Tag Archive for: Howland

HOWLAND COOLS OFF THE VIKINGS

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Contributed By Noah Ricks

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:

 

BOYS BASKETBALL ALL AAC HONORS

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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

GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL AAC HONORS

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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.

Canfield and Howland shared the AAC Championship this season.

FIRST TEAM AAC

Alyssa Dill- Canfield

Summer Sammarone- Canfield

Alyssa Pompelia- Howland

Akyssa Massucci- Howland

Jamie DeSalvo- Howland

Zayda Creque- Austintown Fitch

Mackenzie Riccitelli- Boardman

Makaila Powell- Warren Harding

SECOND TEAM 

Abby Muckleroy- Canfield

Amelia Francisco- Canfield

Gianna DeLucia- Canfield

Ayla Ray- Austintown Fitch

Emma Mills- Boardman

Kylie McClain- Howland

Taylor Lawerence- Howland

Player Of The Year

Alyssa Pompelia- Howland

 

TIGERS WIN SEASON SERIES IN SECTIONAL FINAL

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Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks

HOWLAND CENTER, OH – The Howland and Canfield girls split in the regular season, with a margin of victory of just 1.5 for both games. It was, however, a different feeling as both schools were meeting for the third time, both of them fighting for the right to go to Districts. The Tigers came out blazing with some outside shooting and took every rebound they could get as they upheld the Cardinals 55-38 in the Division 1 Sectional Final out in Howland.

 

The Tigers got off to a fast start when they went up 8-0 in the first, all thanks to threes from Kylie McClain and Alyssa Massucci. They had gotten Canfield right where they wanted them as they tried to avenge their 52-51 loss at home to the Cards back on February 5th. Canfield, though, had some tournament spirit in them as they put on a 16-8 from that point to tie the game up at 16-16. Howland, however, had a good response to the Canfield burst as they used a 7-2 run to end the half with a 23-18 advantage.

 

The Cards kept it close in the third period, with some good takes by senior Alyssa Dill and some important threes by Abby Muckleroy. The Tigers kept pushing, though, thanks to a dominating performance by young sophomore Alyssa Massucci, who finished the night with 18, with an impressive performance from downtown. She played a big role as Canfield did a good job shutting down leading scorer Alyssa Pompelia until the fourth quarter. Pompelia finished the night with 11.

 

The fourth quarter really changed the tempo of the game as Howland pushed out even more in front, with clutch free throws from players like McClain. Canfield was also caught in the foul bug in the final stanza. After not committing a single foul in the third period, they would end up committing six quick ones within just the first three minutes of the fourth. Howland then put up a very comfortable 17-point lead as the final buzzer sounded and the Tiger girls celebrated on the floor. They would cut down their net as they claimed their nineteenth sectional title in program history.

 

The Tigers will improve to 18-6 on the year as they win their first sectional championship since 2018. Second-year coach Aaron Pounds has had a magnificent turnaround after going 8-10 a year ago, considering COVID restrictions and first-year status. His team will now play in the Division 1 District Semifinals against Massillon Jackson on Tuesday night. That game is slated for a 7:30 P.M. tip down at Massillon Perry.

 

Canfield ends the season at 16-7 with the heartbreaking loss. This ends a three-year streak where they have gone to the district tournament. This is also only the fourth time in coach Matt Reel’s nine-year tenure where they have not won a sectional title and have failed to make the Round of 64.

You can watch exclusive coverage of the Howland team cutting down their own night following tonight’s sectional victory. The video will be down below.

 

TIGERS PASS FIRST ROUND TEST

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HOWLAND OH- Nothing comes east in division 1 basketball. Howland learned that lesson all too well as they welcomed in Madison for the sectional semifinals Saturday. Howland was the favorite in this game, but Madison didn’t care. They fought  tooth  and nail to push the Tigers to the brink. To Howland’s credit, they made plays down the stretch to earn the win 58-52.

Howland’s pair of Alyssas were big in this win. Alyssa Pompelia led the Tigers with a hard earned 19 points. Alyssa Massucci was right behind her with 14 points for the Tigers.

Howland now advances to the sectional final on Thursday. The Tigers will have their third meeting with Canfield. The two teams shared the AAC Championship. Canfield beat Howland 52-51 just a week ago in Howland. The two will meet at the same place Thursday. Tip set for 7:00.

HOWLAND STORMS OUT OF THE GATES TO STUN BULLDOGS

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POLAND OH- It’s never east playing after a tough loss. It’s even harder when you have no practice time between games. That’s the position Howland found themselves in on Monday night in Poland. The Tigers had to recover quickly from their one point loss to Canfield on Saturday. There was zero letdown from the Tigers however, as they exploded out of the gates to decisively best Poland 66-52.

The Tigers opened the game on a 10-0 run, and never looked back from there. Even a combined 12-0 Poland run between the end of the first half, and the beginning of the second did not make them sweat. Howland stayed steady and never let their lead fall below 13 in the second half.

Kylie McClain led a very balanced Tiger offense. She finished with 13. Four more teammates were in double figures as well. Alyssa Pompelia shared the Tiger lead with 13 points. Both Jamie DeSalvo, and Alyssa Massucci had 12. Taylor Lawrence scored 11 as well.

Poland was paced by Morgan Kluchar who finished with a game-high 15 points. Abby Farber, Mary Brant, and Katie McDonald all had 8 points for the.Bulldogs.

Howland travels to Nordonia on Wednesday to complete their regular season. Poland also hits the road on Thursday as they complete their regular season with a trip to Canfield.

Postgame Interview With Matthew Cluse:

 

Postgame Interview With Kylie McClain:

CANFIELD FORCES AAC TIE WITH SEASON SPLIT WITH HOWLAND

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HOWLAND OH- It was a beautiful Saturday to play for a league championship. Howland and Canfield got together for the second time this season, with big things at stake.

For Howland, a win would win them the AAC title outright, for Canfield a win to earn them a share of the crown. It was a back and forth affair all day as neither team to grab control of the tempo. Canfield senior Summer Sammarone set the tone early leading her team in scoring through the first half with 11 points. Then fellow senior Alyssa Dill took the game over in the 4th quarter to push the Cardinals through a tough Howland run. The Tigers took their final lead of the game with a Kylie McClain bucket making it 50-49. Then sharp shooter Abby Muckleroy hit what would end up being a game winning three to put the Cardinals up 52-50. The Tigers would miss several opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final seconds of the game. The Cardinals took the 52-51 win to claim a share of the AAC.

The Cardinals were led by Alyssa Dill with 18 points. Sammarone was also in double figures finishing with 11. The.Cardinals got a strong post presence from Kate Sahli who finished with 8 points. Muckleroy hit the game winning three and finished with 6.

McClain put on a show as Canfield’s defense focused on Alyssa Pompelia. McClain finished with a game-high 19 points. Alyssa Massucci chipped in a solid 7. Pompelia had 6.

Both teams hit the road on Monday as Canfield travels to Louisville, and Howland will visit Poland.

Postgame Interview With Matt Reel:

Postgame Interview With Alyssa Dill:

MASSUCCI PUTS ON A SHOW

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Alyssa Massucci, the sophomore star and part of the big three in Howland’s offense. Lead by seniors Alyssa Pompelia and Jamie DeSalvo, The Lady Tigers look to be competitive in the 2021-2022 season.

However, bursting on the scene this season is Alyssa Massucci, who helps add another layer to Howland’s dynamic offense. 

Pair that with Massucci’s ability to guard some of the best in the area that Division 1 competition has to offer. 

In this edition of Player Profiles, Alyssa sits down with YSN’s Ty Bartell to talk about the success this season, her experience in sports and her journey to this point.

With Alyssa’s brother Anthony Massucci having a great season with the boys basketball team, those late night driveway shootarounds must get intense! 

The Massucci household seems to dish out star athletes with ease, and with another Massucci entering The Tigers program, Howland has a lot to cheer about for years to come!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

Presented By:

TIGERS EARN WIN IN BATTLE WITH EAST

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- With the season winding down, the road to the tournament becomes important.  Especially, when one team can gain momentum in a heartbeat.  For coach Chivas Whipple and the Youngstown East Golden Bears, their only win was a 47-45 thriller against Akron North.  Meanwhile, the Howland Tigers and coach Dan Bubon were coming off of a one point loss to Cardinal Mooney and were in desperate need of keeping their over .500 streak alive.  These two have met, but the last time Howland beat the Bears was back in 2018-19.  

 

First quarter saw East’s Luther Bell drain a three with it being a back and forth game with Anthony Massucci leading the back for Howland.  The first quarter would be tied at 14 all and the second quarter was just as close with Jarred Colon hitting a three and Massucci scoring in the paint along with a shot downtown making it 33-32.  

 

Gabe Badea got into motion down low and started to draw key fouls hitting two free throws at the line along with the sophomore Alex Henry.  East battles back in the fourth with Tyron Hudson, Bell and Sa’ad El-Amin.  However, key important free throws and foul trouble paved the way for the Tigers of Howland who would win by the final of 68-61.  

 

Stats 

East: 

 

2: Mario Wright: 3pts 

 

5: Tyron Hudson: 18pts 

 

10: Jarred Colon: 9pts 

 

11: Luther Bell: 21pts 

 

14: Sa’ad El-Amin: 8pts 

 

24: Sean Hall 3pts

 

Howland: 

 

4: Alex Henry: 9pts 

 

11: Ben Bronson: 2pts 

 

25: Grant Brown 4pts 

 

30: Anthony Massucci 35pts 

 

15: Connor Durig: 2pts 

 

35: Gabe Badea: 10pts 

 

40: Bobby Sullivan: 6pts 

 

Up Next 

Howland will head to Boardman to play the Spartans, East will host Warren Harding on Friday. 

 

Postgame Interview With Dan Bubon:

 

TIGERS BARREL THROUGH BOARDMAN

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BOARDMAN OH- Howland and Boardman both came in to Saturday’s matchup on winning streaks. Boardman had won three in a row, and 4 of their last 5. Howland on the other end had won 6 in a row, and 10 of their last 11. On this day, it was Howland that would continue winning. They charged through Boardman 68-38.

The Tigers had four players in double figures in their impressive performance. They were paced by Taylor Lawrence, and Alyssa Pompelia who both scored 15 points. Jamie DeSalvo finished with 11 while Alyssa Massucci added 10.

Boardman was led by Mackenzie Riccitelli who scored 11. Ava Freeborough put together a solid day as well adding 8.

Howland moves on to matchup with Warren Harding to continue AAC play. Boardman will go to Austintown Fitch on Wednesday.

Postgame Interview With Aaron Pounds:

Postgame Interview With Taylor Lawrence: