CANFIELD OH- It has been a tough start to the season for South Range. They spent the first four games of the year on the road. After seeing all four of those games fall against them, they finally came back home for their home opener on Friday. It wasn’t an easy task to get back on track, Girard came to town atop of the NE8. The Indians spoiled the home opener with a gun show winning the contest 54-37.
Gus Johnson continued to prove that he is one of the best players in the area. He rocked the Raiders by scoring 26 points. Thomas Cardiero was also a tough puzzle for the Raiders to solve as he scored 17. Ayden Leon. Nate Lewis, and Jared Klucinec all led the Raiders with 9 points each.
Girard is back in action on Tuesday as they host Lakeview. South Range goes back on the road as they go to Jefferson.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/34E42754-6E5D-41E9-B5F0-CCDC40E3AD4E.jpeg13482363Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-17 07:19:492022-12-17 07:19:49GIRARD SPOILS RAIDERS HOME OPENER
KINSMAN, OHIO- The Badger Braves took on their dreaded rival, The Bristol Panthers tonight at home. The Braves have not won against the Panther since the 2018-19 season. The Braves fell behind quickly in the first quarter but mounted a comeback at the end of the first to make it a one point deficit. The 2nd quarter is when the braves really found the momentum and found a small lead 32-27 going into halftime.
Badger then really put the petal to the metal in the 3rd quarter led by Duncan Moy, who put on an absolute show. Along with the 34 points Moy had multiple blocks, including a chasedown block during a pivotal stretch in the game.
Duncan had plenty of help from Brad Hamliton, who knocked down 16 points and the hot handed freshman, Preston Geracitano with 11 points. The Braves continued to put the pressure of the Panthers and it was too much for them to overcome as the Badger Braves came out with the huge win tonight 73-59. The Braves improve to 5-0 and will back in action on friday night as they will travel to Maplewood to take on the Rockets.
*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Badger-Braves-ball.png720960Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-14 22:20:542022-12-14 22:20:54BRAVES DON’T LOOK BACK
ATWATER OH- It was boys basketball on a Tuesday night in Northeast Ohio and with that brought rivals, both old and new, to the court thus opening up conference play in The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference’s (MVAC) Scarlet Division. All eight teams from the conference competed in four games across three counties Tuesday night. Including Portage County, where the town of Atwater’s own Waterloo Vikings met The Western Reserve Blue Devils on the hardwood!
A repeat matchup between the two schools, as The Vikings earned a 43-37 victory, on the girls side, against Western Reserve on Monday night. Leaving the boys with revenge on their mind, The Blue Devils also thought back to this past football season, where Waterloo gained the victory on the gridiron 27-24 on September 16th.
Plenty of animosity and tension has been built in this, new-found, friendly rivalry that has emerged in recent years and Tuesday night was no different. Taking a page from the girls teams a night previous, it was four quarters of a defensive grudge-match between the two programs. With guys like Hayden Fellows (Reserve) and Drew Flarida (Waterloo) battling for every rebound, every loose ball and making life difficult in the paint for opposing offenses.
As both teams jockeyed for position in a feeling out process on offense, Reserve was able to grab an early 14-4 advantage. The Vikings would have to turn back the clock and claw their way back into the game, old-school, with free throws. Working themselves into the single-bonus Waterloo scored their next seven points at the stripe, going 7 for 8, including a 6 for 6 stretch by Navarre Alhassan! Stepping back a few paces, Alhassan also nailed down a big 3-pointer that made the deficit just four for The Vikings heading into halftime with The Blue Devils leading it 18-14.
Returning from the half, both teams picked up where they left off defensively, meaning both coaches were looking for someone to step up offensively. Enter Luke Henning, a young man who hit a 3 in the first half, but dialed it in from all over the court in the second 16 minutes. Hitting two more shots from distance, Henning helped Western Reserve reclaim their double digit advantage. A point in which The Blue Devils would never look back from! Scoring 14 points total, his season-high, Henning also had some partners in crime with Hayden Fellows and Dom Riccardi both scoring in double figures.
Heading into conference play, The Vikings were 2-1 with wins against Windham and Rootstown, while dropping one to a tough Mogadore team. Despite The Blue Devils 0-3 record, reading between the lines showed that Western Reserve was right there in games against three phenomenal programs in Mathews, Crestview and Struthers. While also not losing any of those contests by more than eight points; however, Reserve needed to learn how to win through their tough losses.
Following the loss, Waterloo (2-2)(0-1) will look to have better luck against the Blue Devils, as they head to McDonald (2-2)(1-0) on Friday, December 16th. As for Western Reserve (1-3)(1-0), they will now travel to the launching pad in Lowellville to take on the conference-favorite Lowellville Rockets (4-0)(1-0), also on Friday! Four teams now sit at 1-0 in The MVAC, taking that first-step to realizing a conference crown!
Scoring (Western Reserve)
Luke Henning: 14 PTS.
Hayden Fellows: 13 PTS
Dom Riccardi: 12 PTS.
Josh Klasic: 5 PTS.
Joey Serensky: 2 PTS.
Scoring (Waterloo)
Navarre Alhassan: 11 PTS.
Anthony Podojil: 7 PTS.
Ryan Wise: 6 PTS.
Drew Flarida: 4 PTS
Kai Warren: 2 PTS
Kyle Werbeck: 1 PT
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Waterloo 2 – 12 W.R.
Q2: Waterloo 12 – 6 W.R.
Q3: Waterloo 6 – 13 W.R.
Q4: Waterloo 11 – 14 W.R.
Final: W.R. 45 – 31 Waterloo
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
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NILES OH- Both NE8 conference rivals were coming off of tough losses and looking to bounce back. South Range has won the last nine games going back to 2018 when they first started to play Niles twice a year. However, this time it would be Niles getting their first win against the Raiders 50 to 38 at the Veterans Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday after a close first half which saw the score 32 to 27.
For the Red Dragons, it was Matt Kozak scoring the leading points with 14, having a great night rebounding and getting put back shots in the paint. His performance was followed up by two others in double digit scoring. That would be Robert Strickland with 11 and Keyshon Talley with 10 points. Sam Perrone finished with seven points while both Stefon Dorsey and Anthony Budak finished with four.
On the Raiders side, 22 points were combined for Landon Moore and Ayden Leon. Followed by 12 combined points for Nate Lewis and Luke Rohan. Jared Klucinec would put four on the board but not enough for the comeback. South Range (0-4) will host Girard (4-1) Friday. Niles (3-2) will host Struthers (2-2) at 7pm on Friday.
After, Ian O’brien caught up with coach Doug Foster and player of the game Matt Kozak, talking about the performance and the next game against Struthers.
*Contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
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HOWLAND CENTER, OH – Coming off a rough loss to Chaney, Howland found a way to get back in the win column on Tuesday night. Despite a 13-11 first quarter deficit, the host Tigers outscored LaBrae in the final three quarters 47-17 en route to a dominant 58-30 victory. It was a splendid performance by a Tiger team that held LaBrae to just three points in the third quarter, including not giving up a single field goal in that period.
The Tigers found every opportunity as they were grabbing rebound after rebound and put some nice pressure on the Vikings offense to force turnovers and get nice open shots on the halfcourt sets, thanks to players like Alex Henry and Brandon Null, who both led the Tigers with 10 points. LaBrae could not find a rhythm on offense, despite 10 first quarter points by Austin Rowe. Rowe would finish the night with a game-high 13 points. The Vikings’ big man Blake Kahnell was shut down as the Tigers’ defense held him to single digits.
Howland’s Connor Durig made what was a lopsided game exciting late. The senior, who placed third at the OHSAA Track and Field Division I State Meet in the high jump, got a wide-open look, jumped, and slammed down a two-handed jam. Despite scoring single digits on the night, Durig added another dunk to his highlight reel to go along with his slam last year at Niles McKinley.
Howland (4-1) will now prepare for a big battle next week when they travel down to Louisville in what will be a rematch of last year’s District Final defeat. The Tigers fell short in that game 63-56 despite a furious second-half rally.
LaBrae (1-2) will fall below .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 as they will now travel out to Garrettsville on Friday to take on Garfield in what will be their first conference matchup of the year. The Vikings swept the G-Men last year by scores of 77-53 at home and 47-40 on the road.
YSN’s Noah Ricks spoke with Howland head coach Dan Bubon following Tuesday’s contest. You can watch the full interview below.
*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks
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Beloit OH- The West Branch boys got back into the win column with a convincing 69-20 win over the Academy for Urban Scholars last night. The Warriors needed a bounce back win after a tough confrence loss to the Marlington Dukes, and they were pleased with tonight’s score. This was a nice game to help the Warriors prepare for the Alliance Aviators.
The first quarter was a bit sloppy for both teams. Neither team could find a rhythm offensively but once the second quarter came around, West Branch put on a defensive clinic. They only allowed the Urban Scholars five points and held a 29-13 lead at the half. The offense really picked up for the Warriors in the second half as they scored 22 and 18 points in the third and fourth quarters.
West Branch was balanced offensively and Thomas Egli led the way with 13 points. Joey Jackson and Cooper Anderson both added 12 points, while Gavin Gregory chipped in with 10. Once again, freshman Jeremiah Thomas was steller defensively. Thomas had some big steals, blocked shots, and crafty assists to contribute for the Warriors victory.
The Academy for Urban Scholars struggled to find their offense all night. They were only able to muster 20 points. D. Hunter led the way with 7 points, while T. Nickerson and Hunter both had 6 points.
West Branch has a huge test in front of them as they hit the road to play reigning EBC champs Alliance on Friday at 7 p.m.. The Warriors lost both meetings to the Aviators last season and are hoping for a different result this year. The Urban Scholars will look to get their first win of the season when they travel to Mooney this Saturday.
*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BC246184-64C9-4D7B-8415-B02C8E5B8095-scaled-1.jpeg14392560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-14 17:12:112022-12-14 17:12:11WARRIORS SHARPENING THEIR TOOLS
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Jason Hewlett dropped twenty-two points in three quarters as Chaney handed Liberty its fourth loss of the season, 63-20.
Liberty (1-4) started the game handling the patented Chaney pressure well and were able to score with the Cowboy’s. KJ Turner and Evan Bates both hit from beyond the arc to keep the Leopard’s within striking distance at the end of one, trailing 16-12.
The Chaney Cowboys (3-1) responded with an explosive second quarter to take a 47-18 lead into halftime. Jason Hewlett paced the showtime Cowboys with an impressive 14second quarter points.Ga’Mior Jackson added 5 points for the quarter, including a buzzer beater three, the only made basket from beyond the arc for Chaney in the half.
After a few minutes of third quarter play, the running clock was in effect and would never be called off. The Cowboys dominated Liberty in the second half, holding the Leopards scoreless in the third quarter, and allowing just one basket in the fourth.
LEADING SCORERS –
CHANEY:
Jason Hewlett –22 points
Jashaun Holcomb – 10 points
Ga’Mior Jackson – 9 points
LIBERTY:
KJ Turner – 5 points
Evan Bates – 5 points
Chaney –Extending their streak to three in a row, the Cowboys will hit the road for a neutral site contest against the Walsh Jesuit Warriors. The Warriors come in with an undefeated 5-0 record, boasting impressive wins over Brush, St. Ignatius, Gilmour Academy, and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s.
Liberty–Dropping their second game in a row to a top Northeast Ohio team, the Liberty Leopards will look to regroup with a road matchup against Crestview (3-2). Liberty has won their previous five matchups against the Rebels.
*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson
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NORTH JACKSON OH- Lowellville is a team with high expectations this year inside the MVAC. There are a lot of preseason polls that have the Rockets finishing at the top of the conference. Some trams may let the outside pressure to succeed get to them, but that’s not how the Rockets fly. They came in to Tuesday night with a record of 3-0, and showed no signs of slowing down as their balanced offense ran loose on Jackson Milton in a 81-43 win.
The Rockets had five players finish in double figures. The leader of the scoring was Ryan Hvisdak finishing with 18. Anthony Lucente was just as impressive as he put in 15 points. Right behind him was Mark Dubas with 14 points. Rounding out the Rockets in double figures were both Michael and Vinny Ballone. They both finished with 11.
Jackson Milton got a good offensive contribution from Aaren Romigh who worked his way to 18. Ryan Romigh was also in double figures with the Blue Jays with 13 points.
Lowellville will take their undefeated record forward and return to action Friday as they host Western Reserve. Jackson Milton get back to work on Friday as they host Sebring.
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LOUISVILLE OH- After Louisville hosted a dramatic buzzer beater in the afternoon with the Lady Leopards taking down Perry, the boys team took center stage in the evening. The dramatic flair wasn’t there for the boys side though. The Leopards controlled the game from the tip as they welcomed in South Range. Louisville jumped out to a 15-0 lead in under 3 minutes. The game was never in doubt after that. They’d go on to win 72-25.
Will Aljancic led the way for the Leopards with 17 points on the night. He was one of three Leopards in double figures. Hayden Nigro scored 12 points to contribute to the offense. Brayden Gross was the last Leopard in double figures chipping in 10.
Landon Moore was in double figures for the Raiders leading with 11 points.
Louisville will continue their season on Tuesday as they host Austintown Fitch. South Range will also be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Niles.
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MINERAL RIDGE OH- Brookfield coming into the game looked for a three and 0 start to their season and their first winning season since 2014-2015. Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge came into the game 0 and three and needed a win to keep the momentum alive. Both teams kept the game close for three and a half quarters, but in the fourth, it was all Brookfield in the end winning by the final of 71 to 59.
For the Warriors, it was Matteo Fortuna leading the pack with 25 points and helping him was two dynamic duos of Donovan Pawlowski, the trumbull county player of the year in football who scored 20, and Isaiah Jones with 15 points, two of those dunks and three blocks in the first quarter. Nevon Hoffman played a role scoring five points, and Carter Creed had a corner three. On the Rams side of the ball, it was Trey Rigley, averaging 9 points per game, dropping 23. He was followed by Ian Erb with 10 points, Nate Rohrman with 11 points, eight for Jordan Moore, five for Elias Clarke and two for Nate Colburn.
Brookfield (3-0) will take on Grand River Academy on Tuesday, a big test for the Warriors to see if they can keep their undefeated streak alive. Mineral Ridge (0-3) will host MVAC Scarlet Tier Rival McDonald. After the game, Ian O’Brien caught up with coach Shawn Hammond and Isaiah Jones.
*Contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
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