Lake 54, GlenOak 44

In two previous meetings this season, the Blue Streaks beat the Golden Eagles by eight points and then nine points in Federal League play. Tuesday at the Copley Division I District semifinal, Lake won by 10 to advance to Saturday’s 4 p.m. district final at Copley. Lake (22-2) will play the winner of tonight’s Green-Medina game.

Lake led the entire game, keyed by five first-quarter 3-pointers, including two from guard Alex Belinsky. The Blue Streaks were ahead by 21 points early in the fourth quarter.

With Lake making only 5-of-13 foul shots in the fourth, GlenOak tried to get back into the game.

Senior forward Mitchell Spotleson led the Blue Streaks with 15 points and Belinsky finished with 12. Jake Merrell scored 15 points to lead ­GlenOak (17-8).

Vermilion 74, Buckeye 72

Cameron Kuhn hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left in the game, to knock the Bucks out of the Westlake Division II district. Kuhn finished with 36 for Vermilion. Garrett Beck’s 27 points led Buckeye (21-4).

St. Edward 69, Nordonia 37

Tony Vuyanich (16 points) and Mike Ryan (12) led the Eagles. David Murray had 15 points and Eric Hartman had 11 to lead Nordonia.

STOW: Surely, Tallmadge is disappointed with the result of Wednesday’s Stow Division II district semifinal against Cleveland Central Catholic.

What the Blue Devils can’t be disappointed with is their effort.

It sounds cliché, but despite being completely overmatched physically and trailing by 12 after the first quarter, the Blue Devils were within three points of tying the top-seeded Ironmen with less than a minute remaining, ultimately ending their season with a 57-49 loss.

“They’re good,” first-year Tallmadge coach Mike Bluey said. “You have to play — I wouldn’t say to perfection — but you have to play really well to beat that team.”

The Ironmen (17-6) came out of the gate looking like they were playing a different sport than the Blue Devils (14-10), scoring 15 points in the first three minutes, throwing down dunks, draining deep 3-pointers in transition and silencing the Blue Devils’ packed student section. Even the Tallmadge faithful would have had a hard time envisioning anything but a blowout after the 20-8 first quarter.

From that point on, though, the Blue Devils outscored the Ironmen 41-37, but the first-quarter deficit was just too large to overcome.

“I knew it would take us some time to adjust to their speed,” Bluey said. “We just don’t see that in our league and we certainly don’t practice against it. I guess I was hoping that we could adjust within a three-to-four minute time frame and it took us the whole quarter.”

Junior Colten Stricker scored six points in the second quarter to help reverse the momentum of the game. He finished with 11 points.

Senior Nate Bickar was hot from beyond the 3-point line, knocking down five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points.

“That’s what seniors do,” Bluey said of Stricker. “He texted me right after school and he doesn’t do that a whole heck of a lot. When he did that this afternoon I knew that kid was going to have a good night. He’s disappointed tonight but he’ll look back and have a lot of fond memories of his senior year at Tallmadge basketball.”

Junior guard Andrew Francesconi is Tallmadge’s tallest starter, standing at 6-foot-4. Cleveland Central Catholic had starters of 6-5, 6-7 and 6-9. Though Francesconi finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Tallmadge was outrebounded 32-19.

The Blue Devils had a chance late, cutting the deficit to three points with 41.3 seconds remaining, but two costly turnovers kept them from even getting a shot off.

“The further you advance, the lights get a little brighter and the teams get a little better,” Bluey said. “It’s good for us. We made a lot of growth and took a lot of steps forward this year in terms of the program. It’s just fun to see the community get re-energized and enjoy coming back to basketball games.”

Sophomore forward Trevell Beck led four Ironmen scoring in double figures with 19 points.

Cleveland Central Catholic moves on to face the winner of tonight’s CVCA-Archbishop Hoban game in a district final Saturday.

CANTON: Coach Lynn Wess and his Coventry boys basketball team deserve a lot of credit.

They played fast. They played hard, and they didn’t back down.

But in the end, they were overwhelmed by a St. Vincent-St. Mary team stocked with future Division I athletic talent.

Three 20-point scorers — VJ King (28), Jalen Hudson (26) and Josh Williams (20) — enabled St. V-M to pull away late in the second quarter en route to an 87-55 win Wednesday night in a Division II district semifinal game at the Canton Memorial Field House.

St. V-M will meet either Alliance or Kenmore for the district title at 4 p.m. Saturday at the fieldhouse.

“Any one of these games could be my last game,” said Hudson, a Virginia Tech recruit, who scored 20 of his 26 points in the first two quarters. “We didn’t have much energy in the first half, so I had to bring some by yelling, screaming, and getting in my players’ faces.”

The Irish (16-9) jumped out 9-2 and the Comets, fueled by the inside play of sophomore Bryce Hargrove, battled back to take a 17-15 lead late in the first quarter.

St. V-M ripped off an 11-0 spurt to go on top 26-17, and that’s when most undermanned opponents usually wilt. But Coventry (15-9) took the punch and outscored the Irish 13-10 in the next four minutes.

“We needed to be stretched a little bit,” St. V-M coach Dru Joyce said. “They were better than they were on film, especially their big guy [Hargrove] in the middle.

“We just had to be patient and kind of read it, and I was pretty pleased. You’re not going to blow everyone out.”

Trailing 36-30 and trying to execute under duress, Coventry unraveled late in the second quarter. Extending its defense, St. V-M unloaded a 24-2 run, which carried through halftime, and was punctuated by King’s back-to-back dunks to make it 60-32 with 4:47 left in the third quarter.

“At this stage of the game, it’s about defense,” Joyce said. “If your defense can create some offense for you, then it’s better. You want to get some easy ones. You want to get some transition baskets.

“If you saw us early in the season, we didn’t press at all. As the season has gone on, especially as the football players have gotten into better shape, now we can do some of those things.”

Hudson and King, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, shined in the first half, but the third quarter showcased Williams, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, who scored 13 points in the quarter, including a nifty reverse layup along the baseline with his back to the rim.

St. V-M led 76-39 after three quarters.

King had 28 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Hudson finished with 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Williams contributed 20 points and five assists.

The Irish, now 49-2 in sectional-district tournament play since 1999, will be playing in a district title game for the 16th consecutive year.

The Comets’ Hargrove had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Alliance boys basketball team is in a Division II district semifinal at 7 tonight at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse in large part due to a father-son combination.

Coach Larry Kukura has guided the Aviators to a 21-2 record heading into their game against Kenmore (9-15). His son, 6-3 senior J.J. Kukura, scored 38 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Alliance’s 79-76 sectional final victory over visiting Norton on Saturday. He averaged 27.8 points during the regular season.

Alliance also features seniors Parrish Martin and Kordelle Phillips and sophomore Jai’Ron Brackett. Martin scored 14 points against Norton and Phillips and Brackett finished with 10 points apiece.

O’Shay can score

Kenmore is led by City Series Player of the Year O’Shay Vinson, a 6-3 senior.

Vinson averages more than 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game. He played a key role in the Cardinals’ sectional victories over Buchtel and Canton South.

Sophomores Erik Palmer, Deneris Hopkins and Darshawn Gable and junior Terez Smith are also vital players for coach Brian Dawson.

“What happened is even though Buchtel beat us twice in the regular season, we saw periods in the games where we played really well,” Dawson said. “We focused on those moments and as the third game went on, our kids played much better and the confidence kicked in. We got that win and continued to play well in the win over Canton South.”

200 wins for McBride

Lake boys basketball coach Tom McBride won his 200th game Saturday when the Blue Streaks topped Wooster 75-38 in Division I sectional final.

Jonny Flower led the Blue Streaks (21-2) with 15 points. Flower, Mitchell Spotleson, Caleb Peach, Alex Belinsky, Chandler Vaudrin and Chase Champagne are also consistent scorers for Lake. Spotleson, a 6-5 senior, averaged 19.8 points per game in the regular season and was named Federal League Player of the Year.

Toles out with injury

Canton Timken (18-4) will meet Cuyahoga Falls (17-7) in a Division I district semifinal at 7 tonight at the Canton Memorial Civic Center without leading scorer LePear Toles.

Timken coach Rick Hairston said Toles, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who averages 20.2 points per game, is out due to a bone bruise in a foot. Freshman Darryl Straughter, sophomore TJ Lipkins and seniors Quentin Hamilton and Justin Williams led host Timken to a 49-41 win over New Philadelphia in a sectional final Saturday.

Falls coach Rob Slone relies on seniors Angelo Cugini, Josh Ricker and his son Jay Slone. The host Black Tigers won a sectional final 48-40 over rival Stow on Saturday. Falls beat Stow three times this season.

Hoban vs. CVCA

Archbishop Hoban (16-7) and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (17-7) will renew acquaintances on the court at 7 tonight in a Division II district semifinal at Stow.

Each team beat a visiting Cleveland Public Schools team in a sectional final Saturday, with Hoban topping John Hay 72-61 and CVCA defeating Collinwood 70-58.

The teams are constructed similarly.

Hoban coach T.K. Griffith relies on seniors Christian Waite and Michael Londa and sophomores Anthony Christian and Jonah Morris.

CVCA coach Jay Peters puts a lot of trust in juniors Michael Peters (his son) and Luke Peters (his nephew) and seniors Marty Lee and Terry Moorer.

Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com.

BASKETBALL

BOYS

Tournament Scoreboard

Wednesday’s Results

Broadview Heights Division I District

Lakewood St. Edward 69, Nordonia 37

Brunswick 54, Westlake 48

Canton Division I District

Jackson 59, Ellet 47

Copley Division I District

Lake 54, GlenOak 44

Grafton Division I District

Berea-Midpark 72, Olmsted Falls 48

Solon Division I Distrcit

Shaker Heights 77, Bedford 64

Euclid Division I District

Cle. E. Tech 68, Maple Hts. 58

Columbus 1 Division I District

Dublin Coffman 50, Cols. Walnut Ridge 47

Columbus 2 Division I District

Westerville Cent. 79, Delaware Hayes 69

Columbus 3 Division I District

Pickerington Cent. 89, Marysville 83

Columbus 4 Division I District

Upper Arlington 55, Grove City 45

Canton Division II District

St. Vincent-St. Mary 87, Coventry 55

Stow Division II District

Cleveland Central Catholic 57, Tallmadge 49

Warren Division II District

Poland Seminary 64, Ravenna 52

Ashtabula Division II District

Mentor Lake Catholic 71, Chardon NDCL 57

Westlake Division II District

Vermilion 74, Buckeye 72

Findlay Division II District

Elida 60, Kenton 47

Lima Bath 76, Upper Sandusky 56

Toledo Division II District

Defiance 44, Toledo Rogers 43

Wauseon 57, Toledo Scott 55

Columbus 1 Division II District

Cols. Brookhaven 51, Cols. South 50

Cols. Watterson 76, Cols. Bexley 51

Columbus 2 Division II District

Bloom-Carroll 50, Johnstown-Monroe 37

Cols. Eastmoor 61, Cols. Centennial 54

———

Scoring Summaries

Canton Divison I District
JACKSON 59, ELLET 47

Ellet 10  9 18 10 — 47

Jackson 17 15 15 12 — 59

ELLET (20-4) — Brady 9-2-21, D. Williams 4-3-11, Gareri 3-0-7, J. Williams 2-0-4, Fisher 0-2-2, Mackey 0-1-1, Cherry 0-1-1. Totals: 18 9-18 47.

JACKSON (23-2) — Bailey 5-9-19, Motice 6-4-16, Pugh 6-1-14, Dunn 1-1-3, Pallotta 1-0-3, Seaman 1-0-2, Smith 1-0-2. Totals: 21 15-23 59.

3-point goals: Brady, Gareri, Pugh. Pallota. Fouls: Ell., 20-15. Rebounds: Ell., 32 (Brady 12); Jac., 26 (Bailey 10). Turnovers: Ell., 20-11.

Copley Division I District
LAKE 54, GLENOAK 44

Glenoak 9 11  9 15 — 44

Lake 17 13 16  8 — 54

GLENOAK (17-8) — Boring 0-1-1, Henderhan 1-3-5, Chapman 2-0-5, Hohman 2-0-5, Williams 1-0-2, Merrell 5-5-15, Lewis 2-0-4, Andres 1-0-3, Grider 2-0-4. Totals: 16 9-14 44.

LAKE (22-2) — Flower 4-0-10, Champagne 1-0-3, Belinsky 4-0-12, Spotleson 6-1-15, Peach 2-1-5, Vaudrin 2-4-9. Totals: 19 6-14 54.

3-point goals: Belinsky 4, Flower 2, Spotleson 2, Chapman, Hohman, Andres, Champagne, Vaudrin. Fouls: Lake, 14-13. Turnovers: Lake, 12-11.

Broadview Heights Division I District
LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD 69, NORDONIA 37

Nordonia 13  5 10  9 — 37

St. Edward 18 16 20 15 — 69

NORDONIA — Hartman 4-0-11, Murray 7-0-15, Niamke 2-0-4, Gamble 2-0-4, Alders 0-1-1, Smith 1-0-2. Totals: 16-1-37.

LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD — Vuyancih 6-1-16, Ryan 5-2-12, Dowell 2-1-5, Knowles 3-0-7, Lerch 1-0-2, Meyer 1-0-2, Meyer 4-1-9, Nichols 1-0-2, Parente 1-0-3, Pisco 1-0-3, Riley 1-0-3, Walters 2-0-5. Totals: 28-5-69.

3-point goals: Vuyancih 3, Knowles, Parente, Pisco, Riley, Walters.

Broadview Heights Division I District
BRUNSWICK 54, WESTLAKE 48

Brunswick 21 11 13  9 — 54

Westlake 10 18  9 11 — 48

BRUNSWICK — Badowksy 8-2-23, Parker 6-0-17, Bulic 3-1-9, Okulovich 0-4-4, Slane 0-1-1. Totals: 17-8-54.

WESTLAKE — Skelly 6-3-15, Hadib 4-3-12, Beach 2-0-6, Trujillo 2-1-6, Brown 2-1-5, Meek 1-1-3. Totals: 17-9-48.

3-point goals: Beach 2, Badowsky 5, Parker 5, Bulic 2, Hadib.

Stow Division II District
CLEVELAND CENTRAL CATHOLIC 57,
TALLMADGE 49

Tallmadge 8 11 12 18 — 49

Clev. Central Catholic 20  7 11 19 — 57

TALLMADGE (14-10) — Bickar 6-0-17, Francesconi 60-12, Vassalotti 3-0-8, Stricker 5-0-11, Cambria 0-1-1. Totals: 20 1 49.

CLEVELAND CENTRAL CATHOLIC (18-6) — Crosby 5-1-13, Tell 0-3-3, Peters 0-1-1, Beck 8-2-19, Merea 5-0-10, Lillard 3-4-11. Totals: 21 11 57.

3-point goals: Bickar 5, Crosby 2, Vassalotti 2, Beck, Lillard, Stricker. Fouls: Tal., 16-9.

Canton Division II District
ST. VINCENT ST. MARY 87, COVENTRY 55

Coventry 17 13  9 16 — 55

STVM 24 22 30 11 — 87

COVENTRY (14-9) — Holgren 2-0-6, Wess 4-2-11, Bogdanovich 0-1-1, Hargrove 8-2-18, Morisak 3-0-8, Oravecz 2-2-6, Skaggs 0-1-1, Patterson 1-0-2, Sturm 1-0-2. Totals: 21 8-13 55.

ST. VINCENT ST. MARY (15-9) — Woolridge 3-2-8, Hudson 11-1-26, Josh Williams 7-2-20, King 9-9-28, Campbell 1-0-2, Jon Williams 1-0-3. Totals: 32 14-23 87.

3-point goals: Hudson 3, Josh Williams 3, Holgren 2, Morisak 2, Wess, King, Jon Williams. Fouls: Cov., 16-14.

Warren Division II District
POLAND SEMINARY 64, RAVENNA 52

Poland 19  7 20 18 — 64

Ravenna 7 17 13 15 — 52

POLAND SEMINARY — Dixon 6-1-15, Burkett 5-1-13, Romeo 4-0-9, Gajdos 1-1-4, Wolfe 1-5-7, Duart 0-1-1, Black 5-2-15. Totals: 22 10-21 64.

RAVENNA — Dukes 6-2-14, Banks 1-0-2, Bradley 2-3-7,Morgan 1-0-2, Miller 3-0-9, Cross 1-0-3, King 2-0-4, Knight 1-0-3. Totals: 20 7-14 52.

3-point goals: Black 3, Miller 3, Dixon 2, Burkett 2, Romeo, Crioss, Knight. Fouls: Rav., 20-18. Rebounds: Rav., 35-31. Turnovers: Rav., 18-14.

Westlake Division II District
VERMILLION 74, BUCKEYE 72

Vermillion 16 13 22 23— 74

Buckeye 19 11 22 20 — 72

VERMILLION (17-7) — Kuhn 13-6-36, Mader 7-3-17, Boyd 5-3-13, Waller 3-0-8, Konrad 0-0-0. Totals: 28 12-17 74.

BUCKEYE (21-4) — Beck 10-5-27, Vogt 6-2-14, Tighe 5-2-13, Miller 6-0-12, Inman 2-0-4, Hagmeier 1-0-2. Totals: 30 9-12 72.

3-point goals: Kuhn 4, Waller 2, Beck 2, Tighe. Fouls: Buc., 15-14.

———

Tournament Schedule

Today’s Games

Canton Division I District

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

Cuyahoga Falls vs. Canton Timken, 7 p.m.

Copley Division I District

(At Copley High School)

Medina vs. Green, 7 p.m.

Canton Division II District

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

Kenmore vs. Alliance, 7 p.m.

Stow Division II District

(At Stow High School)

Archbishop Hoban vs. CVCA, 7 p.m.

Barberton Division IV District Final

(At Barberton High School)

Richmond Heights vs. Garfield Heights Trinity, 7 p.m.

———

Friday’s Games

Wooster Division III District Final

(At Wooster High School)

Norwayne vs. Orrville, 7 p.m.

Salem Division III District Final

(At Salem High School)

Canton Central Catholic vs. Lisbon David Anderson, 7 p.m.

Struthers Division IV District Final

(At Struthers High School)

St. Thomas Aquinas vs. McDonald, 7 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Canton Division I District Final

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

Jackson vs. Cuyahoga Falls-Canton Timken winner, 7 p.m.

Copley Division I District Final

(At Copley High School)

Lake vs. Medina-Green winner, 4 p.m.

Broadview Heights Division I District Final

(At Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School)

Lakewood St. Edward vs. Brunswick, 7 p.m.

Canton Division II District Final

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

Kenmore-Alliance winner vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary-Coventry winner, 4 p.m.

Stow Division II District Final

(At Stow High School)

Cleveland Central Catholic vs. Archbishop Hoban-CVCA winner, 1 p.m.

———

Northeast Inland
All-District Teams

COLUMBUS (AP) — The 2014 Associated Press Northeast Inland All-District boys and girls high school basketball teams, as selected by a media panel from the district:

DIVISION I

First team: Mitchell Spotleson, Lake, 6-foot-5, senior, 19.8 points per game; Evan Bailey, Jackson, 6-6, sr., 18.5; LePear Toles, Canton Timken, 6-4, soph., 20.2; Craig Randall, Medina, 6-2, jr., 20.3; Ryan Badowski, Brunswick, 6-3, sr., 20.8; Matt Beech, Stow, 6-2, sr., 19.0; Angelo Cugini, Cuyahoga Falls, 6-7, sr., 19.8; Jessie Driver, Austintown Fitch, 6-1, sr., 18.3.

Player of the Year: Mitchell Spotleson, Lake.

Coach of the Year: Mark Fisher, Ellet.

Second team: Jordan Stock, Massillon, 6-4, jr., 14.8; Kyle Mottice, Jackson, 6-0, sr., 13.1; Jacob Boring, GlenOak, 6-2, sr., 15.6; Paul Ortiz, Canton McKinley, 6-3, sr., 14.5; Branden Wilkins, Medina, 6-5, sr., 17.4; Brogan Scott, Highland, 6-5, jr., 19.2; Cam Daugherty, Wooster, 6-6, jr., 13.0; Shondell Jackson, Warren Harding, 6-3, jr., 15.2; Dionte Williams, Ellet, 6-0, sr., 14.2; Mitch Peterson, Walsh Jesuit, 6-4, soph., 17.9.

Third team: Terrell McClain, Youngstown East, 6-4, sr., 14.8; Alex Belinsky, Lake, 6-3, sr., 11.0; Mitch Pugh, Jackson, 6-3, sr., 13.1; Myles Wright, Kent Roosevelt, 6-7, sr., 18.1; Kyle Prunty, Wadsworth, 6-6, sr., 14.6; Tanner Houska, Highland, 5-11, jr., 15.0; Reece Bogan, Warren Howland, 6-3, soph., 16.0; Josh Ricker, Cuyahoga Falls, 6-0, sr., 17.7; Austin Marciniak, Green, 6-2, jr., 15.0; Blake Hoover, Louisville, 6-6, jr., 15.1.

Special Mention: Tyler Dunn, Jackson; Sam Burton, Canton McKinley; TJ Lipkins, Canton Timken; Darryl Straughter, Canton Timken; Brandon Grider, GlenOak; Drew Noble, Louisville; Terrance Block, Massillon; Cole Piatko, Perry; Nick Evans, North Canton Hoover; Caleb Peach, Lake; Joseph Watts, Kent Roosevelt; Jon Teske, Medina; Dillon Mullins, Cloverleaf; Zach Parker, Brunswick; Austin White, Wadsworth; Adam O’Brien, Wooster; Zach Sperling, Barberton; Phil Washington, Barberton; Brandon Chillious, Copley; Jacob Williams, Stow; Quincy Higgins, Austintown Fitch; Alex DiFrancesco, Austintown Fitch; Preston Stitt, Boardman; Eli Linder, Nordonia; Alex Alders, Nordonia; Jake Fisher, Ellet; Jake Williams, Ellet; Evan Kennerly, Firestone; Raybon Lewis, Firestone; Kevin Zullo, Hudson; Mitchell Guadagni, Hudson; Max Siwik, Walsh Jesuit; Carson Corle, Green; Jay Slone, Cuyahoga Falls.

———

DIVISION II

First team: J.J. Kukura, Alliance, 6-3, sr., 27.8; VJ King, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-7, soph., 17.0; Anthony Christian, Archbishop Hoban, 6-2, soph., 15.5; Jalen Hudson, St. Vincent-St. Mart, 6-5, sr., 17.5; Jarret Vrabel, Canfield, 6-5, sr., 15.8; Jacob Wolfe, Poland Seminary, 6-3, sr., 12.0; Jordan Krych, Southeast, 6-0, sr., 17.5; O’Shay Vinson, Kenmore, 6-3, sr., 20.7; Michael Peters, CVCA, 6-1, jr., 18.9; Andrew Francesconi, Tallmadge, 6-4, jr., 21.2.

Player of the Year: J.J. Kukura, Alliance.

Coach of the Year: Matt Saunders, Buckeye.

Second team: Ty-Shawn Dukes, Ravenna, 6-3, sr., 17.5; Justin Blanks, Norton, 6-2, sr., 20.1; Joshua Williams, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-2, jr., 14.0; Derik Lewis, East, 5-10, jr., 19.6; Christian Waite, Archbishop Hoban, 5-10, sr., 16.1; Parrish Martin, Alliance, 5-10, sr., 11.9; Jeff Miller, Buckeye, 6-3, sr., 14.8; Garrett Beck, Buckeye, 6-2, sr., 17.5; Joe Cunningham, Youngstown Mooney, 5-9, sr., 14.6; Tre’ Smith, Buchtel, 5-10, sr., 14.0.

Third team: Thomas Mason, Marlington, 6-4, sr., 14.5; Mathias Nicoletti, Canton South, 6-8, jr., 14.0; Max Wolfgang, Salem, 6-6, sr., 16.1; Daniel Sapp, Streetsboro, 6-4, sr., 19.1; Parker Carmichael, Triway, 5-11, jr., 13.2; RayQuan Phifer, Struthers, 6-3, jr., 17.5; Bryce Hargrove, Coventry, 6-6, soph., 16.5; Deric Rucker, Buchtel, 6-2, jr., 13.5; Victor Dorsey, Springfield, 6-8, sr., 24.0; Andrew Midgley, Canfield, 6-7, sr., 11.4.

Special Mention: Tristan Mullane, Northwest; Kordelle Phillips, Alliance; Chris Andrews, Marlington; Gunnar Tharp, Canton South; D.J. Pullie, Salem; Macklin Coleman, Field; Chris Vogt, Buckeye; Cory Inman, Buckeye; Jordon Miller, Triway; La’Shawn Johnson, Buchtel; Marty Lee, CVCA; Terry Moorer, CVCA; Michael Londa, Archbishop Hoban; Colton Stricker, Tallmadge; Jordan Holtkamp, Revere; Zach Lalkowski, Revere; Danny Black, Poland Seminary; Kyle Dixon, Poland Seminary; Andrew Armstrong, Youngstown Mooney; Marcus Hill, Niles McKinley; Cameron Kane, Niles McKinley; Armad Richey-Conrad, Woodridge; John Harry, Woodridge; Trarell Balknight, North; Edward Harris, North; Kenyon Philpott, East; Terez Smith, Kenmore; Shai Wilson, Garfield; Conner Wess, Coventry.

———

DIVISION III

First team: Trevor Summers, Orrville, 6-2, sr., 17.7; Bailey Breitenstine, Chippewa, 5-9, soph., 19.7; Ryan Bee, Hillsdale, 6-7, sr., 17.7; Tyson Stoudmire, Norwayne, 6-2, sr., 14.0; Peyton Aldridge, Leavittsburg LaBrae, 6-8, sr., 21.4; Asim Pleas, Young. Liberty, 6-3, sr., 22.9; Dylan O’Hara, Girard, 6-2, jr., 17.6; Anthony Workman, Garrettsville, 6-3, sr., 18.1.

Player of the Year: Peyton Aldridge, Leavittsburg LaBrae.

Coach of the Year: Brian West, Norwayne.

Second team: Derek Koch, Northwestern, 6-8, fresh., 12.8; Isaac Callender, Smithville, 6-1, sr., 16.1; Connor Clark, Dalton, 6-7, jr., 11.4; Brandon Hawkins, Waynedale, 6-2, sr., 15.5; Justin Prentiss, Norwayne, 6-3, sr., 13.2; Christian Creamer, Canton Central Catholic, 5-11, jr., 15.7; Ozzie Hawkins, Newton Falls, 6-2, sr., 19.5; Jimmy Standohar, Girard, 5-10, sr., 13.0; Mark Hughes, Young. Ursuline, 6-2, jr., 15.0.

Third team: Austin Weyandt, Fairless, 5-10, jr., 12.5; Josh Getz, Tuslaw, 6-5, sr., 14.5; Austin Rutecki, Lisbon David Anderson, 6-3, soph., 14.9; Stoney Epling, Chippewa, 6-4, sr., 12.4; Brandon Covert, Northwestern, 6-4, sr., 12.0; Mark Schuler, New Middletown Springfield, 6-5, jr., 12.0; Graham Mincher, New Middletown Springfield, 5-10, soph., 14.4; Evan Standohar, Girard, 5-11, sr., 11.0.

Special Mention: Zach Neuenschwander, Fairless; Jerry Leatherman, Canton Central Catholic; Austin Klein, Manchester; Devin Rice, Columbiana; Eric Lloyd, Columbiana Crestview; Nick Monteleone, East Palestine; Josh Liberati, Lisbon David Anderson; Avery Andric, Lisbon David Anderson; Troy Holden, Salineville Southern; Jared Shilot, Salineville Southern; Connor Formick, Rootstown; Adam Metzger, Dalton; Zach Ryder, Dalton; Micah Butler, Smithville; Ben Kick, Waynedale; Eric Pickering, Hillsdale; Malachi Nolletti, Northwestern; Garrett Quickle, Loudonville; Luke Smith, Orrville; Joe Dreher, Norwayne; Garrett Anderson, Canfield South Range; George Billins, Campbell Memorial; Daron Clinkscale, Campbell Memorial; Greg Parella, Youngstown Ursuline; Dave Collins, Young. Ursuline; Seth Wallace, Brookfield; Lynn Bowden, Youngstown Liberty; Jaden Walton, Newton Falls.

———

DIVISION IV

First team: Nate Scott, Wellsville, 6-0, sr., 22.0; Camden Douglas, Wellsville, 6-4, sr., 14.7; Parker Rickey, Windham, 6-2, jr., 22.0; Josh Woodrich, Kidron Central Christian, 6-3, sr., 21.0; Austin Hill, St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-3, sr., 16.5; Matt Seitz, McDonald, 6-3, sr., 25.0; Brandon Lee, Bristolville Bristol, 6-0, sr., 19.7; Wyatt Ford, Vienna Mathews, 6-2, sr., 19.5; Paolo DePasquale, Lowellville, 6-2, jr., 18.0.

Player of the Year: Nate Scott, Wellsville.

Coach of the Year: Brian Force, Warren Lordstown.

Second team: Nick Ballone, Lowellville, 6-2, sr., 19.0; Glen Hoffman, Heartland Christian, 6-2, jr., 21.0; Jared Taylor, Windham, 5-9, sr., 10.0; Casey Ruppel, Mogadore, 6-1, sr., 14.0; Zachary Usher, Warren JFK, 6-7, jr., 16.0; Kenny Greaver, McDonald, 6-4, sr., 18.0; Nick Johnson, Lordstown, 6-3, sr., 16.4; Michael Peterson, Lake Center Christian, 6-1, jr., 18.2; Anthony Moeglin, St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-0, jr., 10.7.

Special Mention: Nathan Martin, Canton Heritage Christian; Jacob Paul, St. Thomas Aquinas; Bryce Moldovan, East Canton; Seth Bradford, Wellsville; Jordan Sloan, Wellsville; Trent Ferry, Leetonia; Zeddie Pollock, Mogadore; Stephen Kacenski, Windham; Jordan Endress, Rittman; Ryan Musser, Rittman; Weston Bontrager, Kidron Central Christian; Nate Otto, Kidron Central Christian; Nolan Snyder, Berlin Center Western Reserve; Joe Falasca, Berlin Center Western Reserve; Zac Hagy, Mineral Ridge; Corey Phillips, Mineral Ridge; Preston Caparanis, Warren JFK; Kevin Jones, Cortland Maplewood; Brandon Bates, Kinsman Badger.

———

GIRLS

Tournament Scoreboard

Wednesday’s Result

Fairborn Division I Regional

Cin. Princeton 81, Kettering Fairmont 65

W. Chester Lakota W. 69, Centerville 58

Cuyahoga Falls Division III Regional

Smithville 45, South Range 16

Beachwood 41, Andover Pymatuning Valley 29

Logan Division III Regional

Garaway 47, Nelsonville-York 44

Proctorville Fairland 64, Greenfield McClain 42

Spingfield Division III Regional

Versailes 47, Casstown Miami East 40

Jamestown Greeneview 50, Cols. Bishop Ready 43

Tournament Schedule

Friday’s Games

Canton Division I Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

Solon vs. North Canton Hoover, 7:30 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Norwalk Division I Regional Final

(at Norwalk High School)

Wadsworth vs. Toledo Notre Dame Academy, 1 p.m.

Barberton Division II Regional Final

(At Barberton High School)

St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. West Branch, 2 p.m.

Cuyahoga Falls Division III Regional Final

(At Cuyahoga Falls High School)

Smithville vs. Beachwood, 1:30 p.m.

———

Northeast Inland
All-District Teams

DIVISION I

First team: Marquia Turner, North Canton Hoover, 5-7, sr., 10.2; Julie Worley, North Canton Hoover, 6-0, sr., 13.7; Kaylee Stroemple, North Canton Hoover, 6-0, sr., 10.2; Ty Newkirk, Canton McKinley, 5-7, jr., 13.9; Baylen Dyrlund, Lake, 6-0, sr., 15.6; Peyton Booth, Wadsworth, 5-10, sr., 8.5; Jodi Johnson, Wadsworth, 5-10, soph., 15.5; Baleigh Reid, Twinsburg, 5-10, sr., 21.6; Megan Sefcik, Austintown Fitch, 5-9, sr., 19.6; Lilli Piper, Walsh Jesuit, 5-10, jr., 12.9.

Player of the Year: Baleigh Reid, Twinsburg.

Coach of the Year: Abbey Allerding, North Canton Hoover.

Second team: Alahna Singleton, Canton Timken, 5-9, sr., 23.7; Ronn’Yeil Hogan, Canton McKinley, 5-4, sr., 9.9; Paige Salisbury, Brunswick, 5-8, jr., 12.8; Madison Baer, Stow, 6-2, sr., 12.5; Maya Bell, Warren Harding, 6-1, sr., 14.2; Rachel Tinkey, Canfield, 5-6, jr., 18.9; Jackie Ulmer, Hudson, 5-10, sr., 14.2; Darian Carter, Firestone, 5-10, jr., 19.0; Sarah Cairnie, Wooster, 5-9, sr., 20.5.

Third team: Anna Hall, Walsh Jesuit, 5-7, jr., 18.1; Maddi Tata, Medina, 5-11, sr., 14.9; Gabby Cvengros, Warren Howland, 5-10, sr., 11.0; Kelly Tomcsanyi, Boardman, 5-10, sr., 13.9; Shadrae Stinson, Massillon, 5-6, jr., 14.5; Abby Duffy, Jackson, 6-0, jr., 10.3; Baylee Hymes, Lake, 5-4, sr., 9.8; Holly Groff, Nordonia, 5-6, soph., 11.1; Erin Risner, Canfield, 5-10, jr., 12.0; Cassie Custer, Austintown Fitch, 5-10, sr., 10.5.

Special Mention: Kelsey Lensman, North Canton Hoover; HollyAnn Mullett, Louisville; Maddalyn Repp, GlenOak; Kimmie Borck, Perry; Andrea Maag, Lake; Korrin Taylor, Canton McKinley; Tazhia Petit, Canton McKinley; Paige Dickerhoof, Wooster; Gabby Cicolani, Wooster; Chelsea Dipaolo, Warren Harding; Tori Rappach, Warren Howland; Sara Price, Warren Howland; Karleigh Zeiszler, Cuyahoga Falls; Krissy Mummey, Hudson; Rachel Keough, Walsh Jesuit; Chrissie Vaughan, Stow; Katie Karalic, Nordonia; Kendra Love, Ellet; Dynasti Smith-Malone, Ellet; Yolanda Sims, Firestone; Destini Turner, Firestone; Kayln Williams, Garfield; Brianna Rock, Kent Roosevelt; Hannah Centea, Wadsworth; Taylor Wyatt, Wadsworth; Farrah Benner, Brunswick; Anna Rose Wiencek, Highland; Marlee Profitt, Highland; Lexi Civittolo, Cloverleaf; Emily Civittolo, Cloverleaf.

———

DIVISION II

First team: Melinda Trimmer, West Branch, 5-7, jr., 17.8; Camille Adelman, Field, 5-8, jr., 16.6; Jordan Korinek, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-2, sr., 19.4; McKenna Shives, Struthers, 5-6, sr., 18.3; Alli Pavlik, Cortland Lakeview, 5-7, sr., 26.9; Brooke Robinson, Norton, 5-6, sr., 15.2; Shannon Jack, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 5-8, sr., 14.1; Caitlin Vari, Revere, 6-1, soph., 14.3.

Player of the Year: Alli Pavlik, Cortland Lakeview.

Coach of the Year: Kevin Verde, Revere.

Second team: Abbe Esterak, Woodridge, 5-5, soph., 16.7; Amanda Beebe, Archbishop Hoban, 5-6, sr., 12.8; Pavin Heath, West Branch, 5-10, jr., 10.7; Ashleigh Ryan, Struthers, 5-10, sr., 12.1; Calli Schmitt, Cortland Lakeview, 6-0, sr., 10.0; Camryn Brown, Revere, 5-5, soph., 11.3; Kiley May, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 5-6, sr., 12.8; Ashley Tyna, CVCA, 5-8, sr., 18.0; Kelsey Rice, Tallmadge, 5-9, sr., 6.1.

Third team: Brittaney Zupko, Struthers, 5-10, sr., 11.5; Katie Uminski, Canton South, 5-8, sr., 11.4; Sierra Mayle, Marlington, 5-6, sr., 10.4; Deja Sanders, Ravenna, 5-4, jr., 15.0; Daniel Norquest, Southeast, 5-11, fresh., 14.5; Rachel Chessar, Archbishop Hoban, 5-7, fresh., 12.3; Theodora Constantine, Poland Seminary, 5-7, jr., 10.2; Mary Ryan, Tallmadge, 5-8, sr., 12.4; Chloe Baird, Coventry, 5-6, jr., 12.5; Whiaunna Jeffries, Kenmore, 5-6, sr., 12.0.

Special Mention: Alley Leeman, Fairless; Ali Rodgers, Marlington; Amanda Linhart, West Branch; Madison Worden, Northwest; Cassie Jakubick, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Kara Marshall, Archbishop Hoban; Sara Dash, Buckeye; Alison Targosky, Streetsboro; Tiffany Spaller, Field; Brittany Butcher, Southeast; Abby Pavlik, Cortland Lakeview; Q’deare Dix, Kenmore; Hannah Bergstrom, Norton; Sadie Blackert, Norton; Marissa Harbath, Revere; Shayla Williams, Woodridge; Daichele Hatcher, Buchtel; London Dancy, East; Sabria Meadows, North; Emily Cerepak, Coventry.

———

DIVISION III

First team: Ashley Richardson, Chippewa, 6-1, soph., 14.6; Trinniti Hall, Orrville, 5-9, soph., 14.5; Olivia Besancon, Smithville, 5-6, sr., 16.5; Andie Heffelfinger, Loudonville, 6-0, sr., 16.5; Mackenzie Gatchel, Hanoverton United, 5-7, sr., 14.0; Kayci Krzynowek, Manchester, 5-7, sr., 15.9; Leah Leshnack, Young. Liberty, 5-5, sr., 20.6; Bree Bishop, Girard, 5-10, sr., 14.5; Starla Sharp, Canfield South Range, 5-8, sr., 14.2; Tanaya Beacham, Young. Ursuline, 6-1, soph., 16.8.

Player of the Year: Tanaya Beacham, Youngstown Ursuline.

Coach of the Year: Tony Matisi, Canfield South Range.

Second team: Casey Miracle, Rootstown, 5-8, sr., 15.0; Natalie Indermuhle, Smithville, 5-10, sr., 12.4; Carly Koncz, Chippewa, 5-11, soph., 14.8; Alex Klein, Manchester, 5-10, jr., 19.8; Brooke Barreca, Newton Falls, 5-10, sr., 15.0; Alyssa Harkins, Mineral Ridge, 5-9, jr., 16.6; Madison Kiser, Leavttsburg LaBrae, 5-5, sr., 15.0; Jamie DiDomenico, Young. Mooney, 5-4, sr., 13.3; Jaclyn Yankle, Young. Mooney, 5-8, jr., 16.6; Morgan Czopur, Canfield South Range, 5-6, soph., 17.0.

Third team: Mayci Sales, Tuslaw, 5-11, fresh., 8.6; Sarah Miller, Canton Central Catholic, 5-10, soph., 11.8; Shamaya Sims, Orrville, 5-9, sr., 9.0; Tori Graf, Waynedale, 5-7, sr., 13.5; Callie Ford, New Middletown Springfield, 5-7, jr., 14.6; Baylee Felger, New Middletown Springfield, 5-9, sr., 13.1; Simone Comer, Young. Ursuline, 5-8, fresh., 8.9; Gabrielle Kline, Newton Falls, 6-0, soph., 10.5; Sommer McCoy, Leavittsburg LaBrae, 5-9, sr., 11.0.

Special Mention: Katie Miller, Canton Central Catholic; Hannah Miller, Canton Central Catholic; Bethany Koons, Tuslaw; Adriana Fike, Smithville; Macy McKelley, Smithville; Sara Skeens, Triway; Mariah Cruise, Triway; Taylor Richards, Chippewa; Maegan Storad, Chippewa; Hailey Booth, Norwayne; Hannah Kiser, Waynedale; Courtney Weber, East Palestine; Grayson Rose, Garrettsville; Ashley Kirila, Brookfield; Izzy D’Urso, Warren Champion; Lauren Rutherford, Leavittsburg LaBrae; Alasjia Dykes, Girard; Rachel Crum, Youngstown Liberty; Hanna Zelle, Newton Falls; Alissa Abraham, Newton Falls.

———

DIVISION IV

First team: Nicole Newman, St. Thomas Aquinas, 5-10, jr., 13.4; Baylie Mook, Columbiana, 5-5, jr., 19.0; Jessica Isler, Windham, 5-9, jr., 21.4; Stacey Coblentz, Kidron Central Christian, 5-3, jr., 20.0; Aleah Hughes, Berlin Center Western Reserve, 5-9, jr., 16.5; Brooke Dawson, Cortland Maplewood, 5-10, sr., 15.0; Sarah Cash, Warren Lordstown, 6-3, sr., 17.8; Ashley Barker, Mogadore, 5-7, sr., 17.2; Taylor Kramar, Kinsman Badger, 5-3, jr., 16.5.

Player of the Year: Jessica Isler, Windham.

Coach of the Year: Steve Miller, Berlin Center Western Reserve.

Second team: Dari Heller, Windham, 5-9, jr., 16.1; Grace Reilly, Mogadore, 5-8, jr., 12.4; Kylie Stoneman, Bristolville Bristol, 5-5, jr., 20.0; Miranda Sloan, Cortland Maplewood, 5-4, jr., 13.3; Brianna Miller, Lake Center Christian, 5-8, soph., 14.9; Antonella LaMonica, Warren JFK, 5-2, fresh., 14.5; Kelsi Settle, Sebring McKinley, 5-8, sr., 17.8; Rebecca Jones, Jackson-Milton, 5-10, sr., 11.2.

Special Mention: Sydney Film, St. Thomas Aquinas; Logan Webster, Canton Heritage Christian; Emily Schneider, Leetonia; Tiffany Ketchum, Lisbon David Anderson; Emily Witmer, Columbiana; Aleah Whitacre, Columbiana; Bri Gingher, Columbiana; Anna Hardenbrook, Columbiana Crestview; Alexis Gates, Columbiana Crestview; Brittany Webber, Salineville Southern; Brittany Clendenning, Wellsville; Shartece Taylor, Wellsville; Megan Kanya, Dalton; Bethany Marcum, Rittman; Kendall Leatherman, Rittman; Katie Seidita, Lowellville; Courtney Conklin, Lowellville; Rachel Maslach, Berlin Center Western Reserve; Tory White, Berlin Center Western Reserve; Rachel Wilson, Southington Chalker; Shelby Cameron, Southington Chalker; Harlee Logan, Kinsman Badger; Laurin Elza, Bristolville Bristol.

CANTON: The best season in two decades for the Ellet boys basketball team came to a conclusion Wednesday night against Jackson at Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Ellet scrapped and played with a grit that coach Mark Fisher wanted to see, but state-ranked Jackson held an edge with forward Evan Bailey and guard Kyle Mottice.

The two seniors guided Jackson to a 59-47 victory in a Division I district semifinal. Bailey, who is 6-foot-6, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mottice, who is 6-0, totaled 16 points, six rebounds and three steals, and 6-3 senior Mitch Pugh had 14 points.

“They were 20-3 for a reason,” Jackson coach Tim Debevec said. “They are a good team with size. Their coach does a great job with the 6-7 guy [junior Breaon Brady], the 6-8 guy [freshman A.J. Gareri] and the 6-5 guy [senior Jake Williams] on the floor. Their zone kind of bothered us with the size.

“They had a great year and we have had a pretty good year — 23-2 is a great year and we still want more.”

Jackson will play at 7 p.m. Saturday in a district final against the winner of the game between Cuyahoga Falls and Canton Timken at 7 tonight.

“We have two days to prepare for Falls and Timken, two good teams,” ­Debevec said. “We’ve got to get better. We have to improve on some things to win on Saturday.”

Brady paced Ellet (20-4) with 21 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Senior ­Dionte Williams added 11 points and five rebounds.

“We have guys with good character,” Fisher said. “Our seniors have fight and they knew what to do. They knew where we had an advantage and they got the ball inside. They couldn’t handle it there for a while.

“We had them reeling a little bit and they were feeling our pressure there. They made some huge shots on the baseline where their seniors stepped up, Mottice, [David] Smith and Bailey. They made some giant shots there and they don’t miss foul shots.”

Jackson led 17-10 after one quarter and 32-19 at halftime. The Polar Bears closed the first half on a 9-0 run with Bailey scoring six points and sophomore Jake Pallotta scoring three points.

“Everybody was going to the boards,” Bailey said. “The ball came off the rim right to me every time it felt like, so I had easy layups. If we get offensive rebounds like that all the time we are hard to beat.”

Ellet rallied and cut its deficit to three points three times in the second half (40-37, 44-41 and 46-43) behind the play of Brady in the post and passing from senior guards Jake Fisher and ­Dionte Williams.

“He is a load,” Debevec said of Brady. “The coach told me he is 6-7, 295. That is a big kid to get around. You can only do so much against him.”

Jackson countered with the scoring of Bailey and Mottice to extend the lead back to 42-37 after three quarters.

“We finished the game,” Debevec said. “We have been in a lot of close games with Mentor and Zanesville. That helped out down the stretch as we took care of the ball.”

Mark Fisher was pleased with his team’s effort and sees a bright future at Ellet.

“We had a freshman [Gareri] step up huge [and score seven points],” Fisher said. “We had our big guy Breaon, who was a man inside. Everybody got him the ball. We knew what to do and we got it to him. It is hard to get it to them because they play good defense.

“We came from 4-18 last year to 20-4 this year. I don’t think many teams are playing tonight that were 4-18 last year. I think we have established ourselves and we will be back.”

Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

KENT: Kent State is entering a season finale with its archrival, the University of Akron, in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. The Golden Flashes still have a chance to host a first-round game in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, although a loss would dissolve that possibility.

There shouldn’t be any question about the team’s energy level entering tonight’s game. Then again, that same thought could have been used before KSU’s Senior Night against Miami on Tuesday in which the Golden Flashes came out sluggish and never really recovered in a 73-61 loss.

Senior Darren Goodson said the team was “out to lunch.” His frustration wasn’t with the talent level on the roster, it was with the lack of consistency. KSU (16-14, 7-10) was coming off arguably its best win of the year, a 75-61 victory at Ohio.

“Consistency is missing, that’s it,” Goodson said. “We’re the same guys that go in and out of the locker room every day. It’s been like that all year.”

Flashes coach Rob Senderoff is using two other teams as prime examples of being able to bounce back from tough losses, one being the Zips (19-11, 11-6).

“The bottom line is that it was an incredibly disappointing night, but you have got to move forward. A week ago, Miami lost at home to us by 20 and then bounced back to win back-to-back games. A week ago, Akron lost to Ohio by 16 and they’ve come back to win two in a row. You can’t dwell on it, disappointing as it is.”

Kent State is one of several teams vying for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the MAC Tournament, which would mean a home game in the first round. If the Golden Flashes lose, the best they can hope for is the No. 9 seed and a road game. With a win, KSU would still need a Miami or Northern Illinois loss to grab the No. 8 seed. If both lose and KSU wins, the Golden Flashes will get the No. 7 spot.

Lately, though, the M.A.C. Center hasn’t been as friendly to KSU as in years past — the Golden Flashes are 4-5 at home in conference play. Now, it’s about simply competing, not the location.

“We just need to play well wherever it is,” Senderoff said. “If we compete, we’re going to be fine, and if we don’t, it’s going to be a short stay in the tournament.”

KSU got the better of Akron in the series’ first meeting this year, when Goodson banked in a 3-pointer in the final seconds for a 60-57 win at the M.A.C. Center.

Kent State will still have to handle UA’s frontcourt of Demetrius Treadwell, Quincy Diggs and Nick Harney. Those three combined for 42 points in the first game, and now stand as the biggest obstacle to KSU’s possible home game in the tournament. The task of taking on UA’s big men belongs to Khaliq Spicer, who’s drawn several tough assignments in a row, Mark Henniger and Goodson.

“I’m concerned about Treadwell and Diggs and Harney,” Senderoff said. “We have got to do a good job on the glass and we have got to compete.”

“Compete” has been the operative word in Kent for several days now.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com.

Medina 43, Green 32

The size of the Bees kept the Bulldogs out of the paint in a Copley Division I district semifinal on Thursday evening.

Sophomore center Jon Teske, who stands 6-foot-11, led all scorers with 11 points for the Bees (19-6) and also anchored the defense, which held Carson Corle, one of the Bulldogs’ best players along with Austin Marciniak, to three points.

“Our defense was excellent tonight,” Medina coach Anthony Stacey said. “We really locked down against a really good, well-coached team. Testa was huge tonight, he had eight blocks and really controlled the paint.”

Evan Schreck added nine points for the Bees and junior point guard Craig Randall, working his way back from an ankle injury, chipped in eight.

Marciniak led the Bulldogs (15-9) with 10 points.

The Bees led the Bulldogs by one point heading into the fourth quarter, but finished on a 15-5 run to capture the victory and advance to a district final.

The Bees will face Lake at 4 p.m. Saturday at Copley High School.

“They’re very good,” Stacey said of Lake. “They only lost two games. We’ve seen them on video shoot a ton of 3s and we’re only going to have one day to prepare. We’ve got to get focused and show up ready to play.”

CANTON: The Cuyahoga Falls boys basketball faithful had their hearts broken Thursday night by a fearless sophomore from Canton Timken.

Terrel Lipkins, a 5-foot-9 guard, scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in leading the Trojans to a thrilling 53-49 win over the Black Tigers in a Division I district semifinal at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

The shot Cuyahoga Falls coach Rob Slone will see in his sleep came off the hand of Lipkins with one minute left in overtime.

The Black Tigers (17-8), making their first district tournament appearance since 2006 and having overcome a miserable shooting game, seemed poised to knock out the defending district champs.

But Lipkins sank an NBA-distance 3-point shot from in front of his team’s bench to tie the score 48-48.

“I didn’t look [at the 3-point line],” Lipkins said. “It didn’t matter. I just needed to shoot it and make it for my team.”

Lipkins and freshman guard Darryl Straughter (15 points) combined to score 29 points and offset the absence of Timken’s best player Le’pear Toles, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, who averaged 22 points per game this season and watched from the sideline with a boot on his right foot.

“We never try to limit guys who can shoot,” Timken coach Rick Hairston said. “T.J. Lipkins can shoot the ball. Darryl Straughter can shoot the ball.”

Straughter sank three 3-point goals and Lipkins connected on two for Timken’s five. The Black Tigers shot 0-of-12 from beyond the arc.

The two youngsters also converted 5-of-6 free-throw attempts in the closing seconds to seal the win for Timken (19-4), which will meet Jackson for the district title at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center.

“They are fearless,” Hairston said of his backcourt. “What should they worry about?”

And that really was the difference in the game.

At the end of regulation and again in the final minute of overtime, a senior-laden Falls team struggled to execute and it proved to be a crushing end to the best season of basketball at Cuyahoga Falls since 1990 — the last team to win 20 games.

“These guys know what’s on the line if you lose this basketball game,” Slone said. “They don’t want to turn their stuff in. I think a lot of it was they are in the district semis for the first time as a group of kids. The game was big and they played it like it was big. There are thousands of excuses I could make, but they hit more shots than we did, and that’s the bottom line.”

Falls senior post Angelo Cugini had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Black Tigers also received 13 points apiece from seniors Josh Ricker and Jay Slone.

Falls missed its first eight shots from the floor and that was the theme of the night.

“These guys have done a lot for Falls basketball,” Slone said. “They won a league title [NOC River] and no one can take that away from them.”

STOW: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy boys basketball coach Jay Peters encourages his team to stay disciplined on both ends of the floor.

His sons Michael Peters and Nate Peters listen, and so do their cousin Luke Peters and the rest of the Royals. CVCA’s structure and poise paid off in a 59-56 victory over rival Archbishop Hoban in a Division II district semifinal Thursday night at Stow-Munroe Falls High School.

Junior Luke Peters scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Royals (18-7), and junior Michael Peters added 16 points and four rebounds.

“They are so precise and they have three Peters on the team and one on the bench,” Hoban coach T.K. Griffith said. “You throw four Peters out there and they know what the heck they are doing. The bottom line is the seven 3s killed us. They were 7-of-14 from beyond the 3-point arc, which is extremely efficient. We were 5-of-23 or 5-of-24. Our forte is the 3 and we couldn’t get into our forte.”

CVCA will play Cleveland Central Catholic at 1 p.m. Saturday in a district final.

“We did a good job of being disciplined in the second half and making them come and chase us defensively,” Jay Peters said. “We got the shots that we wanted and played smart.”

Sophomore Anthony Christian paced the Knights (16-8) with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

CVCA led 14-13 after one quarter and 27-21 at halftime. Hoban opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, but CVCA countered with a 7-0 run and never trailed again.

“We expected that run and I thought our kids responded well,” Jay Peters said. “We kept our cool and kept our composure and again, we talked about it during the timeout, we need to come down and we need to get a great shot. If it takes us two minutes to run our offense and get a great shot, then that is what we need to do. Defensively, we were pretty solid pressuring [seniors] Michael Londa and Christian Waite. We did a good job of making them take jumpers and 3-pointers with hands in their face. We let them go a couple of times, but I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job on them.”

Londa scored 14 points for Hoban, and Waite scored 13 points.

“This game was kind of what I thought it would be,” Griffith said. “It was whose style was going to win out in the end. Knowing some of our youngsters, we tend to lose focus defensively eventually after long possessions. We were trying to avoid long possessions, but they will not let you avoid long possessions. They got too many easy buckets.”

Michael Peters picked up two quick fouls in the first half and was limited to one point. Luke Peters stepped up and scored 10 points in the first half.

“Mike is a leader on both sides of the court,” Luke Peters said. “When he is out, it is tough. He is our primary ball-handler, a tough kid and a good scorer for us. When he went out, I told my teammates we have to get great shots and we had to play great defense. … This was a crazy game. Hoban loves to get up and down the court. They love to shoot 3s and get into transition. [Christian] had a heck of a game.”

Michael Peters scored 15 points in the second half.

“I knew coming into that third quarter I had to relax and just play my game,” Michael Peters said. “I knew picking up those two fouls hurt. I was a little frantic out there in the first couple of minutes. I had to relax and I think we kept our composure.”

CVCA also got eight points from senior Marty Lee, seven points from senior Terry Moorer and four points from senior Andre Harris.

“Mike is a tough kid, and that’s not just because he is my kid,” Jay Peters said. “He is a competitor. He got two early fouls there and I thought our kids did a great job in the first half playing with Mike out for the majority of the time. Guys made plays. Andre Harris had a fantastic game for us. He made two clutch free throws [with 1:04 to go] and had a big block. He stepped into a gap and did what he needed to do.”

Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

CANTON: Senior J.J. Kukura equaled Kenmore’s total output well into the third quarter by himself, and Alliance routed the Cardinals 67-46 Thursday night in a Division II district semifinal at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.

Kukura finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds, including the first 13 points for Alliance. By that time, the Aviators (22-2) led 13-2. Kenmore never cut the deficit to single digits again.

“J.J. came out strong. He loves playing here and doesn’t want his season to end,” Alliance coach Larry Kukura said. “To see him come out like that really gave our team confidence to get the lead, to settle everyone down.”

Three minutes into the third quarter, Kukura had 17 points, still going basket-for-basket with Kenmore, and Alliance led 33-17. From there, seniors Dale Dickson (15 points, two steals) and Parrish Martin (nine points, three steals) took over to send the No. 2-seeded Aviators into the district final, where they’ll meet No. 1-seed St. Vincent St. Mary at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“This is the game we’ve been wanting to get to,” Larry Kukura said. “We’ve had a lot of expectations on our players. It’s a great challenge for us. If you want to be a great team, you look forward to playing guys like that.”

Kukura said his team’s focus in the district final will be on winning the rebounding battle, the same game plan he implemented Thursday night against a taller, leaner Kenmore team. After Kukura’s 11 rebounds, senior Kordelle Phillips had nine and sophomore Jai’Ron Brackett and junior Mike Williams each had four.

“That’s all we talked about all week, really,” Larry Kukura said. “Because they’re athletic and tall, and we’re small. So we had to gang rebound the ball and I thought we held our own.”

Kukura said Alliance will have to put together a similar performance against St. V-M, though without Nick Wells, who graduated last year, the size advantage won’t be as evident.

“They aren’t as imposing,” he said. “Wells was the key last year. [VJ] King and [Jalen] Hudson, they’re great athletes and big-time basketball players, though.”

For Kenmore (9-16), this was the end of an improbable run through the district tournament that included wins over No. 3-seed Buchtel and No. 7-seed Canton South.

“It’s been good for our young players,” Kenmore coach Brian Dawson said. “They get a lot of confidence and with the season we had, these guys overachieved here, so that’s good for us. We only lose one starter so hopefully we can build off of this.”

Oshay Vinson, the lone starting senior, led Kenmore with 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Darshawn Gable (seven rebounds) and freshman Thomas Woods each had eight points. Sophomore Eric Palmer had 10 rebounds.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Boys bowling

Division I,
State Championships

Brunswick finished in third place at the boys Division I state championships at Wayne Webb’s in Columbus.

The Blue Devils lost in the semifinals by 100 pins to eventual state champion Wapakoneta, but placed two bowlers in the top 10.

Sophomore Justin Vetrovsky had a three-round total of 664 to finish in fifth place, and junior Eric Bator rolled a 660 to finish in sixth place. Sophomore Spence Brodie finished in 11th place with a three-round score of 630.

Sophomore Tommy Lowry of Green rolled a 619 to finish in 15th place individually, but the Bulldogs lost in the qualifying round and failed to make the final eight. David Mramor finished in 39th place, sophomore Jake Ewing placed 61st and senior Ryan Few tied for 64th to lead the Bulldogs.

Playing as individuals, Nordonia freshman Connor Novak finished tied for 25th place, North Canton Hoover senior Anthony Inzetta finished in 52nd place and Cuyahoga Falls senior Andrew Grunenberg took 70th place.

Boys basketball

St. Thomas Aquinas 90,
McDonald 48

Austin Hill scored 25 points, and Anthony Moeglin added 24 points for the Knights in a Struthers Division IV district final win.

The Knights jumped out to a 28-12 lead after the first quarter and led 45-25 at halftime.

Dan Piero scored 16 points, and Hill made six 3-pointers for the Knights.

Canton Cent. Catholic 60,
Lisbon David Anderson 44

Junior Christian Creamer scored 12 points to lead the Crusaders (15-10) to a Salem Division III district final win over the Blue Devils (21-5). Senior Spencer Rowlands and junior Josh Schott each scored 10 points for the Crusaders.

The Crusaders will play Villa Angela-St. Joesph in a regional semifinal on Thursday at the Canton Memorial Field House.

CANTON: The North Canton Hoover girls basketball team will be returning to Columbus for its second state tournament appearance after a 62-45 Division I regional final victory over Solon at the Canton Civic Center on Friday night.

The Comets (23-4) had no answer for 6-foot Vikings senior forward Kaylee Stroemple, who scored 28 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

“She was awesome,” Vikings second-year coach Abbey Allerding said. “And I don’t know anybody that’s worked harder than Kaylee, and she’s been working for this for a long time.”

Stroemple was the driving force behind the win, but it was senior guard Marquia Turner who got it started with a 10-point first quarter.

The Comets turned the ball over three times before scoring a point, and the Vikings opened up a 17-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.

“They jumped on us in the first,” Solon coach Trish Kruse said. “Turner really hurt us coming out. We didn’t rebound very well, we didn’t get many stops and we just couldn’t score on the offensive end of the floor. They just wanted it a little more than us.”

After pacing the Vikings’ fast start, Turner deferred to Stroemple.

“That really got our momentum going,” Stroemple said of Turner. “She really took initiative. She was taking it to the hoop and they were just leaving that lane open for her. I think that really helped open up everything else later in the game.”

Before the game, Kruse said the key to a Comets victory was a strong inside presence and rebounding. The Vikings (24-2) have three players standing at 6 feet – Stroemple, Julie Worley and Allie Farina. The Comets have just one, senior Alexis Gray.

“They have three 6-foot girls and we have one,” Kruse said. “I mean, right there is a huge problem for us. We didn’t rebound well, they were hungry for the boards. They got offensive rebounds, they got put-backs, they just wanted it a little more than us.”

Four of Stroemple’s 18 rebounds were on the offensive end, and all went for second-chance points. The Vikings held a 20-8 rebounding advantage in the first half and finished with a 32-22 lead.

Comets standout senior guard and Maryland commit Kristen Confroy led her team with 19 points, but missed a lot of shots and had trouble finding an offensive rhythm. The rest of the Comets struggled mightily on their jump shots and finishing at the hoop.

“They did a very good job of sticking really tight to her and making her take tough, contested shots,” Kruse said. “And our other kids just didn’t hit perimeter shots. It was a tough night.”

Turner finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block for Hoover. Worley chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block. Kelsey Lensman scored five points with four rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block.

The Vikings move on to the state tournament for the first time since their 2002 state championship. Hoover will play Dublin Coffman in a state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Friday at 8 p.m.

Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps.

Girls bowling

After finishing just eighth in the qualifying round, Coventry advanced all the way to the championship match of the Division I state tournament, losing to Beavercreek 884-850 at the Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl on Friday.

Senior Karlee Evans led the Comets with a high game of 235 and high series of 595, good for ninth place individually. Junior Kayla Jackson took 21st with a 194-558.

Senior Ashley Fortuna of Mentor came in second only to Centerville’s sophomore Megan Cook with a 237-657. Cook’s 249-670 led the field.

Jackson senior Autumn Heaton finished fourth with a 233-615. Senior Taylor Sturm finished 41st with a 198-528. The Polar Bears, however, finished 10th in the qualifying round and, therefore, did not make the state championship bracket.

Senior Krista Anderson led Nordonia with a 207-551.

GlenOak’s top bowler was junior Erika Guiffre, who earned 47th place with a 194-519.

Girls basketball

Smithville 38, 
Beachwood 36

Olivia Besancon hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Smithies a victory over the Bison in the Division III regional championship game at Cuyahoga Falls and send Smithville to the state tournament.

Smithville will play Columbus Africentric in a state semifinal at 1 p.m. Friday at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State in Columbus.

The Smithies trailed 36-33 with 29 seconds to go but scored the game’s final five points to win. Beachwood missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 7.2 seconds to go to set up Besancon’s game-winner.

Hockey

St. Ignatius 1,
Sylvania Northview 1 (7OT)

The state championship hockey game was ruled a tie after seven overtime periods and the teams were ruled co-champions when the game was called by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for player safety.

BARBERTON: The St. Vincent-St. Mary girls basketball team needed a calming influence and points during a third-quarter funk Saturday afternoon.

Senior Kiley May provided both.

May hustled her way to six points during a three-minute span to cut into a West Branch lead in a Division II regional final at Barberton High School.

May and senior Shannon Jack combined in the fourth quarter to guide the Irish to a 42-36 come-from-behind win over the Warriors before a capacity crowd of around 2,750.

St. V-M (25-2) will play West Holmes in a state semifinal at 3 p.m. Thursday at Ohio State University’s Value City Arena.

May finished with 17 points and five rebounds and the Irish rallied from a seven-point deficit in the third quarter. She made two field goals and two free throws in the quarter.

“It was all about getting our composure back as a team,” May said. “Someone needed to step up and be like ‘OK, we can do this. We need to settle down.’ That is what I was able to do.

“It feels incredible to get to go to state. This is what we have always dreamed of. This has been our goal since we were in third grade.”

Jack scored seven points in the fourth quarter and finished with nine points, three assists and three steals.

“This is the best feeling in the world,” Jack said. “There are no words to describe this. It is such a great feeling when all of our hard work has paid off.”

West Branch (23-5) held a slim lead at the end of each of the first three quarters (8-6, 20-18 and 29-28). Warriors juniors Pavin Heath and Melinda Trimmer scored eight points and seven points, respectively, in the first half. They finished with 12 points and seven points as the Irish clamped down defensively.

“I preach to these young ladies all the time that you are going to face adversity,” St. V-M coach Joe Jakubick said. “What are you going to do about it? You can sit and cry about it or say ‘Hey, we’re here and let’s go. Let’s give it our best effort and we’ve got to fight through this.’ We got a couple of plays made and then I think they started to believe.”

Seniors Alexis Taylor, Jordan Korinek and Cassie Jakubick also made key plays for the Irish along with sophomores Amelia Motz and Lexie Handley.

“We realized that we were better than them and going through adversity and overcoming it was a big part of it,” said Taylor, who had seven points and three blocks.

“We were down and facing adversity because their crowd was so loud. We knew we had to fix the way we were playing. We all got together and we talked about how we have to go out there and get this right now. This is our time. This is our game to make it to state.”

Korinek had six points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. Jakubick had five rebounds.

“Going to state will be the best experience of our lives,” Korinek said. “I can’t wait.”

Heath finished with six rebounds for the Warriors, and senior Amanda Linhart had eight points and seven rebounds.

“They are tremendously well coached [by Walt DeShields] and they have great discipline,” Jakubick said. “Trimmer is off the charts.”

Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

NORWALK: For the third consecutive year, Wadsworth and Toledo Notre Dame Academy met in the gymnasium at Norwalk High School for the Norwalk Division I regional final.

And for the third consecutive year, Notre Dame will be heading to the state tournament in Columbus.

The Eagles defeated the Grizzlies 51-42 on Saturday afternoon, eclipsing the four-point margins of victory from 2013 (43-39) and 2012 (55-51).

On the first two scores of the game, Eagles (24-3) junior forward Tierra Floyd found fellow junior forward Kaayla McIntyre from the top of the key on lobs into the paint out of the high post, both resulting in easy buckets.

This was pretty much a preview of the rest of the game, as the Eagles used their size to control the game in the paint.

McIntyre and Floyd each stand 6-foot-2. A third starter, senior forward Jayda Worthy, stands 6-0.

The Grizzlies’ three tallest players — seniors Peyton Booth and Madison Gilger and sophomore Jodi Johnson — stand just 5-10.

In the second half, McIntyre, Floyd and Worthy scored all 24 of the Eagles’ points.

McIntyre led all scorers with 18 points and nine rebounds. Floyd added 14 points and Worthy had 13.

“That’s no secret,” Wadsworth coach Andrew Booth said. “They’ve got three six-footers, they’re going to try to pound the ball inside. Especially against our size. We wanted to stay between them and the bucket and make them shoot over the top. When we did that, we were a lot more successful. But we didn’t do a very good job.”

Things didn’t get any better when Peyton Booth, the Grizzlies’ best post defender and team leader, picked up her third and fourth fouls within the first two minutes of the second half and had to sit for nearly eight consecutive minutes, spilling over into the fourth quarter.

“When she got in foul trouble, that was big for us,” Notre Dame coach Travis Galloway said. “Even though she’s not their biggest kid, she’s a fighter inside. When she went out with foul trouble, that was something we knew we could attack right away.”

The score was back-and-forth for the first quarter-and-a-half, tied 12-12 after the first quarter and 16-16 with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter. The Eagles began to open things up with a quick 8-2 run that took just over a minute on a layup inside by Worthy and two 3-pointers by freshman Mariah Copeland, giving the Eagles a 24-18 lead.

The Eagles led 27-24 at halftime and 36-32 at the end of the third quarter.

A 9-2 run that carried over into the start of the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a 43-34 lead as the Grizzlies’ (26-2) hopes of a return to the state tournament for the first time since 2006 began to appear slim.

Worthy, who scored seven of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, capped the run off by driving past Booth, who basically had to sidestep Worthy to avoid picking up her fifth foul, for an easy uncontested layup.

Jodi Johnson and Olivia Thompson led the Grizzlies with eight points each.

“They’ve assembled a heck of a cast there,” coach Booth said of the Eagles. “Size, talent, athleticism, they’re well-schooled and disciplined. That’s a pretty tough combo to overcome. You keep fighting and fighting and it’s like you’re swimming upstream against a team as good as they are.”

Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow August on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AugustF_ABJ.

CANTON: A 20-0 run in a basketball game can generally decide the outcome.

It certainly did Saturday night at the Canton Memorial Civic Center when the Jackson boys basketball team got on track at both ends of the court during the middle quarters.

Jackson dictated tempo and executed its game-plan to defeat Canton Timken 74-49 in a Division I district final before a crowd of 2,794.

Seniors Kyle Mottice, Mitch Pugh and Evan Bailey each reached double figures for Jackson, which extended a 26-21 lead in the second quarter to 46-21 in the third quarter.

“Our preparation was key,” said Mottice, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. “We knew coming in that we had a really good chance at winning. We executed our offense, pushed the ball and did what we do well.”

Jackson (24-2) will play Federal League rival Lake in a regional semifinal at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.

“Our full-court press really picks up the tempo for the whole game,” said Pugh, who scored 17 points. “We took care of the ball and didn’t have lazy turnovers.

“It is 1-1 right now with [each team winning the away game this season], so it will definitely be a good game. Both teams have a lot to prove. It is a grudge match.”

Jackson led 16-8 after one quarter and closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 34-21 at halftime. The Polar Bears kept applying pressure to the Trojans in the second half and opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run.

Mottice, Pugh and Bailey all had a hand in the run along with seniors David Smith and Brad Engler, junior Tyler Dunn and sophomores Jake Pallotta and Ben Seaman.

“We were hustling and everybody was on the floor,” said Bailey, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. “Mottice and TD have blood on their jerseys. You can tell they were hustling. Everybody was into the game and we were clicking. It felt great. We were knocking down shots and getting rebounds and put-backs.”

Dunn had nine points and four steals. Engler had seven points and five rebounds.

“They just outworked us and outplayed us,” Timken coach Rick Hairston said. “They played a lot smarter than we did. We couldn’t take care of the ball. Going into this we knew how they were going to pressure us and where the pressure was coming from, but we just made so many silly little mistakes.”

Timken (19-5) was hindered from the start due to the absence of sophomore LePear Toles, who missed the game with a right foot injury.

Senior Randee Reed scored 13 points for Timken, which made 25 turnovers. Sophomore Terrel Lipkins scored nine points, senior Charles Lenix scored seven points and freshman Darryl Straughter scored six points. Reed, Lipkins and Lenix had six rebounds apiece.

“This is a good group of kids. They worked hard in the offseason. I think they were a little frustrated last year when [2013 Jackson graduate] Miles Griffin and David Smith got hurt. … This year these guys redeemed themselves and got a district championship. It is tough when your best player is out. My heart goes out to Toles. It is tough when you have to sit out as a young man.”

Prior to Saturday, Jackson last won a district title in 2010. That team won the state title.

Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com.

COPLEY TWP.: The list of accomplishments just keeps growing for the Lake basketball team.

Add its first district title to an unprecedented run of success for the Blue Streaks. A dominant third quarter turned a one-point halftime lead into a 19-point advantage and propelled Lake (23-2) over Medina 58-40 for the Copley Division I district championship Saturday.

Its core of four senior starters recently led Lake to its second consecutive Federal League crown. Now its first trip to the regional is on tap.

“It’s a nice step in the right direction,” Lake coach Tom McBride said. “We’re continuing to build. I’ve been the head coach for 15 years and just try to stay on a clear path with the program, to watch these kids get to where they’ve been.”

McBride recalled first seeing the current group as third- and fourth-graders in summer camp and has helped them grow through the years.

“And now I’m watching them do these things on the hardwood,” McBride said. “I’m extremely proud of the program and this group.”

Lake will face Federal League foe Jackson at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a regional semifinal at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. The teams split their regular-season games.

“Lake’s never had a district champion before,” said 6-5 senior Mitchell Spotleson, who led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. “We always look up every day in practice and see the district banner with no numbers on it, so this feels good. The senior group, we stuck together and played hard. We kind of started something and we’re excited.”

A 3-point shooting barrage proved decisive for the Blue Streaks in front of a noisy, packed Copley High gym. They sank 5-of-7 from long range in the third quarter and outscored the Bees 21-3. Jonny Flower, a 5-11 senior, and Chandler Vaudrin, a 6-0 sophomore, each made two 3-pointers.

Lake made 8-of-18 3-pointers for the game.

Meanwhile, Lake’s man-to-man defense clamped down. After scoring the first six points and leading 11-8 after one quarter, Medina was held to just seven points during the second and third, making 2-of-15 shots.

Craig Randall, a 6-2 junior, led the Bees with 14 points and Tyler King, a 5-10 junior, added eight. Jon Teske, a 6-10 sophomore, was held to five points.

“We couldn’t score,” Medina coach Anthony Stacey said. “We couldn’t get in an offense, couldn’t get it in a rhythm. And when we did, they would pull the ball out and hold it forever. That’s why we need a shot clock in high school.”

Alex Belinsky, a 6-3 senior who scored eight points, started the second half with a 3-pointer to spark an eight-point run. Flower, who scored 11, drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 30-16 with 2:57 left in the quarter.

“Once one person hits it, it’s just contagious with this team,” Flower said. “We have so many good shooters, it’s unreal.”

Medina never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps.

STOW: A late rally by Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy wasn’t enough to overcome an 18-point, second-half deficit, and the Royals’ season came to a close Saturday afternoon in a 54-49 loss to Cleveland Central Catholic in a Division II district final at Stow-Munroe Falls High School.

CVCA (18-8) was hounded offensively in the early going and could only manage 13 points in the first half, as Central Catholic (18-6), which held a significant height advantage, doubled the Royals’ score and led 26-13.

Midway through the third quarter, Central Catholic’s lead had been pushed out to 36-18 behind a combination of second-chance points inside and several open 3-pointers. CVCA senior Terry Moorer (eight points) then went on a run of his own, hitting a contested jumper along the baseline, back-to-back 3-pointers and then finding an open Andre Harris (eight points) under the hoop for a fourth basket in a two-minute stretch, bringing the score to 36-28. Harris connected on another layup the next time down the floor and junior Mike Peters got a put-back at the buzzer to fall to cap a 14-3 CVCA run to end the third quarter and bring the Royals to within two possessions of the Ironmen, 36-30.

Then it was Peters’ turn. After an Ironmen 3-pointer opened the fourth quarter and made it 39-30, Peters (22 points, five rebounds) drove to the hoop and got a layup, and on the next possession spun his way to another easy basket. The next time down the floor, he came away with another offensive rebound, got the second shot to fall and was fouled to make a 3-point play and cut Cleveland Central Catholic’s lead to 42-37 with 4:45 left in the game.

But from there, the Royals’ offense sputtered, a few missed 3-pointers and a travel followed and the Ironmen connected on enough free throws to put the game away. Peters made a layup and a 3-pointer as time expired to make the score more respectable, but it was too little, too late.

To CVCA coach Jay Peters, the ability to fight back is the main reason the Royals were in the district final in the first place.

“I expected our kids to come out and do that [after halftime] because that’s the kinds of kids they are,” he said. “We had some games like that where we had to dig down and find a way to make some plays. I wasn’t surprised at all by that.”

The Ironmen have five players on their roster taller than anyone the Royals could throw at them, forcing CVCA to guard the paint. Central Catholic made the Royals pay for that with three 3-pointers to open the game and a few more after that to hold a sizable advantage for most of the game.

It’s that type of limitation, coupled with the graduation of several key players last year, that made getting back to the district final a year after winning it such an accomplishment.

“If you had told me at the beginning of the season we’d be playing in a district championship game, I’d say that would be a great thing,” Peters said. “To end up 18-8 with what we did and who we got and how hard we played all season, I’m extremely proud.”

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.

CANTON: The Alliance Aviators were quite familiar with St. Vincent-St. Mary stars Jalen Hudson and VJ King, after falling to the Irish in last year’s district championship basketball game.

But it was two first-year St. V-M players — juniors Jibri Blount and Josh Williams — who made the difference Saturday when the Irish survived a scare to defeat Alliance 60-51 in a Division II district title thriller at the Canton Memorial Field House.

“It’s a great team victory,” St. V-M coach Dru Joyce said. “At this level, if you want to win the state championship, it’s not about individuals, it’s about the team.”

St. V-M (17-9) captured its sixth consecutive district title (third in a row against Alliance) and 14th in the past 16 years by winning a game that was much closer than the final score made it seem.

“I’m obviously very empty right now,” Alliance coach Larry Kukura said. “To have coached my son, along with three other great seniors — they’re all friends and I thought we had great team chemistry — but I’m going to miss them. This is as emotional of an ending to a season as I’ve had in 24 years of coaching.”

King, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Hudson, a senior guard, collected 16 points and six rebounds for St. V-M (17-9).

But it was Williams (12 points, seven rebounds and six assists) and Blount (seven points, seven rebounds and two late-game steals) who put the Irish over the top.

J.J. Kukura, a 6-foot-3 senior and the Northeast Inland District Division II Player of the Year, led Alliance (22-3) with 21 points. His running mate, senior Parrish Martin, sank four 3-pointers on his way to 16 points.

Trailing 53-51, Alliance had possession underneath its basket with 46.4 seconds left. That’s when Blount made the play of the game, leaving his man and intercepting a looping inbounds pass intended for Kukura.

Blount threw ahead to King for a dunk to put St. V-M on top 55-51 with 42 seconds left. The 6-foot-5 forward then grabbed a key defensive rebound, was fouled, and sank one free throw to make it 56-51 with 26.5 seconds to go. King closed it out with two more free throws.

“Jibri is a very active player, sometimes a little too active,” Joyce said. “But that’s what he does. He had two big steals toward the end of the game.”

Blount transferred to St. V-M from the Linsly School in West Virginia and is the son of Pittsburgh Steelers hall of famer Mel Blount.

St. V-M shot 7-of-28 from the floor in the first half (25 percent) against the Aviators’ zone defense and trailed 25-23.

Alliance was leading 30-26 midway through the third quarter and had St. V-M on its heels. At that point, Williams sank a 3-pointer and proceeded to score eight consecutive points, touching off a 16-2 run, which gave St. V-M a 42-32 lead with 7:20 remaining.

But Kukura scored eight points and Martin sank two 3-pointers as the Aviators outscored the Irish 17-6 during the middle portion of the fourth quarter.

Two Kukura free throws had Alliance on top 49-48 with 2:17 left.

King then sank 3-of-4 free throws and Blount’s steal and layup put St. V-M back on top 53-49 with one minute to go. Kukura’s driving layup sliced the Irish lead to 53-51 with 51 seconds to go.

An Irish turnover gave Alliance an opportunity, but Blount took it away and the Irish cut down the nets.

Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps.