4-0 lead off back-to-back buckets. The Tigers own John Perry showed plenty of fight against the size of Fitch in the post, establishing himself offensively early on to try and space the floor for Howland. Austintown got the gym fired up off a beautiful alley-oop pass from Marcel Finkley which was effectively slammed home by Allen Hill; However, The Tigers would keep the pressure on defensively to give their offense more opportunities to start, allowing Howland to hold a slim 9-8 lead after one quarter of play. Coming off the bench,

Connor During provided great minutes for The Tigers, contributing 10 points in the first half himself! But The Falcons would find a little more of their tempo in the second quarter, with guys like Marcel Finkley and Gianni Maley starting to find their shot, thus allowing Fitch to find themselves in front of a back-and-forth battle at halftime 22-18.
Defense would come to the forefront to start the third quarter, with all offense running cold for both squads. Points were at a premium due to the high volume of live-ball turnovers that would be created from both teams.

Fitch maintained their lead after winning the low scoring third quarter 8-5 to take a 30-23 lead into the final eight minutes. Howland would immediately start on the comeback trail in the fourth with a three pointer connecting from Alex Henry to instantly cut the deficit down for The Tigers. Battling all the way back, Howland reclaimed the lead in the final minute of the fourth with a clutch corner three from Ben Bronson to give them a 37-35 lead with less than a minute to go.

Fitch would take the possession, pass it around before calling a timeout with 2.6 seconds remaining on the game clock. It would happen to be two seconds too many that were left by Howland, as Fitch sophomore Carter Owens took the inbound pass, quickly got the turn around and……ballgame! “The Perfect 10” nailed down a perfect three the buzzer beater to send The Falcon Faithful home happy, giving Fitch the 38-37 conference win!

Following the loss it will be right back to work for Howland (6-5)(0-3) as they travel to Boardman (4-7)(0-2) on Saturday, January 14th. After the thrilling victory, Fitch (8-4)(3-1) looks to keep pace in the AAC, but some non-conference pit stops are ahead. The first being a home matchup where The Falcons will host Suburban League representative, The Copley Indians (6-5) on Tuesday, January 17th. Interviews with Fitch Head Coach Brian Beany and Player of The Game Carter Owens can be found below!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

 

BADGER ABLE TO HANG ON

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KINSMAN,OHIO- The Badger Braves returned to play tonight on throwback night as they were honoring the Vernon Bluestreaks by wearing their uniforms. The Braves took on the Mathews Mustangs, in what was a back and forth game all the way through. The Braves held a small 23-18 lead at the half.

The back forth type of play continued during the second half as the Mustangs trailed the Braves just by a score of 33-31. The Braves were led by Duncan Moy, who dropped 24 points and he had help from Brad Hamilton, who had 9 points, and Preston Geracitano, who finished the game with 7 points. The Mustangs were led by Dom Toto and Ethan Petak, who combined for 28 points. It all came down to the end as The Badger Braves escaped the Mustangs to win 47-46 to improve to a record on 11-1. The Braves will be back in action on the road against Fairport Harbor on Tuesday. 

*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison

BLUE JAYS BENCH COMES THROUGH

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NORTH JACKSON OH- The depth of Jackson Milton was put to the test Friday night. With Mineral Ridge in the house, the Blue Jays dealt with Aaren Romigh being unavailable and a couple of in game injuries.  The bench of the Blue Jays came through for them though as they fought their way to a 59-49 win.

Leading the Jays was the tandem of Aiden Stanke, and Ryen Romigh.  They both paved the way with 18 points.  Edmund Gursky was able to add 6 to the cause.

Mineral Ridge was led by Trey Rigley who gave everything he had in a game-high 20 point effort.  Tristan Valley was also in double figures finishing with 11 points.

Both teams venture out of the MVAC on Tuesday as Mineral Ridge hosts Mooney, and Jackson Milton welcomes in United.

RAIDERS WIN THIRD IN A ROW

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POLAND OH- Coming off a weekend where they won two games in two days, including knocking off unbeaten Lowellville South Range took their momentum on the road to face off with Poland.  It was a back and forth tug of war from the start. The game was tied up at 11 after one quarter of play setting the tone for what was to come.  The Raiders were able to win a low scoring second quarter 9-8 to take a 20-19 lead into the locker room. Poland responded by winning the next frame by one and tying the game up 32-32 after 3.  The Raiders defense locked down and only allowed the Bulldogs to hit two shots from the field in the fourth quarter and won a thriller 44-42.

 

Landon Moore matched his jersey number finishing with 15 points to lead the Raiders. Dylan Turvey clocked in a good game putting in 8 points.  Both Luke Rohan, and Ayden Leon scored 6 points to help out the South Range offense.

Poland was led by Cole Fulton who scored 14 points. JP Genova gave the Bulldogs another player in double figures finishing with 11.  Luke Generalovich and Danny Nitolli both were able to add 6.

South Range has won 3 games in a row and will take their winning streak on the road to play Hubbard.  Poland will be on the road as well as they travel to Girard.

WATERLOO COMEBACK SETS UP BIG OPPORTUNITY

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ATWATER OH- In the second matchup in two days between Springfield and Waterloo, Fred Brookover Gymnasium in Atwater, Ohio played host to the boys edition of The Tigers versus The Vikings. Springfield came into this season as defending conference champs, going an impressive 14-0 against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC) Scarlet Division opponents. Despite losing a large portion of their team from a season ago due to graduation, The Tigers still found themselves in a second place tie in the conference with none other than The Vikings at the midway point of the season. Making their first meeting of the campaign on Tuesday night extra special knowing that sole possession of second place was on the line, keeping the winner one game back of conference leader Lowellville. 

Both teams exchanged a bucket early on, before Springfield started establishing a rhythm from the arc, with Seandelle Gardner being a premier shooter for The Tigers, capitalizing on a 14-8 lead after one quarter. Keeping that momentum from the first quarter and carrying it over to the second, The Tigers hot hand from distance continued, allowing them to extend their lead to double digits towards the end of the first half. Waterloo senior Navarre Alhassan had a response ready, nailing a much-needed three pointer to cut the Springfield lead. However, Coach Brink’s team remained in front 26-18 at the half. 

The horn was sounded at halftime and Waterloo Head Coach Jason Wise stressed the importance of defense in the locker room during the break and did The Vikings ever lock it down. Holding a solid Springfield offense to just three points total in the third quarter, Waterloo was able to inch closer, but still trails The Tigers by five entering the fourth quarter. The Viking defense remained as relenting in the fourth, while Navarre Alhassan entered the zone in clutch time and played takeover offense in the final quarter once again. Finishing with 24 points and 12 of them coming in the fourth, Alhassan, along with a lockdown Waterloo defense, pulled through 40-37 in a comeback victory over Springfield! 

Following the loss, Springfield (5-6)(4-2) will now set their sights on McDonald (3-9)(1-5) where they will pay The Blue Devils a visit on Friday, January 13th. The win for Waterloo (10-3)(5-1) sets them up in a battle for first place with Lowellville (10-1)(6-0) where The Rockets will come to Atwater, also on Friday! Interview with winning Head Coach Jason Wise can be found below! 

 

Scoring (Waterloo)

Navarre Alhassan: 24 PTS. (Player of The Game)

Anthony Podojil: 8 PTS.

Ryan Wise: 6 PTS.

Drew Flarida: 2 PTS.

 

Scoring (Springfield)

Seandelle Gardner: 16 PTS.

Nico Servedio: 8 PTS.

Connor Hudran: 7 PTS.

Sean Guerriero: 2 PTS.

Brandon Price: 2 PTS.

Dylan Sheely: 2 PTS.

 

Scoring by Quarter

Q1: Waterloo 8 – 14 Springfield

Q2: Waterloo 10 – 12 Springfield

Q3: Waterloo 6 – 3 Springfield

Q4: Waterloo 16 – 8 Springfield

Final: Waterloo 40 – 37 Springfield

MCCOLLISTER’S CAREER HIGH LIFTS EDGEWOOD

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GENEVA OH- In a lopsided victory on Wednesday night Edgewood was having their offense roll like a well oiled machine. Their balanced attack was way too much for Geneva to handle. The Warriors have been able to score at will all season, and that didn’t change with a 62-29 win over the Eagles.

Katie McCollister had a career high 27 points to lead the Warriors on the night. Kaci Kanicki was her normal self blasting through the stat sheet with 19 points.

Edgewood has a huge test ahead of them on Saturday as they welcome in a very talented Chagrin Falls.  Tip off for that one is set for 2:30.

BADGER SLIPS UP AGAINST THE LAKERS

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KINSMAN, OHIO- the Pymatuning Valley Lakers traveled to take on the Badger Braves tonight in what was a huge matchup. In was a back and forth game throughout the first half, as the Braves held on to a 29-28 lead at the break.

The Braves were led by Duncan Moy who had 18 points and Preston Geracitano, who dropped 13 points. The Braves at one point led 47-30, then the Lakers mounted a huge comeback in the fourth quarter as they were led by Tyler Britton, who put up 22 points.

The Lakers cut into and overcame the large deficit to defeat the Braves 54-53, handing the Braves their first loss of the season. The Braves will try to get back on track this friday as they take on their archrival, the Mathews Mustangs. 

*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison

PAWLOWSKI DRAINS 1000 IN WARRIORS VICTORY

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BROOKFIELD OH- It was a milestone night in Brookfield on Tuesday night as Donovan Pawlowski shined his way to his 1,000th career point.  The Warriors offense used the moment as rocket fuel as they blasted their way to a 81-61 win over Champion.

Pawlowski finished with a game-high 28 points on the way to his milestone.  Matteo Fortuna was also incredible racking up a triple double scoring 19 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists.  Isaiah Jones was also in double figures for the Warriors with 11 points.  Carter Creed chipped in 9.

Joey Fell put together a valient effort for Champion scoring 20 points.  Christian Williams was also in double figures for Champion with 10 points.

Brookfield stays in the comfort of their own gym on Friday night as they welcome in Newton Falls for a big MVAC clash.  Champion returns home on Friday to host LaBrae.

WARRIORS TAKE ROUND ONE AGAINST HEATED RIVAL

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BELOIT OH- The West Branch boys basketball team had lost two straight games and were looking to pick up a win. They welcomed their arch rival Salem to Beloit and the Warriors walked away with a gritty 60-47 victory. West Branch scored 60 points which was one of the best offensive scoring nights they have had all season.

 

Salem started off strong when they were able to jump out to a 10-1 lead. Coach Brown immediately called a timeout to calm his Warriors down. He said “ I can’t even remember what I exactly told them, but obviously it worked.” West Branch never looked back as they forced a number of turnovers and outscored the Quakers the rest of the game. Junior Guard Jaxon Robb played a big role defensively having many deflected passes in the game. 

 

Joey Jackson had a solid night as he led the scoring with 16 points for the Warriors. Thomas Egli wasn’t far behind with 15 points and a number of rebounds. Cooper Anderson and Jeremiah Thomas each added 8 points respectively. Finally, Michael Kanagy and Jaxon Robb each chipped in scoring as well.

 

For Salem, Caden Swiger had a good night scoring with 16 points and Lance Bailey had 15 as he knocked down four three pointers. Salem’s turnovers hurt their attempt to come back from their deficit . West Branch forced over 20 plus turnovers with a great defensive effort.

 

With the win, West Branch improves to 5-5 and (2-3) inside the EBC. The Warriors will Travel down to Minerva this Friday for a game at 7PM. Salem drops to 4-6 with the loss and (1-4) inside the EBC. The Quakers will welcome Alliance this Friday. The Aviators are 5-0 in the EBC and bested Salem 93-60 the first time around.

 

*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi

 

   

GIRARD COOLS OFF THE DRAGONS

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GIRARD OH- After the big victory against the Lady Red Devils of Campbell, the lady Niles Red Dragons looked to have a big night against the Indians of Girard.  Unfortunately, a quick start turned into a one sided affair for the lady Indians as they pulled away, winning 66-36. 

 

For Girard it was Sieasia Triplett who scored a high 17.  Combined for 14 points was Allison Durkin, Ezra Dede and Mia Malito, and Abbey Rafferty with nine.  Next, it was five points for Makenzee White, four for Aly Wakefield, three for Abby Iceman, and a combined four points then for Aly Gassman and Sophia Latell.  

 

For Niles, it was Abbey Reed with nine points, six for Brooke Money, 12 points combined for Gianna Wagner, Alaina Thigpen who was back from injury, and Caroline Cormell.  Emily Macik scored a three and Katie Heinselman along with Jules Money combined for four points. 

 

Girard will host Poland in a rematch looking to tie the series this season, while Niles will travel to take on the Lady Falcons of Jefferson. After, Ian O’Brien caught up with legendary coach Andy Saxon after the big win. 

 

*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*