WEST BRANCH OVERCOMES SLOW START

BELOIT OH- The West Branch Boys opened up against South Range in what was both teams first game of the season. The Raiders held the Warriors to just four points in the first quarter and held a 25-23 lead at the half. West Branch exploded in the second half and walked away with a convincing 56-39 victory.

Sophomore guard Joey Jackson had a big night offensively leading the way scoring 18 points. Jackson Rob was also in double figures scoring 11 and Thomas Egli added 8 points. One of the biggest contributors for the Warriors only scored 5 points. Freshman Jeremiah Thomas put on a show defensively. Thomas was a key contributor to forcing the Raiders into tough shots and also had a number of steals.

South Range had a balanced scoring, but unfortunately, not a single player was able to get into double figures. Leading the way for the Raiders was Ayden Leon, Dylan Turvey, and Landon Moore who all chipped in with 7 points. Jared Klucinec had 6 points and Logan Baxer added 5 points respectively for South Range.

Head Warrior Basketball Coach MIke Brown was pleased with his team’s effort and knew that both teams would be a little bit rusty after successful football seasons. Coach Brown said that he really likes his guard play and will use their quickness to create turnovers. He said, “We would also like to score a lot of points this year on fast breaks.”

West Branch Travels to Marlington this Friday at 7 for a tough EBC matchup against the Dukes. South Range will stay on the road traveling to Struthers for a tough matchup inside the NE8.

*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi