Tag Archive for: OHSAA Tournaments

POLAND GETS PAST LAKEVIEW TO ADVANCE

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POLAND OH- The Poland Bulldogs began their quest for back to back district championships on Wednesday night. They opened their tournament run with a very familiar foe. They’d have to beat Lakeview for the 3rd time of the season to advance. Poland did just that as they advanced with a 42-23 win.

Poland was led by Katie McDonald who finished with 13 points. Morgan Kluchar was right behind her to talking 12 points. Mary Brant contributed 7 points to the Bulldogs cause as well.

Teagan Pierce, and Maggie Pavlansky both scored 8 points to pace Lakeview.

Poland advances to the sectional final where they will host Mooney on Saturday. Tip off is set for 1:00.

UNITED OPENS UP THEIR TOURNAMENT RUN WITH A BANG

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HANOVERTON OH- Coming into Wednesday night’s opening round matchup with Labrae, it could have been easy for United to be happy with a 16 win campaign and the title of league champs.

The Vikings found out quickly United is not yet satisfied with its accomplishments as the Eagles came out determined to add to that list on their way to a dominating 48-22 victory.

United controlled the game from the opening tip with a game plan to limit the Viking offense to one opportunity and clean the defensive glass each trip down the floor. That game plan worked, coupled with a smothering 2-3 zone, the Labrae offense could only generate two transition layups as United raced out to a 13-4 lead after the first quarter. “ Rebounding has been a challenge for us all year, we know if we can rebound then we are tough to beat. The girls did a great job on both ends of the floor crashing the offensive glass for 2nd chance opportunities, while we held Labrae to 1 and done”” explained United coach Josh Sigler.

The beginning of the second quarter began with much of the same narrative as United reeled off six straight points increasing their lead to 19-4 on their way to a 25-11 lead at the intermission. The defense of the Eagles stepped up keeping the Labrae offense searching for open looks all night. “ Our last couple games we have been setting goals on the defensive end for the girls to achieve. Their intensity has increased, they are communicating more, and it is starting to pay off” said Sigler. The defense kept Labrae sharp shooting guard Laura McCoy in check the entire evening as McCoy could only muster a team high 9 points. The size of the Eagles proved too much for the Vikings in the end as well.

Coming out of the locker room the Eagles used that size often in the second half lead by Junior Taylor Cope. Cope controlled the game inside the rest of the way as the Junior contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles to victory. The balanced attack of United saw Grace Knight pour in 11 points while Grayson Kidder contributed 12 points off the bench. The United head coach knew how much this opening game at home meant to his program “Anytime you win a tournament game it can be a confidence builder for your team. We talked about what a great opportunity we had with possibly playing two games at home vs two quality opponents. The girls were very excited for the opportunity to compete on their home floor.”

Following the victory Wednesday night the focus quickly turned to what lies ahead for the Eagles in Saturday’s Sectional Final. United is set to meet Ursuline for the second time in just 11 days. The first game saw the Eagles come out on top 51-46 in overtime, but the United head coach knows his team must be ready for the rematch, “Ursuline is a very athletic / active team that had us beat the first time. We were very fortunate to win that game, our rebounding and ability to take care of the basketball must improve this time around if we are to come out victorious and move on in the tournament.”

The rematch is set for the Sectional Final as United vs Ursuline is slated for Saturday at 1pm in Hanoverton.

*Contributed By YSN’s Chris Sigler

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.

SPARTANS WIN ON THE ROAD TO ADVANCE

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KENT OH- Boardman found themselves having to be road warriors in Saturday’s sectional semifinal. A long trip to Kent on a Saturday afternoon ended up being worth it, as the Spartans got the huge win over Roosevelt 49-46.

Mackenzie Riccitelli made a huge impact in the first round tournament game. She put in 22 points, and led all scorers. Reagan Smith also found herself in double figures with an important 12. Faith Walston added 8.

Boardman advances to the sectional final on Thursday. They’ll travel to second seeded Canton GlenOak. Tip off is set for 7:00.

CRESTVIEW BATTLES TO THE VERY END

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BARBERTON OH- Thursday night’s regional semifinal between Crestview and Independence was a thriller! And if you asked the Blue Devil faithful, they’d probably tell you it was the last thing they expected. Independence came in on their path to their third straight state championship appearance. Surely they wouldn’t have trouble in the regional semifinals. Well, the Rebels were not going to be tough to beat on this night. After being dominated in set 1, Crestview fought and clawed their way to a set 5, where eventually they’d come up just short. Independence quest for a title stays alive, but certainly not comfortably. (25-13 17-25 25-17 28-30 15-13)

Abbey Emch gave Independence problems all night. She came in to the night with just a few less blocks by herself than the entire Independence team. Emch was a force the Devils couldn’t get around. She led the Rebels with 14 kills, and was 1 block away from a double double with 9. Grace Auer finished with a triple double on the night with 12 kills, 22 assists, and 18 digs. Lucy Montgomery finished with a double double collecting 12 kills, and 17 digs. Crestview as a team finished with 16 blocks. Shelby Rambo had 5.

Crestview ends their incredible season 26-1.

REBELS PREPARED FOR REGIONALS

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COLUMBIANA OH- It’s going to be the third year in a row the Crestview volleyball team will head to Barberton for a regional tournament game. The last two appearances didn’t go as planned, but they say the best way to grow is through experience. The stage will not be a surprise for this Rebels team. They know all too well what the standard is to win in Barberton. Standing in their way is state superpower Independence. The Blue Devils are trying to get to their third straight state championship. The title has eluded them the last two seasons, but they are hoping it’s three times a charm. Both teams come in to this game with an undefeated mark. The Rebels 26-0, the Blue Devils 25-0.

The Rebels have a balanced attack led by Lucy Montgomery with 293 kills. Grace Auer is also over 250 on the year, coming in with a kill count of 251. If you thought that was it for the Rebel attack, you’d be mistaken. Freshman Abbey Emch has had an impressive season with 232 kills. Shelby Rambo is no slouch in the middle either with 173 kills.

When you look at the Blue Devils offense, they don’t have anyone with over 200 kills, but they have 6 players with more than 100. They are led by freshman Aubrey Anders with 195 kills. She also has a very impressive .434 hitting percentage, only committing 34 attack errors all season. Senior Calli Prokopius has a solid 160 kills.

We had the chance to talk with Crestview head coach Alisha Auer, and the Rebel seniors to talk about this big matchup in the Purple Palace in Barberton. If you can’t make it to the game, we will have the broadcast on YSN at 6:00.

 

FALCONS SEASON ENDS AGAINST CHARDON

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SOLON OH- The Austintown Fitch Lady Falcons, coming off a dramatic win over The Aurora Lady Greenmen, were set to square off in a Halloween eve matchup with The Chardon Lady Hilltoppers.
The only thing scary about the Saturday match was how good both defenses were. Getting into extensively long volleys back and forth with each other in set 1. There were multiple ties and lead changes throughout.

Chardon went on a huge run in the middle of the set, one that saw them capture a 22-11 lead on The Lady Falcons, before Fitch could end the run.
Austintown fought hard, but the lead was too much to overcome. As Chardon was victorious in set 1 by a score of 25-18.

By the next set, Jocelyn Jourdan and The Lady Falcons rode their momentum all the way to a 9-3 lead to start set 2.
The Lady Hilltoppers, with a hill to climb, battled back to take the lead 18-13. Thanks in part to some great net defense by Chardon.
Fitch scored twice out of the final timeout used by Coach Bartlett to trim the lead and get the serve. However, as Chardon has all season, they battled back. As the score was 22-20 Chardon in the late stages of set 2.

Fitch had the serve, trailing by two, The Lady Falcons were able to score once before The Lady Hilltoppers claimed a 24-21 lead.
The Lady Falcons once again battled their way to a single point deficit 24-23. That was until Emma McCartney finished it with a set-winning kill to put Chardon over 25-23.

Austintown for the second straight game in the tournament had their backs against the wall, down in sets 0-2 to Chardon.
The Hilltoppers struck quickly for a 11-4 advantage over Fitch in the third set. But if you know The Lady Falcons, you know the word “quit” is not in their nature. As they battled their way back into the set, trailing by just a point 12-13.

Chardon did a great job of halting the momentum of Fitch, retaking a 17-12 lead. Austintown once again slithered their way back into the game once again, as they trailed Chardon 16-17.
Some miss-timed swings by Fitch allowed Chardon to see their four point lead return 20-16.
Fitch used their last timeout of the set to talk things over, with the magic number for Chardon being five.

The score was 24-19 in favor of Chardon, with Austintown having the serve. However, it was just not Fitch’s day. As The Lady Hilltoppers were able to get into their offense and seal the straight set victory 25-19.

In what was certainly a magical season for The 2021 Lady Falcons. One that saw countless records broken, dozens of nail-biting finishes, and most importantly, memories that will last a lifetime.
Set Scores:

Set 1: Chardon 25 – Fitch 18
Set 2: Chardon 25 – Fitch 23
Set 3: Chardon 25 – Fitch 19
Stats
Jocelyn Jourdan: 24 Kills, 6 Digs.
Alyssa Leskovac: 5 Kills, 10 Digs, 2 Assists.
Erin Burke: 2 Kills, 5 Digs, 15 Assists, 2 Aces.
Ella Sahli: 7 Digs, 2 Assists, 1 Ace.
Sammi Misik: 3 Digs, 3 Assists, 1 Ace.
Afton Roby: 1 Dig, 1 Ace.
Julia Jordan: 1 Kill, 2 Digs, 1 Assist.
Jordan Smith: 1 Kill, 2 Assists.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

REBELS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT DISTRICT TITLE

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ORWELL OH- It was a matchup between two reigning district champions on Saturday in Grand Valley. Crestview and Cardinal won the two northeast super districts a season ago. The Rebels came away with the four set win, and their third consecutive appearance in the regional tournament. (25-27 25-20 25-19 25-21)

Lucy Montgomery, and Grace Auer both secured triple doubles on the day. Montgomery finished with a team high 19 kills, 24 assists, and 19 digs. Auer finished with 17 kills, a team high 26 assists, and 16 digs. Abbey Emch was also in double digit kills, finishing the game with 16 kills. So was Shelby Rambo, she had 12 kills. Emch continued to play well at the net, finishing with 4 blocks.

Crestview advances to the Regional Semifinals where they’ll match up with Independence. That game will be at Barberton on Thursday at 6:00.

RESERVE TAKES FIRM CONTROL OF DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

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COLUMBIANA OH- Western Reserve was denied a league championship last season, and the team they lost it to was Mineral Ridge. This season was about redemption for the Devils. They swept the season series with the Rams to win the MVAC, but they had to tackle their conference rival one more time for a district championship. They did just that sweeping Ridge yet again this year to win the trophy. (25-23 25-18 26-24)

Alyvia Hughes led the Devils attack finishing with 8 kills, and also serving up 8 aces. Lisa Eichert had 7 kills, and 7 digs along with 14 service points. Hannah Diaz put together a strong night as well with 6 kills, and 3 blocks.

Ava Hulett led the Rams with a match high 12 kills. She completed a double double sharing the team lead in digs with 16. Aliyah Whitaker also had 16 digs. Samantha Aulet set up the offense with 27 assists.

Western Reserve advances to the regional semifinals where they’ll match up with Wellsville. That match will take place at Strongsville high school on Thursday at approximately 7:30.

RESERVE RUNS AWAY TO DISTRICTS

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BERLIN CENTER OH- Western Reserve got their tournament run started on Thursday night as they hosted Heartland in the sectional final. The top seed in the bracket won in sweeping fashion to advance to the district semifinal. (25-19 25-20 25-18)

Alyvia Hughes earned a double double with 14 kills, and 11 digs. Angelina Cappabianca continued her impressive season finishing with a solid 6 kills and 8 digs. Hannah Diaz was a key piece in the middle, finishing with 6 kills, and 3 blocks.

Western Reservd advances to the district semifinals where they’ll meet up with 10th seeded Brookfield. That game is slated for Wednesday at 6:00 at Columbiana.