STRUTHERS OH- The Struthers Wildcats are, once again, ready to make an exciting tournament run. Much like the high-flying Struthers team of last season.
The difference this year? The Struthers community packed The Fieldhouse for home games once again, providing a 6th man feel for The Wildcats all season.
Winning a share of The NE8 Championship once again this season, Struthers is carrying all the momentum into a tournament game against Notre Dame Cathedral Latin.
With this edition of Coaches Corner, Anthony and Ty caught up with Coach Wernicki about the team this season and their matchup on Tuesday night!
Wildcats and ready to run! And you can catch every step on YSN!
*Contributed by YSN’s Ty Bartell
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Struthers-Boys.png21602160Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-23 04:28:042023-07-15 00:08:50STRUTHERS BOYS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 3) WITH MICHAEL WERNICKI
LEAVITTSBURG, OH – It was a Monday night out in Leavittsburg. Both Howland and LaBrae picked up first-round byes in their respective tournaments. This was the last regular season game for both squads. It was Howland, however, who would have the upper edge as the D2 school upended the D3 Vikings 56-38 on the road. Howland coach Dan Bubon enjoyed the fact that his team picked up a convincing 18-point victory over a respected area powerhouse like LaBrae.
“It’s a big win going into the tournament because we beat a really good program tonight. In the last 15 to 20 years, this is one of the best programs in the area. We knew we were going to be in for a fight tonight, and I’m really happy with the second half. Anytime you come here and win by double-digits, that’s a really good win going into the tournament.”
The Tigers would not be without their struggles in the first half, being down 12-4 at one point in the first quarter, but they kept themselves in the ball game thanks to key finishes down low and transition points off of turnovers. Despite some missed layups at some points in the contest, they put the ball in the hole when it mattered. They would keep the Vikings, who were playing their fourth game in six days, on their toes throughout that second half. Bubon was aware of his team’s mistakes, but was pleased with the adjustments.
“We finished inside better, but we still missed three or four layups in the second half. I thought we got some good looks in the first half and just missed and then had some careless turnovers, couldn’t get into a rhythm, but the defense is what did it. Anytime you hold a team like that to 38 points, you’re giving yourself opportunities to transition off of rebounds, off of steals, and that’s where we started to get some easy passes.’’
After Anthony Massucci made a three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to tie the game up at 23-23, the Tigers went roaring from there. Thanks to guys like Massucci, Gabe Badea, and Alex Henry, they outscored the Vikings in the second half 33-15. Massucci, who went on a 12-point run in the fourth after being held to just three points in the first three quarters, would end the night with a triple-double with 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Bubon used the locker room adjustments to his advantage and thanked his defense for the big run in the final sixteen minutes.
“Just to relax on offense. Keep playing defense as hard as they were. At halftime, we were on our way to holding them to 46 points, and we ended up holding them to 38 points. If you do that, you have got a great chance to win. We played a bad half offensively. We thought if we relaxed and played our normal game, we would be ok.”
The Tigers end the regular season at 13-9 with the victory. They will have a first-round bye in the Division 2 Ashtabula District before playing in the Sectional Finals on Friday against the winner of the Struther-NDCL semi-final tomorrow night. Bubon and his team will head down to the Struthers Fieldhouse tomorrow night to scout and prepare.
“Well, we’re going to go watch the game tomorrow night at Struthers and see who wins. We have seen Struthers multiple times this year. We scrimmaged them. They’re a really good offensive team. They’ll be a great challenge, but NDCL, I’m sure they have a chance, because NDCL will come out of Cleveland and play a really tough schedule. They’re not going to roll over tomorrow night, so I’m sure it will be a good battle and we’ll see who we’ll play and go from there.”
Canfield ends the regular season at 15-5 with the loss. They will also have a first-round bye as they will host a Sectional Final on Friday against the winner of the Southeast-Waterloo semi-final. That game is part of the Division 3 Howland District and is slated for a 7:00 P>M. tip.
YSN’s Noah Ricks got a chance to talk to winning coach Dan Bubon following tonight’s contest. You can watch the full interview below.
*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks
Postgame Interview With Dan Bubon:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/77910501-0F8D-4783-9B5E-10809FC68CCD.jpeg16182400Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-22 05:01:462023-07-15 00:07:53HOWLAND COOLS OFF THE VIKINGS
CAMPBELL OH- The Campbell-Memorial Red Devils have been a team that had a lot of questions to answer at the beginning of the season. Leaving people curious about how far they can go? How will they compete in the tough MVAC Gray Division?
Those questions were answered one after another, with Campbell compiling a perfect 13-0 conference record, heading into both the final conference and regular season game Friday against Newton Falls.
The last time these two teams locked horns was on Friday, February 11th only a week prior to their second matchup. The Tigers were feeling it at home, pushing Campbell to the limit that night, as The Red Devils squeaked by with a narrow 55-53 victory.
Having already clinched The MVAC Championship for the first time in 8 years, Campbell was looking to end the year perfect in their conference while sharpening their teeth for the tournament.
Newton Falls looked to take away a lot of what Campbell does best on offense, much like they did in their first encounter. In fact, The Tigers were only the second team to hold Campbell under 60 points this season.
With a great mind like Coach Sembach, Newton Falls had a great defensive gameplan, one that forced the ball out of Kevin Moore’s hands a ton. This made Campbell adjust to depend on other scoring options.
Throughout all four quarters, Newton Falls made it difficult for Campbell to score, as they held The Red Devils down to just 56 points of offense in the game. Making The Tigers the only team to hold Campbell under 60 points twice this season.
However, Campbell used a balanced scoring approach, one that saw four players pitch in with 9+ points of offense on the evening. Pair that with a Red Devil Defense that had a rocking crowd behind them, and Campbell was able to pull off the 56-37 victory over Newton Falls.
Christian James (C.J.): 9 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 3/5 3-PT FG (60%)
The win recorded #21 in the regular season for Campbell, the most in the regular season in school history. It also ties the record for most wins in a season (including postseason).
The senior leaders of Campbell had a chance to shine, as we got a chance to catch up with every senior of this historic team!
Campbell will waste little time going for historic win #22, as in Division 3’s Warren District, The #2 Red Devils will take on the winner of #18 Rootstown @ #13 Columbiana. That game will take place in Campbell and will occur on Friday, February 25th and can be found on YSN!
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
Postgame Interview With Nick Canterino:
Senior Interview With Christian James:
Senior Interview With Jacob Jackson:
Senior Interview With Jameer Weaver:
Senior Interview With Kayvon Moore:
Senior Interview With Kevin Moore:
Senior Interview With Skevos Kouros:
Senior Interview With Xavion Leonard:
Senior Interview With Zach Luciano:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/D99F7F23-293A-4525-903F-B4BEEB186464-scaled.jpeg16212560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-21 05:14:442023-07-15 00:07:06CAMPBELL CLOSES REGULAR SEASON WITH ANOTHER WIN
LOUISVILLE OH- The Louisville Leopards have been a team of success, with a great community following, headlined by one of the best in Coach Tom Siegfried.
Completing his 15th regular season with The Leopards, Louisville needed 16 wins in 22 games to accomplish the feat for Siegfried in the regular season.
Those 16 wins had to come against one of the toughest independent schedules around. Including 11 of the 22 scheduled games being against Division 1 opponents, a division above The Leopards.
In the midnight hour of the regular season, Louisville got win #16 on game #22 to add a little drama to the story. Finishing the regular season, Coach Siegfried now has an all-time coaching record at Louisville of 200-141 (.587).
Coach Siegfried will not have to wait long to try and get victory #201. With The Leopards playing in The Ashtabula District, where #2 Louisville will have a bye to the Sectional Finals, where they will meet the winner of #20 Ravenna and #15 Canfield.
That game will be played on Friday, February 25th and can be found on YSN!
+Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Louisville-Boys.png21602160Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-21 02:46:312023-07-15 00:05:38LOUISVILLE BOYS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 2) WITH TOM SIEGFRIED
EAST PALESTINE OH- It was a great regular season of AAC basketball this year. So much talent shared the floor every time conference opponents met on the court. Now, with the championships crowned it’s time to honor the conference stand outs.
Boardman won the AAC Championship this season.
FIRST TEAM AAC
Tre DePietro- Boardman
Luke Ryan- Boardman
Jake Grdic- Canfield
Anthony Massucci- Howland
Allen Underwood- Austintown Fitch
DeShawn Vaughn- Austintown Fitch
Duncan Moy- Warren Harding
SECOND TEAM
Gabe Badea- Howland
Alex Henry- Howland
Seth Cervello- Boardman
Anthony Hightower- Boardman
Zane Muckleroy- Canfield
Devin Sherwood- Austintown Fitch
Jacob Lawrence- Warren Harding
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tre DePietro
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/9A7FF8F9-15A6-4344-97CB-78BE08D9577A.jpeg15612400Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-20 22:24:272022-02-20 22:24:27BOYS BASKETBALL ALL AAC HONORS
COLUMBIANA OH- Crestview was led by Junior James Best who scored 18 points before fouling out early in the 4th quarter and Freshman Jonathan Best came off the bench for an additional 10 points and proved too much for the Blue Devils on Friday night. Junior Wyatt Miller (10), Junior Matt Lindsay (9), Junior Kirkland Miller (6), and Senior Anthony Cusick (5) contributed for the Rebels.
Senior recognition night for bowling, cheerleading and Boys Basketball. Seniors Anthony Cusick, Jack Yerkey and Matthew Wollet ended their basketball season with a W over Columbiana County foe the David Anderson High school Blue Devils from Lisbon 58-50.
Although it was an evening highlighting the seniors, Sophomore Hunter Dailey led all scoring putting up 21 points for the Blue Devils. Sophomore Trevor Siefke added 12 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line. Sophomore Logan Stauffer (9) and Senior Hunter Sturgeon (8) contributed to the Blue Devils 50.
The future looks bright for the young Blue Devils squad as they wait to host the winner from Badger and Jackson-Milton next Friday night in tornament action!
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4BCC819A-60A2-4C51-BB07-75B91CF6A07F-scaled.jpeg16302560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-19 16:13:102022-02-19 16:13:10REBELS RIDE HOME WITH VICTORY
A postponed conference game inside The AAC had The Austintown Fitch Falcons host The Warren G Harding Raiders for a Thursday night game.
It was the final conference game on the slate for both schools, and per usual, the fans on both sides showed up and were loud!
The first quarter was back and forth, with both teams playing the chess match on offense, looking for an opportunity to go on a run.
Deshawn Vaughn provided the spark Fitch needed in the first half. As Vaughn had the crowd roaring to the tune of 17 first half points, pair that with holding premier scorer Tyriq Ivory to just 2 points in the first half.
Fitch took a commanding first half lead into halftime; however, as many others are aware, you cannot hold any team down in The AAC.
The Raiders came back in the third quarter, as Ivory became a man on a mission. Scoring at high volumes, with 21 points in the second half for Warren.
Ivory also had a scoring partner in Duncan Moy, who scored double digits in both halves and finished with 21 points on the night.
Despite the scoring efforts of Ivory (23) and Moy (21), Fitch was able to respond with a couple of 20+ point scorers themselves. With senior Allen Underwood finishing with 22 points of offense to complement the 23 scored by Deshawn Vaughn.
Austintown made enough plays down the stretch, with everyone contributing big in some way. With seniors Joe Roth hitting two big free throws late and Evan Sahli finding a bucket off an offensive board in the final minute to put a bow on it.
Fitch beat Harding 65-62 to avenge the loss suffered to The Raiders at Warren earlier in the season.
Harding (11-10) will now refocus with a road game at Canton McKinley (13-6) to round out their season.
Fitch (7-14) will play their final regular season game, as they travel to Alliance (15-4) to take on The Aviators!
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
*Postgame Interview With DeShawn Vaughn
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/214FD2F3-D032-4FA9-A8FE-BD1761B99501.jpeg11641827Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-19 00:06:132022-02-19 00:06:13FALCONS PROTECT THE NEST ONE LAST TIME
The Waterloo Lady Vikings have been a team with an interesting story to the season. Facing pre-season adversity, that saw The Lady Vikings drop their opening game 58-46 to Alliance.
That loss was back on November 22nd, 2021. Since Waterloo stepped off that court suffering an opening game loss, they never looked back.
The journey to The Lady Vikings first conference title in fifteen years was met with questions and doubts. Could Waterloo contend with the powerhouses of The MVAC Scarlet Tier?
From McDonald, to Western Reserve, to Jackson Milton and Springfield; The Lady Viking answered all those questions, gaining at least one victory from each of the conference teams.
On Monday night, the latest challenge for Waterloo? A second matchup with the ever-talented Springfield Lady Tigers.
The first game with Springfield back on January 10th saw The Lady Vikings come out of New Middletown victorious 48-42.
Springfield came in with a phenomenal defensive gameplan, one that centered around shutting down driving lanes.
It was a defensive chess match between Coach Matisi and Coach Longanecker, as both teams forced plenty of turnovers. Enough to make every offensive possession feel much more valuable for both teams.
Waterloo took the lead in the first quarter and held it throughout a defensive grudge match in the first half, as Springfield closed the Waterloo lead down to 4 points at the half.
Springfield’s Jacey Mullen led The Lady Tigers throughout the game, scoring a team high 14 points on the night to make up over a third of the team’s offense.
Kaira English locked things down defensively for Waterloo. Coming up with 6 steals to go along with 9 points on the night.
However, in the second half, it was the play of Rose Couts that shined brightest. Coming up with some big offensive buckets down the stretch. She scored 12 points and secured 9 rebounds, with a majority of both happening after halftime. Her clutch play earned her the nights Player of the Game.
Both teams exchanged buckets in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, and with Waterloo leading it 34-31, Springfield had the ball for the last possession and a chance to tie it up.
Maddie Lesnak was tasked with taking that shot, and with ice in her veins she knocked it down; however, basketball is a game of inches, and Lesnaks foot was a mere inches inside the three-point arc on Monday night.
#7 Lady Vikings get the win 34-33 over #9 Springfield, earning them a share of The MVAC Scarlet Championship, leaving Waterloo needing just one more win to have the crown outright.
The 15 year drought is over in Atwater, and it was done with eight girls and a goal.
Springfield (16-4) will now look to host LaBrae (10-10) on Thursday, February 10th.
Waterloo (16-1) looks to secure the outright title on the road against Jackson Milton (10-8) on Wednesday, February 9th.
CAMPBELL OH- On a Tuesday late in the regular season for boys basketball, two conference rivals in The Campbell-Memorial Red Devils and The LaBrae Vikings did battle.
The last time the two faced off? Back on January 28th in Leavittsburg, where The Vikings pushed Campbell to overtime.
The Red Devils came away victors 76-68 on that day, building all the excitement for round 2 of this matchup.
With the heightened drama of clinching an outright MVAC Gray Championship for Campbell, it was a perfect atmosphere for the crowd.
Campbell wasted little time before jumping ahead of LaBrae 9-0 with an early run out of the gate! The Red Devils offense continued to click throughout the quarter, as they went into the second leading 21-13.
In the second, Campbell moved the ball efficiently enough to keep pace with the offense set in the first. Kevin Moore splashed home a three late in the second quarter to become just the third 1000 point scorer in Campbell history.
That offense took Campbell into halftime holding a 44-19 lead over LaBrae.
The Vikings trimmed the lead a bit in the third quarter, with some offensive buckets from Aidan Stephens, who had 12 points on the night. However, The Red Devils never surrendered the lead, as they hit their scoring average of 75 points a game on the season.
Walking away the victors in another conference game, the 75-54 win over LaBrae, clinched the first conference championship in eight years for The Red Devils!
The win was also #20 on the regular season which, unofficially, is the most wins in a regular season in Campbell history as well!
The Rockin Red Devils had a lot to celebrate Tuesday night, to the tune of a milestone, a conference championship, a record and a win!
Both teams in action again this week, as Campbell (20-1) hosts Newton Falls (11-9) on Friday, February 18th. Also on Friday, LaBrae (13-4) has a chance to beat the unbeaten Springfield Tigers (21-0).
Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
Postgame Interview With Nick Canterino:
Postgame Interview With Kevin Moore:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3CDB84D4-1764-4AE4-8FE3-B168556F7C66.jpeg7561391Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-17 05:58:422023-07-14 23:58:50CAMPBELL WINS ON A MONUMENTAL NIGHT
WARREN, OH – The Warren JFK Eagles looked to keep things going at home as they hosted Lowellville on Tuesday night. It was a close game early in the first half with both teams trading blows, but JFK started to pull away going into half. In the second half, the Eagles would continue their hot shooting to really get the game out of reach for the Rockets. Warren JFK would eventually get the well deserved victory over Lowellville, 68-55.
For Warren JFK, Jaden Rishel led the way with 17 points. Michael Condoleon contributed 16, and T.J. Harden finished with 11 points on the night.
For Lowellville, Vinny Ballone led the Rockets with 26 points. Anthony Lucente added 15 on the night.
The Eagles will be back in action on Friday as they are set to host Lake Center Christian. The Rockets will be back in action Thursday as they will host Waterloo. Don’t miss it on YSN!
*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/D5342632-A78B-45E7-882F-B12E0E77FB5E-scaled.jpeg16682560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-02-17 05:34:092022-02-17 05:34:09EAGLES IMPOSE THEIR WILL ON LOWELLVILLE
