Basketball Preview 2018

Basketball Preview 2018-2019

A supplement to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register Wednesday, November 28, 2018 Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 1

Basketball 2018 Basketball Preview 2018-2019

A supplement to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register

On the Cover

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Another season of prep and college basketball is upon us. It will be hard to top the excitement of last year, but there are plenty of story lines for this season. Can the Wheeling Central boys and girls teams repeat as state champions? Big things are expected of the Bellaire and River girls. Can the Wheeling Park boys get over the hump and get back to Charleston? St. John Central will put a boys team back on the court after a season without. On the college front, the West Liberty men always have a target on their backs. Wheeling Jesuit is breaking in a new men’s and women’s coach. Our cover athletes are just a few of the top players you will see this season. Front row, from left, Bellaire’s Natalie Stoner and Tyler Consolidated’s Griffin Phillips. Back row is John Marshall’s Shay Straughn, Wheeling Central’s Anthony Robbins, Brooke’s Hope Bowman and Wheeling Park’s Keondre’ King.

BASKETBALL 2018-19

The 18th annual basketball preview has been a team project combining the dedicated efforts of the sports staffs of The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register, The Times Leader and The Herald Star.

Published By

HIGH SCHOOLS BOYS

GIRLS

Barnesville .................................29 Beallsville ...................................11 Bellaire .......................................36 Bridgeport ..................................30 Brooke ........................................15 Buckeye Local............................21 Cameron .....................................25 Edison ........................................35 Harrison Central ..........................31 Hundred ......................................19 Indian Creek ...............................32 John Marshall .............................16 Linsly ..........................................12 Magnolia .....................................14 Martins Ferry ..............................26 Monroe Central ............................37 Oak Glen .....................................39 Paden City ..................................27 River ...........................................33 Shadyside ..................................35 St. Clairsville ..............................22 St. John Central ............................36 Steubenville ...............................15 Steubenville Catholic .................38 Toronto .......................................13 Tyler Consolidated .......................6 Union Local ................................24 Valley ..........................................20 Weir .............................................23 Weirton Madonna........................39 Wheeling Central.........................11 Wheeling Park...............................8

Barnesville .................................29 Beallsville .....................................9 Bellaire .......................................37 Bridgeport ..................................30 Brooke ........................................15 Buckeye Local............................21 Cameron .....................................25 Edison ........................................32 Harrison Central ..........................31 Hundred ......................................19 Indian Creek ...............................32 John Marshall .............................17 Linsly ..........................................13 Magnolia .....................................14 Martins Ferry ..............................26 Monroe Central ............................37 Oak Glen .....................................38 Paden City ..................................27 River ...........................................33 Shadyside ..................................35 St. Clairsville ..............................22 St. John Central ............................36 Steubenville ...............................18 Steubenville Catholic .................38 Toronto .......................................13 Tyler Consolidated ......................7 Union Local ................................24 Valley ..........................................20 Weir .............................................23 Weirton Madonna.......................39 Wheeling Central.........................10 Wheeling Park...............................9

Colleges Big 12 ............................................4 Bethany ........................................7 West Liberty ...............................5 West Virginia ................................3 Wheeling Jesuit ............................6

2 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Bethany ........................................7 West Liberty .................................5 West Virginia ................................3 Wheeling Jesuit ............................5

Huggins, Mountaineers Expecting Growing Pains West Virginia Is Off to Rough Start

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — When veteran WVU men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins opened practice for the upcoming season, the winningest coach in Mountaineer history knew there be some growing pains.

Let’s face it, that’s what happens when you lose a senior class that included the two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jevon Carter as well as fellow guard Daxter Miles Jr. What the former Mountaineers player wasn’t prepared for happened next.

“I don’t think anybody expected us to be this beat up,” Huggins ex-

plained prior to the start of WVU’s third-place game against St. Joseph in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

“And, then, you’re having to replace them with freshmen.”

Four games into the season Huggins and his staff have witnessed starting point guard James ‘Beetle’ Bolden, preseason AllBig 12 first team selection Sagaba Konate and former Wheeling Central Catholic guard Chase Harler miss time on the court recovering from injuries.

“We really haven’t had a lot of practice time together when you sit down and look at things,” Huggins said. “Beetle hasn’t practiced at all hardly and Sags (Konate) has had to take things easy while he recovers from knee surgery.

“Then, Chase (Harler) goes down right before practice starts with a lower back problem. You

can’t prepare the way you want to prepare when you have three potential starters not able to practice with the younger guys that need them in there to help them understand what we (the coaches) are expecting from them.”

And, the lack of cohesiveness has shown through the Mountaineers’ first few games as the team which made its reputation forcing other teams to turn the ball over became the team that made the turnover.

“That’s been the hardest thing to overcome. We have kids who can score. We have kids who can rebound. We even have kids who can play defense. The problem is those are the same kids that could throw the ball into the stands more than they do to their teammates.”

And, it was evident in an opening season 99-94 overtime loss

WVU Women Picked Third in Preseason Big 12 Conference Tournament MVP Martin Returns From Injury

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — Coming off a 25-12 mark a season ago, veteran West Virginia University women’s basketball coach Mike Carey and his Mountaineers carry a lot of expectations on their shoulders as the 2018-19 season gets underway.

“Our offense, we’ve got a lot of scorers,” forward Naomi Davenport, who averaged 16.1 points per game last season, said. “Scoring is going to come. Everybody we have can score.”

In addition to Davenport, West Virginia will have junior Katrina Pardee, who connected on 82 3-pointers and averaged 12.3 points per game as the team’s shooting guard returns. Carey will also have two of his top reserves from the 2017-18 squad — Theresa Ekhelar and Nia Staples.

And, as if that were not enough, a name familiar to all WVU fans — guard Tynice Martin — returns after missing the entire 2017-18

season with an injury.

“My approach to our offense this year will be a little bit different,” Carey said.

“I’ve always been a power type of team. It’s going to be different because of our personnel. You have to go with the strengths of our personnel.”

Martin, the Big 12’s MVP of the league’s tournament and a preseason All-Big 12 selection this year will be surrounded by a plethora of talented long-range shooters.

Redshirt sophomore Kysre Gondrezick, who averaged 14.9 points per game as a freshman at the University of Michigan will take over for Chania Ray at the point with Pardee at the No. 2 guard.

Martin, who scored 1,013 points during her first two seasons in Morgantown, will take over the wing spot while Davenport will move to the power forward.

“She (Davenport) is going to be in the post some,” Carey said. “She’s going to have to be aggressive in there.”

WVU Women

to Buffalo in the Coliseum. The Mountaineers committed 19 miscues, six by the team’s only senior — Esa Ahmad — and four coming off the hands of redshirt freshman Brandon Knapper.

WVU continued to throw the ball all over the place in a 7153 win over Monmouth in the opening round of the MBI, but it couldn’t overcome the 22 in a 6357 setback at the hands of Western Kentucky.

“We’re just trying to force things too much,” Huggins said.

“Esa (Ahmad) is trying to dribble through two guys and he can’t do that. Beetle is trying to get the ball into Sags from the wing when he should be making the pass down to the baseline and let him get the ball into Sags.

Please see Huggins, Page 4

Please see WVU, Page 4

Nov. 9: Buffalo L 99-94 OT Nov. 15: Monmouth* W 71-53 Nov. 16: W, Kentucky* L 63-57 Nov. 18: St. Joseph* W 97-90 Nov. 24: Valparaiso 2 p.m.

Nov. 28: Rider 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 1: Youngstown 4 p.m.

Dec. 4: at Florida** 9 p.m.

Dec. 8: Pitt Noon Dec. 16: Rhode Island.*** 1 p.m.

Dec. 22: Jacksonville Noon Dec. 30: Lehigh 2 p.m.

Jan. 2: Texas Tech 7 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Texas 9 p.m.

Jan. 9: at Kansas State 7 p.m.

Jan. 12: Oklahoma St. Noon Jan. 15: at TCU 7 p.m.

Jan. 19: Kansas TBD Jan. 21: Baylor 9 p.m.

Jan. 26: at Tennessee**** 4 p.m.

Jan. 30: at Iowa State 7 p.m.

Feb. 2: Oklahoma Noon Feb. 4: at Texas Tech 9 p.m.

Feb. 9: Texas 8 p.m.

Feb. 16: at Kansas TBD Feb. 18: Kansas State 9 p.m.

Feb. 23: at Baylor 2 p.m.

Feb. 26: TCU 7 p.m.

Mar. 2: at Oklahoma 2 p.m.

Mar. 6: Iowa State 7 p.m.

Mar. 9: at Oklahoma St. 4 p.m. *Myrtle Beach Classic ** Jimmy V Classic *** Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase

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Nov. 6: Coppin State W, 78-37 Nov. 11: NJIT W, 95-50 Nov. 15: Bryant W, 94-48 Nov. 23: at Iowa* 5:15 p.m.

Nov. 24: FSU/E. Ken. * TBA Dec. 2: Missouri** 5 p.m.

Dec. 8: at Pitt 3 p.m.

Dec. 15: at Eastern Ken.*** 4 p.m.

Dec. 18: Morgan State 7 p.m.

Dec. 20: Towson 7 p.m.

Dec. 29: Niagara 2 p.m.

Jan. 2: at TCU 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 6: Texas 4 p.m.

Jan. 9: Oklahoma St. 7 p.m.

Jan. 13: at Oklahoma 3 p.m.

Jan. 16: Iowa State 7 p.m.

Jan. 20: at Baylor 5 p.m.

Jan. 23: Texas Tech 6 p.m.

Jan. 26: Kansas St. 4 p.m.

Jan. 28: at Texas 8 p.m.

Feb. 3: Kansas 3 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Iowa State 7 p.m.

Feb. 13: at Texas Tech 7 p.m.

Feb. 16: TCU 2 p.m.

Feb. 20: at Oklahoma St. 7 p.m.

Feb. 23: Oklahoma 4 p.m.

Feb. 27: at Kansas St. TBA Mar. 2: at Kansas 8 p.m.

Mar. 4: Baylor 7 p.m. *Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas ** Big 12/SEC Challenge *** Played at Charleston Civic Center

Rounding out the starting five will be Ekhelar at center.

True freshman Kari Niblack will also see plenty of action in the post.

WVU Men

AT THE HIGHLANDS Jim Robinson

Bob Robinson

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Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 3

Huggins

Continued from Page 3

“Those are the kind of mistakes we are making.

Well, that and we are shooting the ball too fast at times.”

West Virginia appeared, at least for one game, to have corrected those errors in a 97-90 victory in the third-place game at the MBI. Junior forward Lamont West (14.0 ppg), who had scored a combined three points in the previous two games, came to life again on the offensive end, finishing with a career-high 27 points while the team surrendered only 12 turnovers.

“We did some growing up out there,” Huggins said. “Even without Beetle we were able to get into our offense. We got the ball into Sags early and that allowed some of our shooters to spot up for shots that they can hit.

“It was really good for Lamont, who has been struggling with his shot. We decided before the game that we were going to bring him off the bench like we did last year. He gives us a pop offensively when he comes of the bench.”

Bolden, who is third on the team with a 13.3 points per game average, is expected to be back in the starting lineup at point while Harler (6.5 ppg), who had a career-high nine points in the win over St. Joseph, will be at the No. 2 guard slot.

The remainder of the starting five will have Ahmad (13.8) and junior Wes Harris (6.0 ppg) at the forwards with Konate (12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) roaming the paint.

Fans can also expect to see a lot of former Cameron High School standout Logan Routt (2.3 ppg) and South Charleston graduate Knapper (4.5 ppg).

Rounding out the squad will be junior transfer Jermaine Haley (2.3), sophomore transfer Andrew Gordon (3.0) and freshmen Jermaine Haley (2.3), Taevon Horton, Emmitt Matthews Jr. (2.5), Trey Doomes, and Jordan McCabe (3.8).

Freshman Derek Culver is on the roster but has been suspended indefinitely by Huggins.

“We’re getting better,” Huggins said. “We have to get better. But we also have to be patient.

We have some experience, but they are still learning to play with the younger guys. We’re going to get there, it’s just not going to be pretty at times.”

Kansas Picked to Win Big 12 Again Jayhawks Seek 15th Straight Championship

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — It came as no surprise when the preseason rankings for the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball teams were announced.

As expected, Kansas was picked to make it 15 in a row this season with instate rival Kansas State selected to be the Jayhawks primary opposition during the 2018-19 season.

Despite the loss of two-time Big 12 Defensive Player and the Year Jevon Carter and his backcourt mate Daxter Miles Jr. West Virginia was picked No. 3 in the preseason vote with TCU and Texas tied for fourth to round out the top five.

Other placings were No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Oklahoma State.

“It’s going to be an exciting year for our basketball team and our program,” KU coach Bill Self explained. “And certainly, one that we’re very much looking forward to playing and competing in, in what will once again be as good of a league as we have in college basketball.”

But, the veteran leader of the Jayhawks came to the podium at the annual Big 12 Media Days with a cloud hanging over him and his program.

“I know you guys want to talk basketball with me, but before we can get to that I just want to let you know that due to the trial in New York being ongoing, I will refrain from any comment that is directly related to the trial, due to the fact that there has been a mandate given to me and certainly I will honor that.

“I will say in relationship to that, though, at 9:30, approximately, this morning, we issued a press release saying

AP Photo

Bob Huggins and West Virginia have an uphill climb in the Big 12 after a slow start and Kansas looking as good as ever. that we would hold Silvio De Sousa from 6.2 rebounds while shooting 55 percent competition based on recent develop- from the field before suffering an injury ments within the trial in the last couple of which forced him to miss the Wildcats’ weeks and we will wait for an eligibility last five games.

Joining Wade and Lawson on the review to be done jointly by our university and the NCAA, and the timetable on Preseason All-Big 12 Team are Lindell that is unknown due to obviously the on- Wigginton (Iowa State), Barry Brown going trial and also when all parties can Jr. (K-State) and West Virginia’s Sagaba Konate. Wade is the only returning first actually complete that review.”

But, before fans begin to feel sorry teamer from a year ago while Brown for the veteran coach, he will have ju- was a second team pick in 2017-18.

Konate, who will break the Mounnior transfer Dedric Lawson, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, on the court after taineers’ school records in blocked shots sitting out last season because of NCAA this season, was a third-team pick as a transfer rules. As a sophomore, he aver- sophomore and Wigginton was on the honorable mention team. aged 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds.

“We gotta get healthy,” WVU coach Self will also have the Big 12’s Preseason Freshman of the Year — Quen- Bob Huggins said. “We’re a little beat tin Grimes — in a lineup that will in- up right now. When you take Sagaclude returning starter Udoka Azubuike. ba Konate out of practice and (James) The Preseason Player of the Year, Bolden out of practice it hurts your prachowever, will be located in Manhattan. tice considerably and those guys haven’t Senior forward Dean Wade was the se- gone for quite a while so se just gotta get lection after averaging 16.2 points and healthy.”

WVU

Continued from Page 3

Depth should also not be a problem in 2018-19 as Carey looks to have a solid bench with juniors Lucky Rudd and De’Janae Boykin as well as a talented crop of freshmen that includes Jala Jordan, Madisen Smith, and Rochelle Norris.

“The problem with having a lot of people who can score is if someone doesn’t get a shot a couple times down the floor, then they’re going to make sure they get 4 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

their shot the next time.

You can’t play that way, because that quick shot or that bad shot will lead to a fast break on the other end.”

Boykin’s availability is still in doubt as the transfer from Penn State is still awaiting the NCAA to rule on her eligibility. A former McDonald’s All-American who signed with powerhouse Connecticut out of high school has been allowed to practice.

WLU Men Have Something to Prove Howlett More Relaxed In Second Season

By SHAWN RINE WEST LIBRTY — Last season the West Liberty men’s basketball team made yet another appearance in the Division II NCAA Tournament.

But the Hilltoppers’ stay was unusually brief as they were beaten soundly

by Shippensburg at the Atlantic Regional.

Since, Coach Ben Howlett has repeatedly talked about how the rare ending has left a bad taste in the mouthes of both he and his team.

Thus far in 2018-19, West Liberty, which entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country by Street & Smith’s and No. 2 in the NABC poll, has been taking out its frustrations.

Sure, there was an opening loss to powerful Kutztown on the floor at the ASRC, but the Hilltoppers have run roughshod over their opponents since and appear, at least at first glance, to be the most physically talented team assembled during this extended run of success. ‘‘That’s what we wantred to do is amp up schedule. Bringing in Kutz-

town and West Chester for our opening tournment gave us a chance see where we are as a team,’’ Howlett said. ‘‘This is the youngest weve been in 10 years.’’

It’s true.

Early in the season West Liberty has used a starting lineup of two freshmen (Yahel Hill, Will Yoakum), two sophomores (Dalton Bolon, Luke Dyer) and senior Eric Meininger. The results have been outstanding as the Hilltoppers averaged 119 points in their first four games, including a school-record 158-point outburst in a rout of previously undefeated Glenville State “I think as far as individual talent, but it’s a matter of putting it all together as a team,’’ Howlett said. ‘‘It’s coming in every day and working hard. We can’t take a day off. ‘‘When we go to practice we to get better. We can’t have stretch days or yoga days. We have to play basketball every day and we’ve put an emphasis on that.’’

Bolon (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) is back after taking home Moutain East Conference Freshman of the Year honors last season. Despite playing with a patch over one of his eyes that

West Liberty Men Nov. 28: Urbana Dec. 1: at Notre Dame Dec. 5: Shepherd Dec. 9: at Fairmont Dec. 18: at King Dec. 30: Tiffin Jan. 10: W.Va. State Jan. 12: at Charleston Jan. 17: UVa.-Wise Jan. 23: at Urbana Jan. 26: Wheeling Jesuit Jan. 30: at Shepherd Feb. 2: Fairmont Feb. 7: at UVa-Wise Feb. 9: at Concord Feb. 14: at W.Va. State Feb. 16: Charleston Feb. 21: W.Va. Wesleyan Feb. 23: at Glenville Feb. 27: Notre Dame March 2: at Wheeling Jesuit *March 6-10: MEC Tournament *-at WesBanco Arena

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is the result of a preseason injury, Bolon scored a career-high 31 in that Glenville victory.

Meininger (6-5, 220) had a career-high 24 — 20 of those in the first half — during a recent victory against Salem and has taken his game to the next level.

Please see WLU Men, Page 6

Brown, Hilltoppers Expecting More Cooper Back for 2nd Season at the Helm

By SHAWN RINE WEST LIBERTY — As Kyle Cooper enters his second season at the helm of the West Liberty women’s basketball program, he does so with higher expectations. Picked to finish fourth in the Mountain East Conference during the preseason, the Hilltoppers are coming off a 13-16 season that ended with a loss to Fairmont in the conference tournament.

“I’m really, really excited about this season,” Cooper said. “I love this group of kids and love their chemistry. ‘‘We have a lot of returning talent and some excellent newcomers who have really bonded as a unit.

“As a result, to borrow a football term, we have what I consider a twodeep that can compete against each other on a daily basis and make everybody better.’’

Leading the list of returnees is 6-foot-3 senior All-America center Marissa Brown. She led the nation

with 299 field goals a year ago and was the only NCAA Division II woman to rank among the Top 10 nationally in scoring and rebounding. ‘‘I don’t think anybody is aware of this, but we won a game (Nov. 14) and that is the first time in 960 days that in a program laden with tradition, that we had a winning record,’’ Cooper said.

“And that meant more to (Brown) than any accolade she’s ever gotten. ‘‘I just think the world needs to know how special she is as a person, not just a player. We’re working really hard with this program to get it back to where it’s rightfully supposed to be.’’

Also back is 5-6 sophomore point guard Audrey Tingle (5-6), who led all D-II freshmen with 6.5 assists per game last winter. A pair of senior guards in Johnie Olkosky and Brandi Beader are a pair of valuable veterans that are part of 10 returning lettermen. ‘‘Because of the kids in this program we’re making gains,’’ Cooper said.

A couple of talented transfers have bolstered an already explosive offense. Taylor Johnson (5-9) scored 28 and 33 points in back-to-back

West Liberty Women Nov. 28: Urbana Dec. 1: at Notre Dame Dec. 5: Shepherd Dec. 9: at Fairmont Dec. 18: Walsh Jan. 10: W.Va. State Jan. 12: at Charleston Jan. 17: UVa.-Wise Jan. 19: Concord Jan. 23: Urbana Jan. 26: Wheeling Jesuit Jan. 30: at Shepherd Feb. 2: Fairmont Feb. 7: at UVa-Wise Feb. 9: at Concord Feb. 14: at W.Va. State Feb. 16: Charleston Feb. 21: W.Va. Wesleyan Feb. 23: at Glenville Feb. 27: Notre Dame March 2: at Wheeling Jesuit *March 6-10: MEC Tournament *-at WesBanco Arena

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TBA

games earlier this season and comes to WLU from Belmont Abbey.

Meanwhile, Linsly graduate and Youngstown State transfer Morgan Brunner (5-9) has brought her shooting prowess to a program that has long been know for just that. She had 20 in a loss to Glenville State.

Please see Hilltoppers, Page 6

Moore Helps Usher in New Coach at WJU

By SHAWN RINE WHEELING — The Mike Llanas Era was ushered in earlier this month as he took the reins of the Wheeling Jesuit women’s basketball program.

After a highly successful tenure as the coach at Owens Community College, Llanas takes over a Cardinals program that Debbie Buff took to a pair of Mountain East Conference championships prior to a rebuilding season in 2017-18.

The veteran coach led Owens CC to a 351-103 overall record (.773), eight Ohio Community College Athletic Conference titles and four National Collegiate Junior Athletic Association Tournament Appearances, including making it to the 2016 and 2018 Elite Eight and to the 2014 Final Four. His team also registered the school’s first perfect regular-season finish of 30-0 in the 2016-17 campaign.

“My wife and family are excited to join Cardinal Nation,’’ Llanas said. ‘‘The staff, coaches, and community have been supportive and inviting during this transition. ‘‘I look forward to working with the team in bringing a new era of women’s basketball to Wheeling Jesuit University.’’

It didn’t take Llanas long to earn his first confernece victory as the Cardinals beat West Virginia Wesleyan, 60-52, on Nov. 17. He won his debut with WJU, 90-79 against East Stroudsburg.

Leading the list of returnees is All-MEC post Chenelle Moore (6-foot). She averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds a season ago and when healthy, is a force underneath the basket.

Khira Burton is a 5-4 junior guard out of Cincinnati and has show an ability to handle an increased workload in the early portion of the season. She is joined by another junior, Lauren Lipscomb (5-

Wheeling Jesuit Women Nov. 28: Urbana 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 1: at Notre Dame 2 p.m.

Dec. 5: Shepherd 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 9: at Fairmont 2 p.m.

Dec. 18: Walsh 2 p.m.

Jan. 10: W.Va. State 5:30 p.m, Jan. 12: at Charleston 2 p.m.

Jan. 17: UVa.-Wise 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Concord 1 p.m.

Jan. 23: Urbana 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Wheeling Jesuit 2 p.m.

Jan. 30: at Shepherd 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Fairmont 2 p.m.

Feb. 7: at UVa-Wise 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Concord 1 p.m.

Feb. 14: at W.Va. State 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 16: Charleston 2 p.m.

Feb. 21: W.Va. Wesleyan 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 23: at Glenville 2 p.m.

Feb. 27: Notre Dame 5:30 p.m.

March 2: at Wheeling Jesuit 2 p.m. *March 6-10: MEC Tournament TBA *-at WesBanco Arena

9), at the guard position. Lipscomb scored a season-high 11 points during the victory against Wesleyan.

Guard Tori Hanson (5-5) returns for her second season and figures to have an expanded role. She scored 10 in a loss to Shippensburg.

Taliah Cashwell, a 5-7 junior guard, Aaliyah Sadler, a 5-9 senior guard, and senior forward Aislynn Hartman (510) round out the returnees for Llanas, who is fielding a relatively young team. Cashwell averaged 6.0 ppg. in the Cardinals’ first four games, while Sadler is seeing time off the bench.

Kelsi Chapman (5-8), a 5-8 guard from Magnolia, scored six against Shippensburg and will be looked at to provide a spark. Sophomore Rya Nelson (5-4 guard) was a track star at Thomas Stone High School in Maryland.

The freshmen are Alex Wiley (5-7 guard), Peyton McCord (5-10 forward), Ashley Rothert (5-8 guard), Alysa Edwards-Frick (6-0 center) and Allie Taylor (5-9 guard).

Llanas is assited by Callie Phillips and Keshyra McCarver is a graduate assistant.

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 5

WLU Men

Peckinpaugh Takes Over WJU Men

‘‘I think he is the best-passing big man in the country, which is kind of a lost art these days,’’ Howlett said of Meininger. ‘‘Without him our motion offense is not good. ‘‘He’s been incredible and we’re going to ride his coat tails this season.’’

Yoakum (6-5, 170), a redshirt freshman, is a high-flyer who has added some weight to his frame.

Like most WLU players, he has the ability to beat defenders off the dribble or shoot over them.

Dyer (5-11, 170) is the consumate pass-first point guard, but can knock down open shots when needed.

Hill (6-0, 150), a Cleveland Heights product, drips with athleticism.

It could be argued the Hilltoppers’ second unit is as good if not better than the first. The leader of that group is senior Tyler Primmer (6-5, 205) who had a career-best 22 against Glenville ‘‘He’s the guy we look to get things right when they go wrong,’’ Howlett said.

The story of the season is guard Brady Arnold, who is back for his senior season after beating cancer last year. He’s a rock-solid 5-10, 165 pounds and provides instant offense.

Marlon Moore Jr. (6-5, 200) is an undersized but athletic sophomore forward out of Benedictine High School in Cleveland. Classmate Keegan Saben (6-3, 195) gives the Hilltoppers some flash, but also stability at the point guard position.

Senior Nate Allen (6-4, 205), who transfrred in last season from Hill JC, is the type of player who always stays within himself.

Ariel Watson (6-3, 185), is a junior transfer who can flat-out score. Nick Greely (6-7, 230), is seeing more time underneath as the season goes on.

Evan French (6-4, 210) is another senior shooter.

He missed all of preseason and the start of the regular season with an injury but is working his way back into form.

Preston Boswell, a Magnolia graduate and transfer from Wheeling Jesuit, is redshirting, as is freshman Jon Allessandro.

Howlett is assisted by Eric Huffman and Mike Lamberti.

New Coach Has To Rebuild Cardinals

Continued from Page 5

Hilltoppers Continued from Page 5

Grace Fodor (5-7), who is probably West Liberty’s most gifted athlete, is back for her junior season. She gives Cooper a competent point guard off the bench.

Senior Allie Farina is a 6-1 post that can provide some rest for Brown. She is joined underneath by a pair of freshmen — Lindsay Humbel (6-1) and Kelsi Hulit (5-11).

Sophomore Olivia Belknap (5-8) returns as a reserve guard, as do classmates Samantha Hall (5-10) and Jaclyn Kitts (5-9). Sophomore guard Micah Hosfeld (5-6) and freshman forward Tasia Staunton (511) round out the roster.

Madonna product Monica Bragg (5-11), a junior, and freshman guard Destiny Hutcheson (5-7) are redshirting.

Cooper is assisted by Cassie Seth and Robbie Bonar, while Chris Bucon is the Development Coordinator.

By SHAWN RINE WHEELING — John Peckinpaugh knew what he was getting into when he was named men’s basketball coach at Wheeling Jesuit on June 28. He inherited a program that had just gone through a nasty divorce with previous coach Danny Sancomb, and a roster that had to be built from scratch.

That said, he took on the challenge and dove in head-first. ‘‘I’m honored to be named the head basketball coach at Wheeling Jesuit,’’ Peckinpaugh said. ‘‘This is a great opportunity to join a program with great tradition “We will roll up our sleeves and work every day to build on that tradition. I can’t wait to get started.”

The Cardinals finished 26-6 last season and won the first Mountain East Conference Tournament championship in school history on their way to a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. However, all but four players either graduated or left the program.

Returnees include sophomore guard Brendan Hoban (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), senior guard Miguel Rodriguez (6-0, 170), senior guard Zack Duffy (5-8, 175) and senior guard Zach Collins (6-2, 193).

“I expect our teams to out-work and out-hustle every team we play,’’ Peckinpaugh said. ‘‘We’ll be a team that is not only exciting to watch, but one that Wheeling Jesuit and the Wheeling community can be proud of on and off the court.’’

The Indiana native comes to the Cardinals after serving two stints at both

Wheeling Jesuit Men Nov. 28: Notre Dame Dec. 1: at Urbana Dec. 5: Fairmont Dec. 8: at Shepherd Dec. 11: at Seton Hill Dec. 17: Penn State-Shenango Dec. 30: at Salem Jan. 10: Charleston Jan. 17: Concord Jan. 19: UVa-Wise Jan. 23: at Notre Dame Jan. 26: at West Liberty Jan. 30: at Fairmont Feb. 2: Shepherd Feb. 7: at Concord Feb. 9: at UVa-Wise Feb. 14: at Charleston Feb. 16: W.Va. State Feb. 21: Glenville Feb. 23: at W.Va. Wesleyan Feb. 27: Urbana March 2: West Liberty *March 6-10: MEC Tournament *-at WesBanco Arena

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Purdue Fort Wayne and NAIA Division II Indiana Tech. Prior to being part this past year’s successful Purdue Fort Wayne staff, Peckinpaugh spent the previous three seasons (2013-17) at the Indiana Tech helm.

Leading the Warriors, Peckinpaugh turned a team with 10 wins his first year into being named the 2015-16 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award when he led the team to 23 victories and an NAIA National Tournament berth. In his final year as the head coach, he led Indiana Tech to another 20-win season, which included a 19-point road win over No. 8-ranked and NAIA national-power Davenport.

In his three years as the Warriors head coach, Peckinpaugh compiled a 54-40 overall record with two 20-plus win seasons, while he coached nine WHAC All-Academic Team picks,

six WHAC All-Conference selections and three NAIA All-Americans.

Prior to his second run with Indiana Tech, the new WJU coach had his first time on the Purdue Fort Wayne staff as a graduate assistant coach for the 2013-14 campaign. During that season, the Mastodons produced a program-record 25 wins and advanced to its first post season tournament.

With all the new pieces, it’s understand how the Cardinals stumbled out of the gate. It’s going to take a while for things to gel.

There’s plenty of talent available, led by freshman guard Franck Kamgain (6-3, 188) who opened the season with three straight double-figure games including a career-high 19 in his collegiate debut.

All told there are 15 freshmen on the roster: Magnolia grad Leo Herrick (6-3, 185 guard), Shadyside graduate Joshua Zandron (6-0, 170 guard), Deandre Robinson (6-6, 200 forward), Steve Cannady (6-1, 160 guard), Jay Gentry (6-1, 198 guard), Bryce Foggin (6-6, 195 forward), Emmanuel Ansong (6-4, 195 guard), Tariq Woody (6-8, 250 forward), Gary Braithwaite (6-1, 185 guard), Dozie Enyosiobi (6-4, 185 forward), Shawn Evans, Joshua Foote (6-0, 175 guard), Kevin McGlide (6-0, 180 guard) and Myles Whitfield (58, 160 guard).

Jeremiah April (7-0, 240) gives the Cardinals some much-needed height while Jeremiah Brooks is a 6-2, 210 sophomore guard. Mike Crowder (58, 150) is another sophomore guard.

Helping out Peckinpaugh are graduate assistants Bobby Brackett and Brennan Brooker.

Nutter To Lead Silver Knights Boys

By TRACY WATSON MIDDLEBOURNE — First-year Tyler Consolidated boys’ basketball coach Steven Nutter takes over a program that advanced to the West Virginia Class A state tournament last year and has three returning starters back to take another whack at it.

Unfortunately for Nutter it is also a program that graduated nine seniors, a lot of which were role players, and has a remaining roster going into this campaign with 14 players that have zero varsity experience.

“I am very excited about

this opportunity and expectations are high after last year’s success,” Nutter said. “We haven’t been in the gym long, but we appear to be athletic and you need that when you want to turn defense into offense.

“And while we don’t have the same kind of experience this year, we want to exceed those expectations and make another run to Charleston.”

For that run to happen the Silver Knights will have to rely on seniors Griffin Phillips (6-foot-1, guard) and Tyler West (6-3, post), along with

6 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

junior football standout Mark Rucker (6-1, forward). Those three all return and will be counted on for both production and leadership.

“Those three returning kids have all been working so hard and providing amazing leadership in the gym,” Nutter said.

“They have been helping the younger kids move forward.

We have to come together as a team and be one.

“It may be a little difficult early on with the younger kids, but once everything Please see Nutter, Page 7

Tyler Boys

Dec. 4: at Valley

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Dec. 11: at Williamstown 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Ritchie County 7 :30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Wirt

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Dec. 22: Park. Catholic 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: at St. Marys 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Ravenswood 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9: at St. John 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Ritchie Co. 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Wirt

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Jan. 19: Boggs Invitational T BA Jan. 24: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: vs. Madonna* TBA Jan. 29: St. Marys 7 :30 p.m.

Feb. 1: Ravenswood 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: at Park. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: Williamstown 7 :30 p.m.

Feb. 12: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: LKC Placement TBA *at Magnolia High School

Bethany Men Receive 1st-Place Vote Bison Women Are Picked 5th in PAC B M REENVILLE, Pa. — Saint Vincent College was selected as the preseason favorite in this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.

Saint Vincent and 16th-year head coach D.P. Harris secured six firstplace votes and 78 total points to earn the top spot on the preseason poll. The Bearcats have claimed the top spot on five of the last six preseason polls.

Saint Vincent’s four-year title run (2013-16) is the longest current streak in the league since Washington & Jefferson College posted fourstraight PAC championships from 1992-95.

Saint Vincent, the No. 3 seed in last year’s PAC Championship Tournament, suffered an 80-78 overtime loss to No. 6 Geneva College in the quarterfinal round at the Robert S. Carey Center in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It was Saint Vincent’s first quarterfinal defeat since gaining full-time eligibil-

ethany

Nov. 9: at Marietta Nov. 13: Mount Union Nov. 16: Wilkes Nov. 17: Bryn Athyn Nov. 20: at Penn. St-Altoona Nov. 28: Geneva Dec. 1: Carnegie Mellon Dec. 5: at Grove City Dec. 8: Thiel Dec. 20: Stockton * Dec. 21: TBA * Dec. 30: Baldwin Wallace Jan. 3: Chatham Jan. 5: St. Vincent Jan. 9: Westminster Jan. 12: at Wash & Jefferson Jan. 16: at Waynesburg Jan. 19: ag Geneva Jan. 26: Grove City Jan. 30: at Thiel Feb. 2: at Chatham Feb. 6: St. Vincent Feb. 9: at Westminster Feb. 13: Wash & Jefferson Feb. 16: Waynesburg * at Juniata College

en

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ity in the PAC (2010-11). The Geneva victory was its first in the league’s championship tournament since a 6159 quarterfinal upset over top-seeded Bethany College on February 25, 2014. It also marked the first quarter-

final game to go into overtime since No. 5 W&J took down No. 4 Thiel College 80-77 on February 23, 2010.

Westminster College and seventh-year head coach Kevin Siroki picked up one first-place vote and totaled 62 points to finish second. Geneva College, led by 23rd-year head coach Jeff Santarsiero, was third with 57 points.

Grove City College claimed one first-place vote and 49 points to finish fourth, while Bethany secured the final first-place vote to go along with 47 points to finish fifth. Thiel was sixth (40) and was followed by Waynesburg University in seventh (34), Chatham University in eighth (25) and W&J in ninth (13).

2018-19 PAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll School (first-place votes) Points 2017-18 Record 1. Saint Vincent (6) 78 16-10 (13-5) 2. Westminster (1) 62 19-9 (12-6) 3. Geneva 57 12-15 (7-11) 4. Grove City (1) 49 16-10 (9-9) 5. Bethany (1) 47 17-13 (14-4) 6. Thiel 40 7-17 (5-13) 7. Waynesburg 34 10-16 (6-12) 8. Chatham 25 7-18 (4-14) 9. W&J 13 5-20 (4-14)

Tyler Girls Return 3 Senior Starters

By TRACY WATSON MIDDLEBOURNE — Benny Thomas takes over a Tyler Consolidated girls’ program that returns three senior starters, all of whom averaged more than 10 points a night last season, and a solid group of eight that he hopes can take him all the way to Charleston.

“We return a great group of breadand-butter leaders both on and off the basketball court,” Thomas said. “And they know each other very well. I expect some very competitive basketball and a lot of excitement with this team.”

Leading the way will be one of the Class A state runner-up volleyball players in senior JoLee Walton (5-foot-8, swing forward) who averaged 11 points and nine rebounds a game as a junior.

Another pair of seniors back are Peyton Kocher (5-8, point guard) and Josie Jones (5-9, guard), both also volleyball players. Kocher averaged 11 points and three assists while being the team’s leading three-point scorer with 49 while Jones averaged a team-high 14 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Senior Miranda Weekley (5-7, guard) moves up into the starting lineup from her role as team’s sixth-man last year while sophomore Regan Smith (510, center) will be the fifth starter and will be looked at for scoring inside.

The top three players off the bench will include junior Summer Miller (5-9, forward) and sophomores Eden Turner (5-10, forward) and Kelsi Vandruff (5-

Tyler Girls

Nov. 30: at South Harrison

Dec. 5: Parkersburg Catholic

Dec. 7: Ritchie County

Dec. 10: Doddridge County

Dec. 11: Ravenswood

Dec. 14: at Valley Dec. 17: at Williamstown

Dec. 21: at Magnolia

Dec. 27: St. Marys

Jan. 3: at Paden City

Jan. 8: at Parkersburg Catholic Jan. 10: Williamstown

Jan. 14: at Ritchie County

Jan. 17: Boggs Roundball Classic Jan. 19: Boggs Roundball Classic Jan. 23: South Harrison Jan. 24: at St. Marys

Jan. 29: at Wirt

Jan. 31: at Ravenswood Feb. 4: Wirt

Jan. 7: LKC Placement Game

Jan. 11: at Doddridge County

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8, guard).

Others on the roster who could see playing time include juniors Allie Miller (5-9), Madison Craven (5-9) and Heidi Dennis (5-10) and a large group of freshmen in twin sisters Breiann Templeton (5-10) and Lauren Templeton, who Thomas says both have a ton of potential, Jordyn Potozcny (5-10), Jocelyn Fultz (5-10), Caleigh Phillips (5-9), Ryley VanDyne (5-9), Landry Buchannon (5-5) and Romana Rice (510).

Amanda Reynolds graduated from last year’s team and took her 10 points a night to Bethany College.

Tommy Phillips will be Thomas’ assistant.

“There is a lot of talent in that bunch,” Thomas said. “It is both mine and Tommy’s first year and we are looking to build a good relationship with the girls.

We are very excited with the high energy and positivity at practice.

“I honestly can’t wait to see some of these younger girls collide with our seniors and I don’t believe the older girls will have to slow down any for them.

This is going to be a fast, physical and fun group and we are going to play with some high octane.

“Our four seniors have a lot to prove.

They have yet to advance to Charleston in basketball and have come off of successful volleyball seasons that have every year. There is a lot of pressure on them and they want to prove that they belong down state.”

The Silver Knights open with one on the road before playing four at home and then hitting the road again for three more.

“I like that we have a tough schedule,” Thomas said. “It’s the schedule that we want to play against some better teams. We have a couple of good ones early with South Harrison and Parkersburg Catholic and the four at home early on should help us.

“While there are some tough games, I believe that all are winnable. We just need to play four-quarter basketball every night, especially with the fact that there aren’t any breaks in our schedule.”

GREENVILLE, Pa. — Washington & Jefferson College and Saint Vincent College share the top spot in this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.

The PAC announced the results of its preseason coaches’ poll and its players to watch list Friday.

W&J, led by 15th-year head coach Jina DeRubbo, totaled five first-place votes and 76 points. Saint Vincent and ninth-year head coach Jimmy Petruska secured the remaining four first-place votes.

W&J, the No. 2 seed in last year’s PAC Championship Tournament, posted a 63-62 overtime win over No. 3 Saint Vincent to advance to the league’s title game for the second time in three seasons (2016, 2018). The win snapped W&J’s twogame semifinal skid against Saint Vincent (2015, 2017).

Saint Vincent was making its eighth-straight appearance in the league’s championship tournament semifinal round.

W&J owns five PAC titles, with its most recent coming in 2006. Saint Vincent is looking for its first since gaining full-time PAC eligibility in 2010-11.

Grove City College and sixth-year head coach Chelle

Bethany Women Nov. 12: at Franciscan W, 59-44 Nov. 13: Mt. Aloysius W, 69-37 Nov. 16: at Manchester W, 62-51 Nov. 17: Albion L, 66-57 Nov. 20: at Carn.Mellon L, 76-51 Nov. 28: Geneva 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 5: at Grove City 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 8: Thiel 1 p.m.

Dec. 10: Allegheny 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Penn St.-Beaver 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: at Shenandoah noon Dec. 29: at Southern Virginia noon Jan. 3: Chatham 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at St. Vincent 4 p.m.

Jan. 9: Westminster 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Wash. & Jeff. 1 p.m.

Jan. 16: at Waynesburg 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Geneva 1 p.m.

Jan. 26: Grove City 1 p.m.

Jan. 30: at Thiel 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: at Chatham noon Feb. 6: St. Vincent 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Westminster 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: Wash. & Jeff. 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 16: Waynesburg 1 p.m.

Fuss totaled 58 points to finish third.

Waynesburg University was picked fourth (51) and was followed by Bethany College in fifth (49), Westminster College in sixth (31), Chatham University in seventh (28), Geneva College in eighth (19) and Thiel College in ninth (17).

2018-19 PAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll School Points 2017-18 T-1. W&J (5) 76 22-6 (15-3) T-1. Saint Vincent (4) 76 19-10 (14-4) 3. Grove City 58 18-10 (12-6) 4. Waynesburg 51 15-12 (10-8) 5. Bethany 49 12-15 (8-10) 6. Westminster 31 7-19 (3-15) 7. Chatham 28 5-20 (3-15) 8. Geneva 19 8-18 (5-13) 9. Thiel 17 3-22 (2-16)

Nutter Continued from Page 6

starts clicking I think we will be all right.”

The balance of the starting lineup will come from a group of five consisting of senior Nick Gorby (5-7, guard), juniors Gage Huffman (5-10, guard), Zach Placer (5-10, guard) and Landen Kisner (6-3, post) along with sophomore Justin Bowman (6-1, forward).

Filling out the remainder of the roster will be senior Jason Hudnall (5-10, guard), juniors Noah Swiger (5-10, guard), Garrett Littell (6-5, post), Jacob Frum (5-10, guard) and Gavin Morris (5-10, guard)

and sophomores Jackson Kibbey (5-10, guard), David Throckmorton (5-10, guard), Isaac Rush (6-5, post) and James Cline (5-10, guard).

“We have spent a lot of time working on drills in practice, trying to build confidence,” Nutter said. “The younger kids need daily work on fundamental things, but it is going to be a huge help in the long run.

“Full-court matchups with the opportunity for a lot of transitional basketball is our goal on the court.”

Trey Meeks will be Nutter’s top assistant coach.

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 7

Charleston the Goal for Wheeling Park Boys Patriots Thrown Into Fire Early, Now Ready to Take Next Step

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — For the past two seasons, the Wheeling Park boys’ basketball team has taken its lumps, young players have been thrown into the fire, but also have earned valuable experience.

No longer a young, inexperienced team, Patri-

ots coach Michael Jebbia feels this team is ready to take the next step.

Getting to Charleston for the state tournament is the goal. And while that is always the case for a school with a rich tradition such as Wheeling Park, this could be the team that finally gets over the hump.

“This is the best group of seniors we have had in a good while, just in terms of good, solid athletes and good kids,” Jebbia said.

“They were thrusted in probably earlier than they should have been, but that’s OK. We had some growing pains and had a good year last year.

“The biggest thing is that they are a little bigger, faster and stronger.

They worked hard in the weight room.

Patriots!

GoGOOD LUCK

PATRIOTS IN THE

2018 - 2019 BASKETBALL SEASON

Wheeling Park High School offers Baseball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Football, Soccer, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Wrestling, Softball, Volleyball, Competitive Dance, Hockey, and Lacrosse.

“We would love to get to Charleston. Last year we had a good season, but didn’t play well in March.

John Marshall outplayed and probably should have beat us. Then we got down 17-6 in the regional (to Morgantown).

“We have that goal and I think it is a little bit more realistic this year. The same teams are going to be in the mix, but the seniors are hungry. They made a progression and it would be nice to take that next jump.”

The Patriots, who finished 14-9 last season, will be led by second team all-stater Alex Vargo and third team all-stater Keondre’ King.

King is a 6-foot-4 senior that scored 15.4 points per game, is athletic with a good perimeter shot and will be starting for the third straight season.

Vargo, a 6-5 junior, is a two-year letterwinner that led the Patriots with 17.2 points, while also adding 6.7 rebounds. He shot 42.3 percent from beyond the arc and 82 percent from the freethrow line.

Both were first team All-Valley selections.

“Keondre’ and Alex are going to be our main scorers but for us to be improved, we are going to have to have some other guys chip in a little bit more,” Jebbia said. “Jack Stakem is a leader, Ke-

ondre’ is starting to get a little more vocal and Alex Vargo is a leader despite being a junior. The kids look up to him with all the time he has put in. They have a great deal of respect.”

Stakem, a 5-9 senior, is entering his third year as the starting point guard and is one of the team’s best defenders.

De’Vaughn McWhorter (5-10, senior) is a left-handed guard who can shoot the ball well. He started 12 games last season.

Donovan Goddard has been a solid role player, but more will likely be expected of the 5-10 senior this season.

Other seniors include Trevor Thomas (6-4, forward), who is back after not playing last season, and David Croft (6-0, wing).

Alex Dunlevy started 16 games as a sophomore last season and brings a lot of energy to the Patriots lineup with his solid defense and rebounding.

Jebbia is high on Xavier Morris, a 6-foot junior that may see his role expand this season.

Dustin VanSickle is a big body at 6-3 and will add depth inside with rebounding.

“Xavier Morris is a kid I think can really help us,” Jebbia said. “He played jayvee for us last year, but he has grown, shot up. I think he is someone that

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8 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

W A

N. Seventh & Hazlett Ave., Wheeling, WV Phone: (304) 277-2550 Fax: (304) 277-2917

Wheeling Park Boys Dec. 14: Martins Ferry* 7 p.m.

Dec. 18: at University 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: at Buck-Upshur 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 2: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Moon Area (Pa.)* 1 p.m.

Jan. 8: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Park. South 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: University 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Ripley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Morgantown 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: at Preston 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: at John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: Woodrow Wilson** 4 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Morgantown 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 18: Musselman 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20: East Fairmont 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22: at Hurricane 7 p.m. *at WesBanco Arena ** at W.Va. State

Carney & Sloan, INC. Wheeling, WV 304-233-5000

can provide us a lot of good minutes.

“Dustin VanSickle and Trevor Thomas can help us inside.”

The sophomores in the program include Shaheed Jackson (5-7), Sincere Sinclair (6-0), Beau Heller (5-6), Carson Namack (5-9), Nate Hairston (61), Jack Lewton (6-1) and Torrence Walker (5-9).

“We plan to play a little bit faster than we did last year,” Jebbia said.

“We are going to try and get out in transition a little more and create more opportunities. Alex is going to draw double teams and we need to get these other guys baskets.

“We will be able to play eight or nine guys so our depth is good.

We were a good defensive team last season and held teams to 54 points a game, but we only averaged scoring 56.”

Jebbia, entering his 13 season as head coach, is assisted by Gene Ammirante, Jerry Ammirante and Terry Payne. Assistant coaches are Shaun Black and Josh Yost.

Sarge Cordery is the equipment manager.

Defense Still Key for Unselfish Patriots Girls

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — The Wheeling Park girls basketball team is known for its tenacious defense and that won’t change this season.

The Patriots aren’t a team that is going to light up the scoreboard and in the past two seasons, that has worked just fine. Wheeling Park has advanced to the state semifinals the past two seasons, both times being ousted by Buckhannon-Upshur.

Last season Wheeling Park didn’t have a single double-digit scorer, a rarity you will see on any level.

Patriots coach Ryan Young isn’t worried.

“It is not that we don’t have anyone that it is capable of that, it is just that they so unselfish,” Young said.

“The kids share the ball really well and don’t care who scores. They are fun to be around and a good group to coach.”

Young has had strong

senior leadership during his tenure and this season is no different.

Emily Pavlic has taken on that role.

The three-year starter will likely run the point guard position.

“She has played in four state tournament games and is our unquestioned leader,” Young said. “We are going to rely on her on both ends of the court. She comes to practice every day and works as hard as she can.

“She doesn’t care about scoring and will do what she can to help the team win. You know you are getting 100 percent from her each day and that makes her an enjoyable kid and easy to coach.”

The Patriots will have three other seniors on the roster in Abby Jones, Niya Cook and Kelsey Chacalos who will provide valuable minutes off the bench.

Sophomore Bella Abernathy burst onto the scene

Wheeling Park Girls Nov. 30: at John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4: at Morgantown 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8: Park. South 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Bellaire * 5:15 p.m.

Dec. 19: University 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Greenbrier East 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Parkersburg 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: Morgantown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9: John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: Jefferson 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: Buck.-Upshur 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Park. South 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: at University 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: Zanesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at Green. East 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 13: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m. * at WesBanco Arena

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last season, starting from Day 1 and getting better along the way. She had a 20-point game in the state tournament and earned first

team All-Valley, second team All-OVAC and third team all-state accolades.

“We expect her to pick up her scoring,” Young said.

“She is a force inside for sure. She gives us a lowpost scoring threat and we anticipate her to take that next step.”

Three juniors will likely make up the starting lineup with Pavlic and Abernathy — Kieran Johnson, Shanley Woods and Abby Snedecker.

Woods is the top returning scorer at nine points per game.

“We may rely on her to carry our scoring and we know what she is capable of,” Young said of Woods.

“She will be handling the ball a little more with a lot of the kids moving around.”

Young said Snedecker is his “most athletic kid and someone we will use a lot of different ways,” while Johnson is “aggressive, can play

anywhere and does the dirty work.”

NeVaeh Cook is a sophomore Young will rely on to handle the ball and give stability in that area.

Another sophomore Lindsey Garrison will look to gain valuable minutes off the bench.

“She is one of our better shooters and has been working hard all offseason,” Young said of Garrison. “We anticipate getting good minutes from her. She has developed her game, worked on her defense and has a lot of quickness.”

The Patriots suffered a big blow during a recent scrimmage when sophomore Asia Roby suffered a knee injury that may sideline her for the season.

“We are hoping to get some good news on her, but this is a major setback,” Young said. “We felt she was ready for a breakout season.”

The loss of Roby could make getting to Charleston for a third consecutive year a challenge, but the foundation has been built and Young feels that is the expectation every season.

“We want to be playing on Saturday in Charleston,” he said. “That is always the goal now. I am not sure if we are as fast on defense as we have been in the past, but we have a lot of smart basketball players. We may have to make some adjustments and go with a few different looks, but I feel we can be just as, if not more effective.

“Shanley and Bella give us a good inside-outside punch and we have a lot of reliable guards in the lineup and that can come off the bench and help.”

Young, entering his fifth season as head coach, is assisted by Jack Kaniecki, Lucy DeFruscio, Katelynn Hackathorn and new freshman coach Samantha Gentle.

Jarrett Building Solid Foundation at Beallsville

By RICK THORP BEALLSVILLE — When Tori Jarrett donned a Beallsville uniform, the Blue Devils were pretty good.

Now, with her as head coach, the Blue Devils are rising again.

One year removed from an appearance in the OVAC Class A final, Jarrett and her squad have loftier goals as a new season begins.

“When I played, I tell (the players) we were good,” Jarrett said. “We had a program that everyone respected. I’m glad we’re getting up there again.”

No more was that evident then last February when it seemed like the entire community packed the Blue Devils’ gym for a Class A semifinal vs. Trinity. The raucous hometown atmosphere helped

spearhead a 40-36 victory and with it, Jarrett’s hopes, a continued excitement for girls’ hoops.

“We’re getting a bit of that culture back,” Jarrett, entering her fourth season

as head coach, said. “It’s the first step. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Jarrett has a strong belief in the program, and the See Jarrett, Page 10

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Jarrett

Continued from Page 9

team, which returns almost everyone from last year’s unit. With so much talent returning, it’s no wonder expectations are high.

“They’re willing to work,” Jarrett said.

“Whenever I give the ‘big speech’ they are usually pretty good at giving what I ask for. They’ve done pretty good with it so far this year.”

As the team has matured, so has Jarrett. After spending one season as an assistant, Jarrett decided to take on the head role. As the season’s have rolled on, the former Muskingum University standout has settled into the role more and more.

“I’ve learned it’s definitely not easy,” she said.

“There’s so much that comes with it. The biggest thing is being a motivator and learning how to motivate every single girl on the team. Everyone is different and it’s your job

meet everyone’s needs.”

The Blue Devils return one senior, but she’s a key cog. Olivia Muncy (G/F) has been a mainstay for the program for four years and averaged 9.5 points and six rebounds a game last year.

“I think she’s gotten better defensively,” Jarrett said. “She played some good defense last year, too, and she’s a good rebounder. Those are the two things she’s good at.

“She’s also a good vocal leader and is good at getting the team to step up and holding them accountable.”

Ashley Howell (F), Ashlie Louden (G) and Jadyn Gable (G/F) are the squad’s juniors.

Howell (12 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and Louden (15.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are inseparable, according to Jarrett.

“Those two have just played together for long,” she said. “I tell them to go run a high pick-and-roll on

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a ball screen and Louden will just throw it to her and you can just tell they’ve been playing together for a long time.

“They are just the heart and soul of the team.”

Gable (7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) will be asked to contribute more shooting.

“We need players to step up and be shooters because that’s something we’ve lacked,” Jarrett noted. “We need to have more outside threats. And I’m hoping that maybe, with the offense we’re running, we can get her in that a little bit.”

Sophomores in the mix include: Harley Nalley (G), Cheyenne Riley (G/F) and Makenna Phillips (G/F).

“Harley has really impressed me,” Jarrett said.

“She’s super fast and good defensively. I’m hoping if I can get her a little more confident running the ball she can be more of a point guard.”

Sophomores Trinity Abbott (G) and Kilieigh Darby (G), along with freshmen Jaycee Huffman (G/F) and Hannah Phillips (G). Jarrett said they still need some “seasoning.”

“We’ve been fairly consistent thus far, and I’m happy with that,” Jarrett said. “Our biggest thing is going to be our effort each night.

“If I can get them to give their very best effort each night, we’ll win.

That’s been the biggest thing the last couple of years.

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Beallsville Girls Nov. 23: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 27: at Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: at Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: at St. John 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: vs. Bridgeport 12:45 p.m.* Jan. 3: Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Shenandoah 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: at Shenandoah 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: vs. TBD** TBD Jan. 31: at Whg Central 7:30 p.m. *at Buckeye Local **at Magnolia

“We’ll play one really good half, it might be the first our second. We have to learn to put four good quarters together.”

Trinity is gone from Beallsville’s regular-season slate. Added to it are the likes of Shadyside, Cameron and Wheeling Central. The Blue Devils are slated to visit East Wheeling for their season finale, which will provide a postseason atmosphere in a tournament tuneup.

“We really beefed up our schedule,” Jarrett said.

“I would love to win the OVAC, but my biggest goal is to win a sectional game.

“I think we can even make some noise in the district, if we peak at the right time.”

Jarrett is assisted by her dad, Terry, along with Alyssa Tolzda and Carrie Wilson.

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10 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Plenty of Star Power Left For Wheeling Central Gainer, White, Reinbeau Look To Lead Knights

By KYLE LUTZ WHEELING — The Wheeling Central girls basketball team certainly had a year for the memory books last season.

The Maroon Knights made it to the West Virginia Class A championship game to face off against perennial powerhouse St. Joe, who had won the title eight of the past nine years. With one of the very few times, it would be considered the underdog, Wheeling Central stunned the state of West Virginia with a 6762 victory to bring home the hardware.

“Last year was just one of those special years,” Wheeling Central coach Penn Kurtz said. “It was a team that overcame a lot of adversity throughout the year. Then we finished off, punctuated it with a great game in the final.”

To make things even more scary for the other teams in the Class A field, many key players of that team will return this season as they look to bring home another trophy from Charleston. While there is a lot of star power returning, the Maroon Knights did lose some key leadership as Taylor Duplaga (1,000-point scorer, first team all-state, All-Valley captain), Riley Bennington (Doug Huff Award winner), Riley Blaha and Lexie Saunders have graduated.

“Our seniors as a group, they were great leaders.

They had a sense of desperation, they know it was their last chance and they’ll pull everybody along with them,” Kurtz said. “We will miss that

Wheeling Central Girls Nov. 30: vs University* 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 1: Parkersburg* 2 p.m.

Dec. 5: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: Williamstown Tourney TBA Dec. 8: Williamstown Tourney TBA Dec. 13: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: Park. Catholic 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: at West Greene 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: Char.Catholic** 7 p.m.

Dec. 29: Undo’s Tourney** TBA Jan. 3: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Char. Catholic 6 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Sissonville 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: at Tucker County 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Beallsville 7:30 p.m. * Frank Hines Memorial Basketball Mixer at Fairmont Field House ** at Wheeling Jesuit

aspect. of the team. But from a talent perspective, definitely with Kaylee (Reinbeau), Eden (Gainer) and Hannah (White), we have three of the most talented players at one time that we’ve probably ever had on the court.”

Gainer averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists last year and is a threat behind the 3-point arc. Reinbeau will is a threat on the boards and will find her way to score, too. She put up 14.9 points per game, grabbed 7.8 rebounds and dished out 3.8 assists last season.

White started to come into her own last year, and made her presence known greatly during the state tournament, including a game-high 18 points in the state championship game.

“She’s come back in the offseason and has improved in a lot of aspects of her game. She still has a little bit of a ways to go, but she’s determined and confident that she’ll have a good season,” Kurtz said of White.

See Central, Page 11

Knights Eye Another State Title Run

Central

By KYLE LUTZ WHEELING — While making it to the state tournament is second nature for the Wheeling Central boys basketball team, from 201517, the Maroon Knights came up just short of hoisting the championship trophy.

It was only a matter of time before the ball bounced their way.

Last season, it did just that as Wheeling Central defeated Ravenswood, 54-40, in the Class A championship game. ìObviously, I think Brent (Price) and Owen (Gainer) were pretty determined to go down there last year after they came up a little bit short,î Maroon Knights coach Mel Stephens said. ìWe got a great, great effort from all of our kids and we probably played our three best games of the year down there.î Gainer and Price both picked up their diplomas last May as both left Wheeling Central scoring more than 1,000 points. Even though more than 2,000 points are gone, Stephens believes he has the talent that can compete. ìThose guys were great teammates. They got along well and shared the ball. But to be able to do that is pretty special to them,î Stephens said. ìIf you ask them, they would say a lot of the credit goes to their teammates, too, which it does.

Thatís kind of what we preach is to play together, donít worry about who scores. Thatís a lot of points

For Gainer and Reinbeau, Kurtz will see them both play a little bit of a different role.

“Last year for Eden, we set a lot of screens to get her open for shots. This year, she’ll probably have the ball in her hands a lot more,” Kurtz said.

“Kaylee will be in the same position, she’ll be in a lot of different spots on the floor for us.

“So they’re both going to broaden their game and I think they’re ready for it.”

Also pledging to see a lot of playing time will be sophomores Tristan White, Marissa Horan, Alexis Mills and junior Allison Davidson.

Also on the roster this year are freshmen Serena Geyer, Gia Campbell and Sarah Gruber .

“I think everyone is going to have to be a little patient. We are a young team,” Kurtz said.

“I think it’ll take a little while for us to gel and for everybody to get accustomed to their new roles and new players on the court.

“Our schedule doesn’t help us out. Our first two weeks will test us. We’ll find out pretty quickly who we are and what we need to improve on and we’ll work on that for the rest of the season.”

The Maroon Knights kick off their season this weekend against two West Virginia Class AAA schools — University and Parkersburg.

“Those are the games you look forward to playing,” Kurtz said.

“You always want to play the best opponents you can because it tells you who you are and what you need to improve.

We’re excited about playing those two games.”

Kurtz is assisted by Hayden Cook and Paul Kurtz.

weíre losing, but Iím pretty confident with the guys coming back and the guys we got coming up.

We probably donít have two 1,000 scorers in there, but I think we have enough guys to even that out a little bit.î Some of those returners with varsity minutes include seniors Bray Price (6-foot-1), Anthony Robbins (6-3) and Dom Mills (6-3). The junior class has a strong core in Curtis McGhee III (6-1), Josh Custer (6’), Jalen Creighton (6-1), Luke Rohmann (6-1) and Clayton Abate (6-4).

“The guys that we got are in here working hard,” Stephens said. “Our numbers are limited a little bit, but I think that kind of works to these guys’ advantage a little bit because they get a lot more reps. Obviously we’re hoping football goes all the way and wins the championship. We get those guys back. The good thing is the guys we got coming back from football all got that experience. It shouldn’t take them very long to get back and pick up the basketball stuff where they left off from last year.”

One thing Stephens is excited about is his underclassmen as he thinks highly of the sophomore and freshmen class, some of which got to see some varsity minutes last year.

“I think our sophomore and freshman class are really good,”

Wheeling Central Boys Dec. 15: Steubenville Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: vs. Meadowbrook * 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 28: Charleston Catholic ** 8:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Undo’s Tournament TBA Jan 2: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: Butler, Pa. *** 10 a.m.

Jan. 8: at Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Jan 11: Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Charleston Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Parkersburg Catholic 3 p.m.

Jan. 22: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: vs. Williamstown**** 6 p.m.

Jan. 30: Trinity 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 12: OVAC 7:30 p.m.

Feb/ 15/16: OVAC TBA *at Ohio University Eastern ** Undo’s Tournament at Wheeling Jesuit ***Cancer Research Classic at WesBanco Arena **** at Magnolia

Stephens said. “Our junior class, basically those guys have gotten the varsity experience. We had a couple of sophomores last year with J.C. (Maxwell) (6-2) and Avery (Lee, 5-11) that got a little taste of some OVAC action and some state tournament action.

“Those two guys along with (freshman) Ryan Reasbeck (6-0) are really going to open some eyes this year from some people.”

Also vying for varsity minutes are sophomores D.J. Saunders (60), Jordan Waterhouse (6-0), Vin-

nie High (6-0) and Payton Marling (6-1).

“We come in and basically try to improve every day and get better,” Stephens said. “The long-range goal is to try and get in that top four in the OVAC to be able to get in the semifinals and hope to play for a championship there, and the real long-term goal is to make it hopefully back to Charleston and be able to compete for a state championship.”

Wheeling Central kicks off the year Dec. 15 when it host Steubenville Catholic. The Maroon Knights do have some notable games on their schedule including a matchup against Meadowbrook on Dec. 22 at Ohio University Eastern. The Colts made it to the Ohio Division II state semifinals last season. Central will also go up against Butler, Pa. in the Cancer Research Classic at WesBanco Arena.

“We try to play as tough as a schedule as we can because we feel like that prepares us when the tournament rolls around. We might take our lumps some during the season, but our goal is to learn from every game and try to get better. The ultimate is goal is when tournament time rolls around, you want to be playing your best and hopefully you’re able to make that trip to Charleston.”

Stephens is assisted by Adam Shinsky, Lance Bibey and Tyler Morando.

Blue Devils Look to Return the Favor

By RICK THORP BEALLSVILLE — After taking their lumps the last few seasons, Beallsville’s boys basketball team is ready to be the one handing out the lumps this winter.

A once young squad has become become infused with veteran savvy, and third-year head coach Rick Jarrett is eager to see what the group can do against a beefed up slate.

“We’ve been having some good practices,” Jarrett said. “I’ve been stressing defense.

“The last couple of years, we’ve been a young group playing older teams. We still have a long way to go,

but I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Despite having small numbers, Jarrett was impressed by his team’s devotion to improving during the summer. He said nine players attended the Huggins Camp, which isn’t bad considering most players at Beallsville participate in multiple sports.

“That’s why some of these schools are good,” he said.”They put in extra time over the summer. It’s a year-round thing now. You can’t just go when the season starts and pick up a basketball and start playing.”

Jarrett also coaches football, so he said the chemistry he’s developed with most of

his players is already rock solid. That’s helped push along preseason workouts, allowing for the implementation of more things at a quicker pace.

“The main starters are back this year,” he said.

“Then, we have some guys that can come off the bench.

I have a solid eight or nine guys that will be able to contribute.

“I told them you can look it two ways. You can lay down and forget (last season), or you can step up and begin competing.

“They kind of realize now they are old enough where they are right where they need to be. They’re buying in and pushing themselves.”

There’s plenty of competition for playing time as the season begins, Jarrett said, which can only make every player better.

“A lot of our guys are pretty much at the same level,” he said. “We really don’t have one that stands out. They’re all pretty well evenly matched. A different one might be hitting every night. We have several that can potentially step up and be the scorer. I really like that.”

The junior class, comprised of six players, anchors the squad.

“That group right there has been the anchor of sports at Beallsville,” Jarrett said.

Beallsville Boys Dec. 4: at St. John 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Cameron Tourn TBD Dec. 22: at Cameron Tourn TBD Dec. 28: Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Madonna 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Valley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at Newcomerstown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Newcomerstown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Valley 7:30 p.m.

See Devils, Page 12

Continued from Page 10

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 11

Wallace Feels Linsly Ready to Take the Next Step Cadets Return One Double-Digit Scorer, But Coach Says Stat Misleading

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — Linsly boys’ basketball coach James Wallace didn’t know much about his team last season as a host of newcomers took the court.

This season is a little different.

“We have a lot of returning letterman, lot of returning starters, a lot of guys that had a crucial developmental year,” Wallace said. “They have matured from being first-year varsity guys to, at the end of last year, guys that knew what to do, knew what it took to win and those guys are all back.

“They all really like each other and like playing with each other. We added some guys that know how to win and who are competitors, not necessarily basketball players at heart, but guys who like to compete. So far practice has been really fun and really competitive and that is a recipe for success.”

The Cadets return one player that scored in double figures in junior guard Trevin Tush, who averaged 10 points, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and made 16 3-pointers.

Junior guard Marshall Taylor, who paced Linsly in 3-pointers with 23 and averaged eight points and four rebounds, will also be in the starting lineup, as will sophomore Hunter Kelley (6-foot4, forward), who averaged six points and a team-leading five rebounds. He made 12 3s.

After that, seniors Jon Milton (forward), Mikal Warfield-Payne (forward) and firstyear player Eli Petho (forward), along with sophomore Will Carson (guard) could also crack the starting lineup.

“It may depend each night on who we are playing,” Wallace said. “Chaz Ghaphery (senior forward, 6-4) has been a starter for us in the past and he will also be in the mix. We have the ability to match up with a lot of different people. We can go big, we can go small.

“We have some guys who are really good guards. We have some guys who are really good bigs. We are going to be really versatile every night in what we can do.”

With so many players being thrown into the fire, Wallace is happy with the depth his team

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Linsly has seven letterwinners in Ghaphery, Milton, Warfield-Payne, Taylor, Tush, Kelley and junior forward Paul Cook.

Others on the varsity roster include seniors Dom Gorrence (guard) and Wyatt Hirt (6-3, forward) and sophomore Steve Felton.

“We are going to have a chance to see what guys can do in varsity games,” Wallace said.

“We know we have guys from last year we can count on and make sure they are ready and fresh at the end of the games.

“The nice thing is guys like

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“It took guys a long time to see what they could do. If you looked at the last 10 games of the year and took the averages, I think it would be a little more fair.”

Linsly Boys Dec. 6: at Tyler Consolidated Dec. 7: Shadyside Dec. 11: at Trinity Dec. 14: Oak Glen* Dec. 19: Martins Ferry Dec. 21: St. John Dec. 22: Harrison Central ** Dec. 28: Trinity *** Dec. 29: TBA*** Jan. 5: at St. John Jan. 9: at Oak Glen Jan. 15: at Wheeling Central Jan. 18: at Cardinal Mooney Jan. 19: Logan Elm**** Jan. 22: at Shadyside Jan. 25: Wheeling Central Feb. 1: Madonna Feb. 5: at Weir Feb. 8: at Western Reserve Feb. 19: Musselman * at WesBanco Arena ** at OUE *** Undo’s Tournament at WJU **** at West Muskingum

Linsly coach James Wallace

Eli Petho and Wyatt Hirt and Dom Gorrence and Steve Felton, they don’t have a lot of basketball experience, but they are super-competitive kids. When they go into games, they are not going to try and do too much. They are going to do their role and do their job and give you that effort and attitude to at least keep the game even if not put us ahead.”

Despite one double-digit scorer returning, Wallace feels those numbers are deceiving.

“Last year Marshall would get 21 one night, then Hunter would 23, then Mikal Warfield-Payne would get 15 and 12 one night,” he said. “It took guys a long time to see what they could do. If you looked at the last 10 games of the year and took the averages, I think it would be a little more fair. Trevin didn’t start until halfway through the year and still got 10 a game.”

Last season the Cadets failed to make the OVAC Tournament.

Like always, that is the goal for a team that doesn’t have a state championship to play for.

Wallace feels this is a team, despite an always difficult schedule, can reach that goal.

“These guys have that greatness to them that will help them figure out those little plays before the game, whether it is a steal at end of the third and you get a bucket and you win the game by two,” Wallace said. “Our schedule is loaded up and we don’t really have an easy night. A nice thing is after the OVAC, we have the chance to play in a prep tournament. We will get to see where we stack up against guys that are recruited nationally and have high-end D-Is. “Our guys are looking forward to getting ready to play against guys that are going to be on TV next year.”

Wallace is assisted by Dave Koehler, Greg Martin and Mike Thomas.

Devils

Continued from Page 11

“A lot of them have been playing together since second grade. They’re such a hardworking group.”

Leading the way is Dakota Phillips. A 6-foot-3 guard/forward Phillips, averaged 10 points and five boards per game last season.

“He really tries to make things happen,” Jarrett said.

And, although he might be too aggressive, at times, Jarrett appreciates his enthusiasm and hopes he can contain it enough that it helps on the scoreboard.

“He just tries to get every inch he can,” Jarrett said. “He has tremendous leaping ability and looks to be one of our top rebounders.”

Wyatt Brown also averaged 10 points per game last winter. A 5-10 guard, Brown has steadily been improving his defensive presence on the court.

“He’s quick and has gotten a little taller and put on a little more weight,” Jarrett said. ‘He’s speedy and smart with the ball and sees the floor well. He has a good shot ... a nice 3-point shot.”

James Schegg (5-9, guard/forward)

12 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

offers “quickness,” while guard Matt Bertrand (5-4) brings another set of legs that will also help at the junior varsity level.

Spencer Jarrett (6-3), another junior, will help at forward/center. He averaged five points and 10 boards per game last season and hopes to have an injury-free campaign.

“I’d like for him to get a little more aggressive with the ball,” said Coach Jarrett, also his father. “He loves playing defense inside. He uses his frame well in there.”

Jarrett also has high hopes for another junior, Kollin Ludwig (5-10, guard/forward). Ludwig played just 11 games last season after transferring from Monroe Central.

He’s really picked it up on the defensive end and handles the ball very well,” Jarrett said.

Beallsville has height in a pair of 6-4 sophomores — Adam Baker and Toby Otto, both forwards/centers. Jarrett is also seeking contributions from freshman Brandon Louden (6-3, guard/forward).

Jarrett is assisted by Jeff Fluharty and Michael Maddy.

Cadets Girls Will Be Young, But Talented Group Only 12 Players, But Upton Says Quality 12

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — Three seniors, one junior, four sophomores, four freshmen.

That is the makeup of the Linsly girls roster this season and just looking at that would give most coaches cause for concern.

Not Cadets boss Rebecca Upton.

This is a talented group of basketball players that any coach would love to have and despite the small number of players — Linsly won’t field a jayvee team — the Cadets have three seniors have been looking forward to their leadership role for the young group.

After all, the three seniors know a little bit about being new to the Linsly program themselves.

Josie Purpura (5-foot-8, guard), Maddie Menendez (5-2, guard) and Sarah Heller (5-6 forward) joined the Linsly program last year after beginning their careers are Bishop Donahue.

Last season, Upton feels the trio were a little timid coming into the program. That has changed.

“They were really ready for that role, and maybe were ready for it last year,” Upton said. “I don’t think they wanted to step on toes. Last year, they were not the seniors and

Toronto Looks To Build Off Strong Finish

By AARON PETCHAL TORONTO — After a strong finish to last season, the Toronto girls basketball team is looking to carry that momentum into this season, as the Red Knights look to take the next step in the building of their program.

“We’re going to be tougher,” Toronto coach Rusty Hodgkiss said. “We are going to be mentally and physically tougher.

We worked on that the whole spring. We are going to be disciplined. Hopefully, that translates into good things. We can’t wait until we are down 22-0 to decide to start playing. We are going to be mentally tougher.”

Toronto ended last season with a record of 8-15, but the Red Knights showed improvement during the course of the season, and the girls were playing good basketball at the end.

“I am happy with how the season ended,” Hodgkiss said. “We got a lot better

new to the school and I think they were hesitant, even though I was encouraging them.

“All three of them have been waiting for that to be their role. They each do it in different ways which is also good. Sarah Heller is very vocal, talking and leading defensively. Josie is more of a doer, talks more in off-the-court stuff and pushing the girls to make sure they are making good decisions on every level academically. Maddie is leader by example. She is feisty and fiery and winning sprints. It is a nice three-person combination.”

Purpura will start for the Cadets after leading the team last season with 12.8 points per game.

Right behind her was a stellar sophomore in Charlie Allison.

The younger sister of former Cadets standout Vivian Allison, Charlie had some big shoes to fill and more than held her own. The 5-11 guard averaged 12.3 points, eight rebounds and 1.3 steals.

“We need Charlie to score,” Upton said.

“She plays AAU and the biggest thing with her is that she has matured a lot. Freshman year is rough, especially when you come into a system replacing her big sister and we did expect a lot of her.

“We can have a lot of different conversations and she has been really positive and works hard.”

Freshman center Carleigh Grimm is the team’s tallest player at 6-foot.

Toronto Girls Nov. 29: at St. John Dec. 3: Wellsville Dec. 6: at United Dec. 7: Oak Glen Dec. 10: East Palestine Dec. 13: at Lisbon Dec. 15: at Steub. Catholic Dec. 17: at Columbiana Dec. 20: Leetonia Dec. 27: Edison Jan. 4: at Southern Local Jan. 5: Edison Jan. 7: at Wellsville Jan. 10: United Jan. 14: Lisbon Jan. 16: Steub. Catholic Jan. 17: at East Palestine Jan. 24: Columbiana Jan. 28: at Leetonia Jan. 31: Southern Local

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as the season went on. We made a lot of progress. Coach (Joe) Dunlevy told me it is hard to teach a motion offense, but it is great when the kids get it. The kids are getting it. They are getting better with it.”

Toronto lost four seniors in Gina Fogle (7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game), Jenna Leasure (3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds), Sydney Taggart (1.4 points) and Sam Swearingen (0.2 points) from last year’s team. The Red Knights also lost Sara Yarosz (2.6 points and 3.7 rebounds) Please see Toronto, Page 16

Linsly Girls Nov. 29: Brooke Tournament Nov. 30: Brooke Tournament Dec. 3: Warren Dec. 5: St. John Dec. 6: at River Dec. 8: Magnolia Dec. 10: Shadyside Dec. 12: at Buckeye Local Dec. 15: Madonna Dec. 20: at Shadyside Dec. 21: at Wheeling Central Jan. 7: at Harrison Central Jan. 9: at Madonna Jan. 10: at Steub. Catholic Jan. 14: at Magnolia Jan. 16: Wheeling Central Jan. 21: at Beallsville Jan. 24: River Jan. 28: at Warren Feb. 2: at St. John

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Despite the lack of height, Upton is not worried because they plan to play fast.

“Yes and no,” Upton said. “We have Carleigh and Charlie is no tiny girl, being 5-11 for a guard. We are a completely different team so the things we are doing on the court are going to be completely different as well.

“The last two years, we have been more of a walk the ball up, half-court team because of numbers and personnel. That is not my scene. I’d rather get going a little bit and we have the personnel now to do that. We are pushing the ball in transition, running spread offenses. Run what works for you.”

Sophomores Brinley Steen (5-7) and

Molly Heron (5-9) will likely start with one of them being the primary point guard.

Freshman Haley Heitz (5-3) is the team’s lone true point guard and the ball will be in her hands when she is on the court.

Johni Lech (5-7, forward) is the lone junior. Sophomore Lourdes Giovengo and freshmen Carol Song (5-6, guard) and Abby Monk (5-6, guard) round out the roster.

“They are going to get great experience and that will be great for our future,” Upton said of her young roster. “We only have 12, but I feel our quality increased. Last year we had 14 on the roster, maybe only went seven or eight deep. This year we feel can go maybe all 12 so that makes it fun.”

The Cadets opened last season with a thumping at the hands of eventual state champion Wheeling Central. Upton knows the schedule will be challenging, but a better start could go a long way into determining if this team returns to the OVAC Tournament.

“That is the goal,” Upton said. “Not just my goal, but their goal. They have already been talking and know what it is going to take to get there. Every day is working toward that and we are going to have to work hard. There are really good teams in Class 3A and we know that. Hopefully our scheduling will help us get prepared.”

Upton, entering her third season as coach of the Cadets, is assisted by Rebekah Martin.

Red Knights Return Intact Toronto Looks To Make Deep Postseason Run

By AARON PETCHAL TORONTO — The Toronto boys basketball team is looking to build off of last season’s success, as the Red Knights are looking to make a deep run into the postseason.

Toronto ended last season with a record of 16-7, including a first-place finish in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference.

“We try to look back on last year without many regrets,” Toronto coach Sean Tucker said. “We definitely see there were some letdowns. There were some letdowns scoring-wise, and that falls on the coach. That falls on me. As a coach, I have to get them ready to

Toronto Boys Nov. 30: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4: Wellsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at United 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: East Palestine 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: at Lisbon 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Columbiana 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: Leetonia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: Marlington 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 2: Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Southern Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Wellsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: United 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at East Palestine 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Malvern 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Lisbon 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Columbiana 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Leetonia 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: Southern Local 7:30 p.m. * at Steubenville

play. At times, we just could not score.

“We have to have the kids prepared for games and for game situations. The kids need to be prepared. I look back at the games against River and Malvern. I look back on last year as a coach,

and the kids have to be ready to play every game.

As a coach, I have to get them ready to play. I need to do a better job of that. I need to have them more prepared. The better prepared for games they are, the better they will be prepared for game situations.”

The majority of the team returns from last season, as Jake Keenan is the only senior the Red Knights lost.

“Our strength is we have a really good nucleus,” Tucker said. “I have been coaching for 13 years. This is an extremely fun group to be around. They like to have fun. They all get along.

They look after each other.

They fight like brothers. Our motto is family. We come together like a family day in and day out.”

Please see Red Knights, Page 19

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 13

Blue Eagles Are ‘By Far’ Magnolia Girls Seeking Tallman’s Youngest Team Return to Charleston

By TRACY WATSON NEW MARTINSVILLE — Veteran Magnolia coach Dave Tallman has been to the top of the mountain with his Blue Eagles and he has gone through struggles over the years as well.

However, this season will bring a new challenge as Tallman welcomes his youngest team “by far” with just a pair of seniors and only a handful of kids that have any varsity starting experience.

“No question this is the youngest team I have had to deal with at Magnolia,” Tallman said. “But we are not going to back off our goals even with so many kids battling for positions and playing time.

“The kids have brought a good attitude and are working hard and what we actually want to do is feed off of the success our fall sports teams like golf, volleyball and football have had.

“It’s been a pretty solid start to the sports year here and while we may be a work in progress starting out, I am hopeful that by midseason good things will start to happen for us and we will be all right.”

There are three returning lettermen on the roster, all three who will probably be in the starting lineup on opening night. Leading the way is 6-foot-1 senior power forward/center Eli Nice. The remaining two are 6-1 junior guard Jake Gamble, who had

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Magnolia Boys

Dec. 4: at Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: Ritchie County 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Whg Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Williamstown 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at River

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Jan. 12: at Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at Valley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Tyler Cons. 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Tyler Tournament TBA Jan. 22: Wheeling Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: Tyler Consolidated 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Valley

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Jan. 29: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: River

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Feb. 5: Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Madonna

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Feb. 19: at St. Marys 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22: at Ravenswood 7:30 p.m.

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high expectations last year before having his season end early with an injury, and 5-11 sophomore forward Silas McKeever, one of at least four football players on the roster.

The remaining two starters are likely to be 6-4 junior post Trenton Scheibelhood and 5-8 freshman guard Trevor Williamson, who Tallman says is a great shooter and ball-handler.

A group of six will see much of the remainder of playing time and will be a young bunch in sophiomores Chase Glover (6-2, forward), Levi Cecil (5-10, guard) and Gavin Postlethwait (6-2, forward).

Freshmen are Damon Shimp

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(6-2, forward), Marcus Barnes (5-8, guard), Brendon Mirandy (5-5, guard) and Drew Clegg (5-5, guard).

The balance of roster could include junior Geoffery Shafer, sophomores Landon Woodson and Griffin Wells and freshman Sam Mensore.

Tallman admits that there is a possibility there could be a few more football players trickle over after Big Blue’s successful playoff run.

Leo Herrick, who has walked on at Wheeling Jesuit University, was the team leader last year for a team that fell to St. Marys in the first round of the sectional.

Mark Blair and Larry West return as Tallman’s top assistant coaches.

“As always our first goal will be to win an Ohio Valley Athletic Conference title,” Tallman said. “And we are in a difficult position there being a Class A team in the state and AAA in the conference, but it is still a very obtainable goal.

“We like to play the big boys, but some of the bigger schools just don’t want to play Class A teams and that makes it a little tough.

“Our sectional is very competitive, and we need to be able to compete against those teams. The main goal every year is to get to Charleston.

I would really be tickled to knock on the door down there this year and then kick it in next year with a little more experience.

“The early season schedule is interesting with a stretch of six away games, but later in the season we return home for seven in a row. By that time, I want to be playing decent basketball, especially with that home run starting with Wheeling Central.

“Our Rotary Challenge this season will be on January 26 and we will play Valley while Central, who we usually play will take on a very good Williamstown team. It’s good basketball, a six-game event with two girls’ games and four boys that will go all day long.”

Many Hoops Players Tasted Success as Part Of Volleyball Champs

By TRACY WATSON NEW MARTINSVILLE — Coming off the school’s first state champion in volleyball earlier this month and with three returning starters that capped a great season with a run to Charleston last season, Coach Meredith Pilant and her Magnolia girls’ basketball team are ready to roll into the 2018-19 campaign.

A pair of those returning starters were key members of the volleyball team, one a returning first team Class A all-stater and the other a third-teamer.

“We have a great season last year and we are hoping to use what the volleyball team did to transfer right over into our season,” Pilant said. “I think everybody knows that we have some pretty high expectations heading into the season.”

Leading the way is 6-foot junior forward Kyndra Pilant, who’s numbers more than made her an automatic choice for first team all-state a season ago. Pilant averaged 15 points, 16 rebounds, nearly five blocks and four steals a game as a mere sophomore.

Her partner in the paint is 6-2 sophomore center/forward Mady Winters, who had reverse numbers of 16 points and 15 rebounds a night to go along with three blocks as a freshman.

The other returning starter is junior Sierra Walker (5-3, guard), who averaged six a night. The remaining two spots will most likely be filled by sophomore Lenieca Grimm (5-6, guard), the sixth-man last year and one of the best defensive players on the squad, and senior Aquera Cabral (5-5, guard).

“Something that we are very proud of is that we won the rebounding battle in every single game we played in last year,” Meredith Pilant said. “And Kyndra set a school record with 27 in a game. The girls really get frustrated when they don’t think they are rebounding well.

“Kyndra and Mady are dominant forces in the paint and teams notice that and packit-in once in a while. That is why Grimm and Walker will be so big hitting key shots from the outside like they did a season ago, to bring the defense back out.

“Walker and Grimm are two of our best defenders as well and will be big contributors on both sides of the ball. They really help keep us going and I am looking for them to really step it up on offense this season.

Juniors Raegan Hale (5-9, forward) and Lara Ann Smith (5-8, guard) will see plenty of playing time while seniors Olivia Men-

14 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Magnolia Girls

Dec. 5: at Paden City

Dec. 8: at Linsly

Dec. 10: St. Marys Dec. 13: at Beallsville

Dec. 15: River

Dec. 18: Wheeling Central

Dec. 21: Tyler Consolidated

Dec. 28: at Cameron

Jan. 3: at Wheeling Central

Jan. 7: at River

Jan. 12: Ritchie County Jan. 14: Linsly

Jan. 17: at Tyler Consolidated Jan. 19: at Tyler Tournament Jan. 21: at Valley Jan. 26: Valley

Jan. 28: Paden City

Jan. 31: at Ritchie County

Feb. 2: at Madonna

Feb. 13: Cameron

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sore (5-7, guard) and Gabby Cecil (5-8, forward) will also have their opportunities to shine.

Coach Pilant also points out that there are a couple of quality freshmen that will be vying for varsity playing time and to round out the roster.

The lone senior lost from last year’s team was Logan Riggs, who Pilant called the heart and soul of that squad.

“These girls have experience and a great desire to compete and continue to grow, which I think will make us even a better team as the season goes on,” Pilant said.

“There are also a lot of younger girls coming in with different abilities and everyone is buying in to what we are doing here.

“We got a taste of the state tournament last year and with our desire to compete and leadership we hope to go even further this time around.

“As the coach I see our weaknesses and I know some of the things that teams were able to take advantage of last year and we our doing our best to fill those gaps. We worked very hard this offseason and we want to play a physical and difficult schedule to see just where we match-up with teams.

“I think the biggest thing for us is staying humble, healthy and hungry. The goal is to get better each day and win each night.

These girls would love the chance to get back to Charleston and erase the sting of last year.

“We have seven girls back and a few new additions. This is going to be a strong unit and they are going to be successful as long as they continue putting the work in.”

Former Magnolia standout Mark Winters returns as Pilant’s assistant.

Bowman Back to Lead Bruins in Senior Season

By CODY TOMER WELLSBURG — The Brooke girls’ basketball program had a breakout 2017-18 season, but didn’t finish the way it had planned.

A loss in the Class AAA Region One, Section One Tournament was its fate but Coach Ryan Scherich was happy with the turnaround campaign.

“We turned the corner that we were building from the year before when we were just under .500,” Scherich said. “We won 14 or 15 games last year and it was the season we were waiting for.”

Despite the success, the number of players taking the court for the Bruins this year has decreased from 20 to 14.

“Last year was our first winning season in 13 or 14 years,” Scherich said. “I figured a winning record would drum up some interest but it kind of went the other way.

“What’s nice to see, though, is the amount of middle school girls we have playing, so that is something to build on.”

Four key losses from last season’s squad came via graduation as Grace Dodson, Kylie Byers, Marissa Elliott and Aleigha Edgar picked up their diplomas after solid careers.

“They understood their roles,” Scherich said. “They knew what they brought to the team and they just wanted to win. They bought in and they can go out and say that they

were a part of the first team to win at Brooke in a long time.”

All eyes entering this season at Brooke are focused on the 6-foot-3 center, Hope Bowman, who is entering her senior season.

Bowman received second team allstate honors a year ago after averaging a double-double consisting of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

“Hope is drumming up some Division II interest, a couple of Division I programs and a bunch of Division III programs,” Scherich said. “She is a hard worker and she put in her time during travel ball over the summer.

“Coaches have called me and say that they saw her play in tournaments.

I don’t know her plans for college yet but she will definitely make us go.”

Joining Bowman on the court this year is fellow senior Chloe Fox, who was last year’s No. 3 top scorer.

“I call her the glue,” Scherich said, “She rebounds, steals the ball and plays ball like it’s meant to be played.

She is a big part of us.

“She averaged between nine and 10 points a game last year.”

The Bruins will be without Ashley Arca for the majority of the season after blowing out her knee in AAU ball over the summer.

“Ashley might be back in the beginning of February,” Scherich said.

“Her first diagnosis said she would return in mid-March but she is ahead

Brooke Girls Nov. 29: Brooke Tip Off Nov. 30: Consolation Final Dec. 5: John Marshall Dec. 10: Wheeling Park Dec. 12: Steubenville Dec. 15: Weir Dec. 19: Morgantown Dec. 28: at Buchannon-Upshur Jan. 3: at John Marshall Jan. 5: at Beaver Local Jan. 8: at University Jan. 10: at Oak Glen Jan. 12: Parkersburg South Jan. 14: at Wheeling Park Jan. 17: at Steubenville Jan. 19: at Weir Jan. 23: St. Clairsville Jan. 31: at Indian Creek Feb. 14: Indian Creek

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of schedule. I’d love for her to play her last couple of games before the playoffs but we want to make sure she is healthy.”

Rounding out the senior class for Brooke are Chrissy Byers and Brittany Burch.

Natalie Ryan is the lone junior, while sophomores Madison Buxton, Brenna Weir, Haylee Okban and Lydia Buckmelter will look to make a big impact on the floor.

Four newcomers to the program could also be key factors right away.

The freshman class consists of Emilee Knorr, Madison Platt, Shaylee Grougs and Hayley Fadse.

“Our freshmen are probably going to play a lot for us,” Scherich said.

“Madison Platt and Emilee Knorr will see some varsity action as freshmen.”

Nine Seniors Dot Big Red Roster

By ED LOOMAN STEUBENVILLE — Mike Haney welcomed back plenty of familiar faces when Steubenville’s boys basketball team hit the floor for preseason practices.

Haney, who’s entering his 11th campaign as Big Red’s court boss, has nine seniors on his varsity roster. Five of them earned letters last season when Steubenville went 14-10, qualified for the OVAC Class 4A Tournament and dropped a heartbreaking 79-75 decision to New Philadelphia in the Division II sectional finals.

Gone from the 2017-2018 squad via graduation are DaJuan Jones, Javon Davis, Abe Zane and Davon Smith. Also not with the squad is Kevin Bishop, who averaged nine points a game as a junior.

“We’re definitely senior heavy,” Haney said. “Most of the seniors have been with us for several years, and they understand

what we want to accomplish. That’s certainly a plus.

“Senior leadership means a lot to our program, and I’m hoping our guys are ready to step up and lead the program. We also believe this class of seniors can provide us with plenty of point production, and that’s something we need to improve on versus last year.”

The seniors are guard Josh Zimmerman, center James Roundtree IV, forward Ryan Rauch, forward Nico Bracone, forward Jorian Jones, center Jacob Clevenger, guard Ethan Duggan, guard Carlo Biasi and guard Jordan Wallace. Zimmerman, Roundtree IV, Rauch, Bracone and Jones earned letters as juniors.

The 6-foot-2 Zimmerman averaged 11.5 points per game along with 3.7 assists.

Please see Big Red, Page 18

Steubenville Boys Dec. 4: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: at Minerva 5 p.m.

Dec. 18: John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Buckeye 8 challenge TBA Dec. 27: Marlington TBA Dec. 28: Martins Ferry TBA Jan. 3: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: at John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Meadowbrook 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22: New Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.

Mel Coleman To Guide Brooke

By CODY TOMER WELLSBURG—Coaching is in Mel Coleman’s blood.

So, when Brooke came calling, he decided to come out of retirement and give it another go.

“I just enjoy the challenge of coaching,” Coleman said.

“I love encouraging and motivating athletes to do their best with the abilities that they have.”

Coleman began his coaching career in the late 1960s as the head coach of Madonna.

He also spent time at Wintersville and was the head coach of Norfolk State in the late 1990s.

His latest coaching stint was from 2000-2003 at the helm of Maple Heights near Cleveland.

He returns to a Brooke squad that fell to John Marshall in a sectional semifinal last year under Cameron Koehler.

Coleman will have his hands full after the program lost eight seniors to graduation, a list that includes guards Justin Shelton, Justin Pennybacker and Chuckie Wellman; forwards Evan Cuomo, Joey Georgy and Michael Spitak and centers Garrett Pauls and Tripp Moore.

With those key players gone, finding experience on the court could be a difficult task.

“We are trying to develop players,” Coleman said. “This year’s team hasn’t been tested yet but they have been working hard. They have a lot of enthusiasm and heart on the floor.

“We’re just trying to do the best we can with what we have to operate with.”

Filling the void left by last year’s seniors won’t be easy but Coleman got a pleasant surprise when he heard that a talented senior in Gage Yost would be returning to the club this season.

“Yost hasn’t played basketball since his freshman year,” Coleman said. “But he has been working extremely hard and we are excited to see what he can do this year.”

Brooke Boys

Dec. 4: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at Oak Glen 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 18: Park. South 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 21: at John Marshall 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 28-29: Brooke Tourn. 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 2: Wheeling Park 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: John Marshall 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Ripley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Nitro 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: Indian Creek 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 18: Weir 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 22: at Wheeling Park 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Morgantown 7:15 p.m.

Feb. 1: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: University 7:15 p.m.

Feb. 8: Steubenville 7:15 p.m.

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Another senior that comes back is guard Logan Williams, who could give the Bruins a boost in experience.

“He played a lot last year,” Coleman said. “He could definitely make an impact for us this year.”

Forwards Aleksey Rusz and Jimmy Willis saw action last season as juniors and could bring leadership to the team in their senior campaigns.

Other seniors looking to help lift the Bruins to victory are Anthony Pannett and Austin Miller.

The junior class consists of Dylan Silver, Alex Lilly and Nick Brown; sophomores include Blaise Buckmelter, Andrew Coursin, Dalton Anderson and Isaac Lippoli, while freshmen Alex Isinghood, Ryan Knox, Cole Sperlazza and Kent Orban hope to take over key roles in their first year.

Despite a lack of experience, Coleman expects to see improvement out of his young team.

“I don’t work at anything to lose,” Coleman said. “So, we are going to do our best to win. That is my objective.

“It’s a tough road for us.

John Marshall is going to be good, along with Wheeling Park, Parkersburg South, Morgantown and University.”

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 15

Toronto

Continued from Page 13

Though they lost some key players, the Red Knights do return some talented players this season.

There are 16 girls in the program, and nine will see significant varsity time.

The momentum built last season has carried over so far into this year, as the Red Knights had some really good practices as of mid-November.

“We have had a phenomenal two or three weeks,” Hodgkiss said. “We are in our third week. Our practices have been great. This is the best preseason and the best practices we have ever had since I have been here.”

Toronto will be relying on its four seniors — point guard Jo’Zaeyah Jordan (11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.8 steals per game last year), shooting guard Bianca McDonald (9.4 points, 5.5

rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals), post player Kiara Smith (1.2 points and 1.9 rebounds) and shooting guard Madisson Roach (1.5 points).

“Jo’Zaeyah will be our primary ballhandler,” Hodgkiss said. “Bianca will be our two-guard. Madisson is a two-guard. Kiara will be a post player for us. She is hurt right now. She has her foot in a boot.”

The two juniors on the roster are Isabelle Leasure and Chloe Swickard.

The Red Knights also will be relying heavily on their sophomore class this season. The sophomores are point guard Kendal Thomas (4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game last year), post player Maddie Anderson (4.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 2.3 steals), small forward Rley Kinsey (2.4 points,

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2.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.5 steals), Jensyn Jackson (shooting guard) Kennedy Cottrell (utility), post player Kianna Beckwith (2.4 rebounds) and Libby Grimes (post, guard/ forward).

“She is our Swiss Army knife,” Hodgkiss said about Cottrell. “She can play the post. She can play the wing. She can do whatever necessary.”

Thomas, Anderson and Kinsey all lettered last season as freshmen. This year’s freshmen are Abbey Liddick (guard), Taylie Thomas (guard) and Leah Price (post).

“We will rely on our seniors and sophomores,” Hodgkiss said. “I expect our freshmen to push for playing time. I want to ease them into it.”

Though Toronto will be relying on several younger players this season, Hodgkiss is not concerned about it heading into the season.

“It is not a concern,” Hodgkiss said. “We have five returning lettermen.

We want to have nine girls see significant minutes this season. We are young, but we are experienced.

Jo’Zaeyah and Bianca are four-year varsity players.

We have experience. We do have some young girls.

They may be a little immature.

“The kids put in a ton of work in in the offseason.

You want them to buy in.

You want them to have a stake in it. You want them to be invested. They worked on their game in the spring. They worked on their shooting and their ball handling. They played 1-on-1. We wanted them to shoot 30,000 shots, and they did that. We had a full turnout at our summer league games. We had 14-16 girls at our summer league games.”

The Red Knights have a good group of leaders on the team.

“Jo’Zaeyah is real qui-

et,” Hodgkiss said. “She is almost shy. Bianca is more of a vocal leader, and Kiara and Madisson are also vocal leaders. Jo has been our best player. The other kids look up to her. When she says something, the other girls really listen.”

Defensively, Toronto will continue to pressue the ball and play aggressive.

“Defesnively, we are doing what we always do,” Hodgkiss said. “Everybody knows that. We are going to pressure. We are going to play man. It is not a big secret. If we came out in zone in our first game, I think they would cancel the game and everyone would go home.

“We have worked hard on rebounding. We have struggled rebounding the ball. When we have struggled, the other team would just shoot until they scored. We have speed, and we want to use our speed. We want to push the ball up the court and score in transition. You cannot do that if you can’t rebound.”

The Red Knights may be a little small, but they are quick on the court.

“I think our strength will probably be our ball movement,” Hodgkiss said. “We are really small, but we can shoot the ball a lot better.”

This season is Toronto’s last as a member of the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference.

“We have home-andhome games against Edison and Catholic Central,” Hodgkiss said. “Those are our rivalry games. Hopefully, we can do a better job in our rivalry games against Central and Edison.

We were 0-4 against our rivals. Wellsville is another rival. We got them twice last year. We have to hold up our end of the bargain.

They are not much of a rivalry when you always get beat.”

Hodgkiss will be assisted by Cathie Thomas this season.

16 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

JM Hopes To Build Off Rare Winning Season Clutter Enters 3rd Season At His Alma Mater

By CODY TOMER GLEN DALE—In his second year as head coach at John Marshall, Chad Clutter felt that last season was a stepping stone for the boys’ basketball program.

The Monarchs won nine more games last season than they did before, finishing with a 13-12 record. They also fell one game short of reaching the state tournament with a 79-42 defeat at the hands of University in the Class AAA Region One co-final.

“Last season was Year 2 for me as the head coach and it will be remembered as the group who helped JM basketball turn the corner,” Clutter said. “They produced a winning record, our first in several years.”

Gone from last year’s squad are five seniors, including 1,000 point scorer Gunner Thompson, who ranks second on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Having a talent such as Thompson on the floor was a great benefit to the John Marshall offense, but finding someone to take over for him and that senior class is easier said than done.

“It is hard to tell who is going to shine this year due to losing five seniors,” Clutter said. “Hopefully, we will become one of those teams where we are difficult to guard because each player is committed to building a team.”

Before falling in the Region One co-final, the Monarchs fell to Wheeling Park for the sectional championship, but Clutter is aiming to flip the script

John Marshall Boys

Dec. 8: at Fort Frye 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: University 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Preston 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: Fort Frye 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Morgantown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at Park. South 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: at Ripley 5 p.m.

Feb. 2: at Cambridge 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: Weir 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 21: at Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Mike McCoy State Farm Moundsville, WV 304-845-7660

this year.

“My expectations for this team is for them to learn to play more as a team throughout the regular season,” Clutter said. “I want them to be ready to challenge Brooke and Park for a sectional championship.”

Three players who will be expected to carry the load left behind from Thompson and last year’s senior class include seniors Bryce Yoho (6-foot-5) and Tyler Sadoski (6-0), along with sophomore Derrick Derrow (6-0).

The seven members of the senior class also consists of Devin Norris (60), Mickey Reilly (6-5), Sean Fitzpatrick (5-10), Aaron Reid (6-0) and Ryan Campbell (5-6), a standout on the golf team.

There is not a lot of youth on the varsity roster, which is rounded out by four juniors in Adam Miller (6-3), Peyton Berner (6-5), Isac Babiczuk (6-2) and Zach Bishop (5-6).

Monarchs Hope Late-Season Flurry Carries Over Straughn Averaged 20.3 Points Per Game, Netted 55 3s

By CODY TOMER GLEN DALE—John Marshall girls coach Brock Melko saw last season as a building block for the upcoming campaign.

The Monarchs started out 1-10 last year but caught fire as the season progressed and finished with 10 wins and a spot in a regional co-final.

Now, Melko’s group looks to grow from that learning experience and put together a solid year.

“I’m hoping that we used last year as a building season for this year,” Melko said. “We kind of found our footing in January and ended up winning 10 games and made it to the regional finals.

“The biggest thing for us was the chance for our younger girls to get experience and learn

Good Luck Monarchs

FAX:304-845-9491

J&D Ked’s

what it takes to compete with ohn the teams that we play against.

Hopefully, we can build on that momentum down the stretch.” arshall The Monarchs will go on this season without three leaders irls 7:30 p.m. from last year who picked up Nov. 30: Wheeling Park Dec. 5: at Brooke 7:30 p.m. diplomas.

Dec. 10: at Cambridge 7:30 p.m.

11: Musselman 2:30 p.m.

Kenzie Bauer, Ivy Henderson Dec. Dec. 15: Steubenville 1:30 p.m. and 1,000-point scorer Avery Dec. 19: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

20: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Derrow were all lost to gradu- Dec. Dec. 22: Ripley 1:30 p.m. ation.

Dec. 29: St. Clairsville * 4:15 p.m.

3: Brooke 7:30 p.m Derrow averaged 14.6 points Jan. Jan. 9: at Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m. a game and 5.1 rebounds a Jan. 12: Jefferson 2 p.m.

16: University 7:30 p.m. game on her way to capturing Jan. Jan. 19: at Preston 5:45 p.m.

All-OVAC and all-state honor- Jan. 21: at Morgantown 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: Weir 7:30 p.m. able mention honors.

Jan. 26: at Ripley 1:30 p.m.

Despite losing such great tal- Jan. 28: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

31: Parkersburg South 7:30 p.m. ent, Melko feels he could have Jan. Feb. 2: at Buckhannon-Upshur 2:30 p.m several players who can team up * at Buckeye Local to get points on the board this Mike McCoy year.

“I think what we learned over State Farm the summer is that we are at our Moundsville, WV best when we are feeding off 304-845-7660 of each other,” Melko said. “I feel that we are going to have four or five girls who can score harder to prepare against.”

10 points a game. It’s easier Leading that group is senior to coach when you have multi- Shay Straughn, who turned in ple girls who can score and it’s 20.3 points, 3.2 steals and 4.3

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rebounds a game. She also netted 55 3-pointers on her way to earning All-OVAC and third team all-state accolades.

“Shay has been one of our leading scorers for a couple years now,” Melko said. “She has just been getting better and better.

“I’ve heard coaches say that ‘when your best players are your hardest workers, that’s the best thing a coach can ask for.’

That’s the best thing that she does. You can count on her to come in and work and that sets a ripple effect for the rest of the team.

“She plays hard on defense, she can score and she can get to the line. She is just a complete player.”

Joining Straughn as JM’s scoring threats are twin sisters Abby and Anna Blake, who will both play guard positions, along with senior Kaitlyn Groves.

All three have made appearances in state tournaments in other sports (Abby and Anna

Blake in softball and Groves in volleyball) and will look to accomplish that same goal in basketball.

“Those girls play their butts off for us throughout the entire game,” Melko said. “Playing for state championships helps them on the court.

“They have brought that winning culture to the basketball team and they have worked hard, too.

“They came in before school in the offseason getting shots up and again late at night trying to improve their form. They have put in a ton of time and hopefully that pays off.”

The third senior suiting up for the Monarchs this year is Megan Stocklask, along with juniors Camryn Blair and Justice Fincham.

Lakyn Groves is the lone sophomore and the freshman class consists of Landyn Helms and Catherine Hunnell.

Joining Melko on the sidelines are his assistant coaches Curt Mele and Beth Blake.

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2). Illegal Dumping. Someone that is dumping any substance down a catch basin or curb drain along the streets, ditch or stream. Remember “Only rain down the drain” 3). An illicit discharge. Water leaving a Stormwater outlet pipe during dry weather. This may indicate that a building is connected to an incorrect pipe.

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Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 17

Big Red

Continued from Page 15

Roundtree, who stands 6-3, scored 11.1 points per game and hauled down 6.7 rebounds. They both earned AllOVAC and District 5 Division II honors.

“We’ll definitely be leaning heavily on those two guys this season,” Haney said. “We expect big things out of them, and they both worked hard at improving their games during the offseason.”

Haney also said Rauch could be a key contributor for Big Red this season.

“He really came on for us during the second half the season,” Haney said. “He had some good games in the tournament, and we’ll be looking for him to really contribute during his senior season.”

Big Red’s other returning letterwinner is 6-4 junior forward Calvin Bickerstaff. He averaged five points and five rebounds per game as a sophomore.

“Like Zimmerman and Roundtree, he was a starter for us last year,” Haney said. “He has a load of potential. We expect him to continue to develop and play a key role for us this year.”

Haney describes his team with some height and a lot of length.

In addition to Zimmerman, Roundtree and Bickerstaff, Big Red’s roster also includes Jones at 6-5, Clevenger at 6-5 and Bracone at 6-2.

“We have some height, and we have a lot of guys with long arms,” Haney, the fourth winningest coach in Big Red basketball history, said. “That should really help us defensively. We should be able to deflect passes, get some steals and then go score in transition” Juniors Ryan Kelley and Trillyun Jones round out Haney’s varsity roster.

Haney-coached teams have developed a reputation for playing an up-tempo style, and that again will be the case this season.

“We want to push the basketball and put pressure on the defense by attacking the rim,” he said. “We’ll look to score in the paint when we can, but we’ll also be looking for the outside shot.

“We want to get out and push the ball, but we want to be under control when that happens. We don’t want to just run for the sake of running and throw the ball away.”

Zimmerman will be the primary point guard, with Rauch, Biasi, Wallace and Duggan, who returned to Big Red after

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a year at St. Clairsville, also seeing time.

“I feel pretty good about our guards from a ball-handling standpoint,” Haney said.

“We have guys who can handle the ball and also be scoring threats.”

Haney will be assisted by Anthony Saccoccia and Brian Pruitt.

Big Red’s first scrimmage left Haney feeling pretty positive about this team.

“We scrimmaged Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, and we looked pretty good,” he said. “Our guys really got after it, and that’s something I really like to see, especially early on.”

After competing in the OVAC Class 4A ranks a season ago, Big Red was moved to Class 5A this school year.

That change prompted Haney to do a little tinkering with his schedule.

“We tried to get more games with other OVAC schools,” he said. “With our move to 5A, we will need to get more conference points in order to make the top four and earn a home game in the first round. Class 5A is extremely competitive, so it will be beneficial for us to play a firstround game at home.

“As usual, it’s a difficult, challenging schedule. Like every team, we want to be playing our best basketball when tournament time rolls around in March.”

Weir is back on the Big Red schedule, and Haney’s club will face Union Local in the annual Buckeye 8 Challenge played on the campus of Ohio University Eastern.

Steubenville will play Alliance Marlington and Martins Ferry in the fourth annual Chuck Watt/John Nese Holiday Classic scheduled for Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.

“The goals for our program continue to be work hard and get better every day,” Haney said. “We want to run an up-tempo offense, get after it, play great defense, put pressure on the ball and look to score in transition.

“We want to play fastpaced basketball. We like to get the ball up the floor quickly and look for the best shots possible. Our game again will be all about this — go score.”

Lombardo Feels Big Red Girls Deep, Athletic

By ED LOOMAN STEUBENVILLE — Jeff Lombardo is dealing with a good problem as he prepares his Steubenville girls team for the season.

“We have a lot of girls who can play and deserve varsity minutes,” said Lombardo, who is entering his fourth season on the Big Red bench. “They all specialize in different parts of the game, and that gives us plenty of versatility and flexibility.

“This team is deep and athletic. Plus, we have girls who take plenty of pride in their work on the defensive end.”

Last season, Big Red went 8-15 and fell to Beaver Local, 50-45, in Division II sectional play. Lombardo’s club did qualify for the OVAC Class 4A Tournament.

Gone from that club are Seana Ragusa and Sarah Brown.

Lombardo has eight letterwinners returning to his 10-girl varsity rotation.

Leading the way is talented sophomore Makayla Abram. As a freshman, the 5-foot-10 Abram averaged 15 points per game. She was a second team All-Eastern District Division II selection and an honorable mention All-Ohio choice.

“Obviously, she’s a year older and she learned so much as a freshman,” Lombardo said. “She had a solid offseason with her AAU team and really worked to improve her all-around game. There’s no doubt she is ready to take her game to an even higher level this season.”

Also back is two-year letterwinner Madison Fields, a 5-10 junior. Fields was responsible for 11.5 points per game as a sophomore. She earned special mention all-Eastern District honors.

“Madison is starting to turn into a basketball player,” Lombardo said. “She’s had success because she has worked so hard. Now, she really is starting to develop her basketball skills. She put on a lot of muscle in the offseason and takes so much pride in owning the paint.”

Abram and Fields both scored 15 points in a tournament loss to Beaver Local.

Seniors Leah Ferguson, a point guard, and Makayla Crownover, a shooting guard, also won letters during the 201718 campaign. Ferguson stepped into a starting role after not playing during her sophomore year.

“Last year was Leah’s first year back, and it seems the game is starting to slow down for her,” Lombardo said. “She has shown plenty of improvement and has worked extremely hard.

“As seniors, Leah and Makayla are great leaders by example. They go 110

18 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Steubenville Girls Nov. 29: at Martins Ferry Dec. 3: at Buckeye Local Dec. 6: Weir Dec. 10: Harrison Central Dec. 12: at Brooke Dec. 15: at John Marshall Dec. 17: at East Liverpool Dec. 20: Youngstown East Dec. 27: Oak Glen Dec. 28: Steub. Catholic Jan. 3: at Weir Jan. 11: Indian Creek Jan. 12: Buckeye Local Jan. 14: Imani Christian Academy Jan. 17: Brooke Jan. 21: at Harrison Central Jan. 24: at Oak Glen Jan. 28: St. Clairsville Jan. 31: Bellaire Feb. 14: at Steub. Catholic

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TBA TBA 7:30 p.m.

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percent during every drill and at every practice.”

Big Red’s other returning letterwinners are juniors Anaiya Minniefield (guard/ forward) and guard Myla Gulan, who is a deadly shooter, along with sophomores Anna Tayler (guard) and Mary Marshall, who will see time as both a guard and a forward.

Junior Sydney LaRue will serve as a backup post player, while sophomore Aubrey Thompson will back up Ferguson at point guard. LaRue missed half of last season with an injury, while Thompson was out of action because of a back injury.

“As far as those six go, Gulan is our 3-point threat, and we have three or four who love to get in your face, get up the court and play extremely hard,” Lombardo said. “Thompson can handle the basketball under pressure, and LaRue likes to battle in the paint.

“As I said, our girls all specialize in different parts of the game, and that’s definitely a plus for us. We have a lot of potential in these 10, but right now all it’s all potential.”

Lombardo, who has 19 girls in his program, noted there are several freshmen who can fight for time.

Phil Casinelli, who formerly served as Big Red’s head girls coach, has joined Lombardo’s staff, and Melissa Bowers returns for her second year as the junior varsity coach.

“During our preseason scrimmages, we are trying to determine who to play,” Lombardo said. “We’ll be doing things to get all these girls involved. I like our team chemistry, and I’m confident the girls will all do their jobs in order to help the team win.

Please see Lombardo, Page 20

Optimism for Hundred Hornets Girls Continue H To Show Improvement

By BUBBA KAPRAL HUNDRED — Optimism abounds the Hundred boys’ basketball program.

Head coach Virgil Wilkins has a nice mixture of size up front to go with some talented guards that should help the Hornets improve on last year’s 5-17 finish.

Hundred’s 20-member squad features three seniors.

Travis McCoy is coming off a superb junior campaign, one in which the 6-foot-5 post averaged 17 points and double-figure rebounds. He is poised for a stellar encore performance.

McCoy’s two classmates are Joseph White (6-0) and Andrew Zedell (6-2).

The latter is out for hoops for the first time.

He is coming off a 1,000yard campaign in football.

White will provide backup wing support.

A strong junior class is headlined by Cody Soles.

The 6-1 swingman is a

standout in all facets of the game.

Juniors Aaron Stephens and Adam Stephens — both 5-9 guards — will provide the Hornets with deft outside shooting.

Logan Norris is a 6-2 versatile swingman.

He brings defensive tenacity to the Hornets lineup.

Fellow junior Cole Henderson — a 6-1 wing — also has the ability to knock down the outside jumper.

The junior class is rounded out by Martin Bake (5-8), William LeMasters (5-11) and Marlin Hippensteel (5-8). All are expected to contribute off the bench.

“We will sub a lot,” Wilkins said. “I have a lot of good athletes who can play anytime and not slack off.”

The future looks bright as Hundred features five sophomores and four freshman on its roster.

Sophomore hopefuls are Robert Hostutler (61), Cole Miller (6-0),

undred

Boys

Brayden Cotrill (5-5), Dylan Walton (6-1) and Allias Fox (6-0).

Freshman aspirants are Christian Fluharty (5-6), Dylan Ray (5-7), Hunter Morgan (5-4 )and Michael Blare (5-6).

“We had a great three weeks this summer and we feel we can jump start the season from the getgo” Wilkins said.

Jeremy Kelch is Wilkins’ chief lieutenant.

By BUBBA KAPRAL HUNDRED — Things are looking up for the Hundred girls’ team.

Hornets coach Steve Dakan is in charge of a roster balanced nicely between seniors and freshmen.

Four battle-tested seniors are joined by a handful of freshmen, some of whom are ready to contribute on the varsity level. Mix in a solid sophomore class, it is no wonder Dakan is optimistic about this season and for the future.

Katherine Henderson is a four-year starter and a quality combo guard. The 5-foot-6 dandy provides boundless hustle and superb leadership.

Emily Metz is another four-year starter. The 5-3 guard is a a deadly outside shooter and serves as co-captain with Hen-

derson.

The senior class is rounded out by Tori Hawkins and Brittany Mars.

They both will be counted on to provide strong play in a reserve capacity.

Kayla Davis and Kayla Matthews are a pair of sophomore guards. They are ticketed for relief

and Jay Hanlin.

“Our sophomores are going to have an opportunity to suit up for the varsity,” Tucker said. “They are extremely hard workers. They get better every day.”

Tucker is pushing the Red Knights in practice as they get ready for the start of the season.

“We are pushing them, and we want them to push themselves,” Tucker said.

“We want them to push themselves to the limit. In some game situations, they were not comfortable. We don’t want them to be comfortable right now. We want them to push themselves.

We want them to be prepared for game situations.

We want them to face adversity.”

The Red Knights will have somewhat of a different look when they take the court.

“We are going to switch

our game plan up,” Tucker said. “We are going to play man-to-man defense. We are going to be aggressive on defense. We want to play under the ball. We want to have our butts down on defense.

“Offensively, we want to play fast. We want to get out in transition a lot. We also have a group of guys where we can slow it down and play through the post. We are going to have more variety this season. We want to execute. We can play two different ways. We can slow things down, and we can speed things up. We are fortunate to have that luxury right now.”

This is Toronto’s second and final season as a member of the EOAC, and the Red Knights have made a couple of changes to their schedule.

“We have picked up Marlington,” Tucker said. “Alliance Marlington is a big

school. We play them at the Chuck Watt/John Nese Holiday Classic. That is going to be a really big game for us.

“We have also picked up Malvern. We lost to Malvern twice last season. We lost to them in the regular season, and we lost to them in the sectional final.”

The Red Knights have set some early season goals, which are winning the EOAC again and hosting a sectional contest.

“We also want to break the school record for wins,” Tucker said. “We won 20 games two years ago.”

A good start will help Toronto reach its goals this season.

“It is important to get off to a fast start,” Tucker said.

“We want to learn from our mistakes so we can correct them early. We want to be in full swing. We play a lot of back-to-backs. We

Dec. 6: at Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Jeffe.n-Morgan 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: East Richland 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Mapletown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at East Richland 7 p.m.

Jan. 18: at WV HIT TBA Jan. 22: at Clay Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at WV HIT TBA Jan. 29: Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Valley 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 at WV HIT TBA Feb. 5: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7: at Mapletown 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: at WV HIT TBA Feb. 18: at Valley 7:30 p.m.

Hundred Girls

Nov. 27: at Paden City 7 p.m.

Nov. 30: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Wood Co. Christ. 7 p.m.

Dec. 11: Jeff.-Morgan 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Wood Co. Christian 5 p.m.

Dec. 21: East Richland 6 p.m.

Dec. 28: at Harman Tourn. 3 p.m.

Dec. 29: at Harman Tourn.

TBA Jan. 3: Morg. Christian 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Jeff.-Morgan 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Valley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at East Richland 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Beallsville 7 p.m.

Jan. 24: Mapletown 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: at Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 Valley 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Mapletown 6 p.m.

duty behind Henderson and Metz.

Mahalah Britton is vying for a starting spot in the frontcourt. She is a 5-11 center. Fellow sophomore Destiny Patterson is new to the program.

Dakan is excited about his freshman class and for good reason.

It boasts both quality and depth. Adde Tuttle and Rachel Snedden are two newcomers Dakan is counting highly on. Both are quality guards who can handle the ball well against pressure defense while also being quality playmakers.

Brook Yoho, a 5-7 forward, is being counted on to be a top sub off the bench for inside duty.

Rounding out the freshman class are Alle Hawkins and Kayla Aracich.

LeeAnn Snedden is Dakan’s assistant coach.

Red Knights Continued from Page 13

This season, Toronto has 21 kids in the program, and as many as 12 of them are expected to see varsity time.

“One thing we try to teach our kids is there is pressure when you expect things,” Tucker said. “We want them to be focused on reality. You are not going to be good at basketball or anything if you do not put forth the effort. There are a lot of distractions and a lot of voices out there. We want them to listen to the right voices.

“There are going to be people who say, ‘You guys are going to be really good.

You guys only lost one kid. You guys are going to break the school record.’ As coaches, we have to make sure they don’t listen to that stuff. We don’t want to fall short of our goals. We have a good group. They are humble. You are either humble, or you get humbled.”

The Red Knights will be led on the court this season by their five seniors in Kobe Herrick (backup point guard), Trent Wright (post player off of the bench), Nick Sninchak (guard/forward), Trillion West (point guard/shooting guard) and Nate Karaffa (point guard/ shooting guard).

The team also has a good group of four juniors in Zac Berger (backup center/ forward), Brendan Matyas (backup guard), A.J. Clegg (forward/guard) and Lucas Gulczynski (center/forward).

“We have some underclassmen competing for varsity spots,” Tucker said.

“There are too many to list.

Some of the kids from the sophomore class will see varsity time.”

Those sophomores are Anthony Myslinsky, Bryson Anderson, Caleb Leasure, Ryan Matyas, Brant Reeves

play games on Friday and Saturday nights. We have some weeks where we play three games a week. At one point, we play six games in 10 days.”

Tucker will be assisted by longtime assistant Joe Ribar, as well as Mike Ludewig.

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Lumberjills Have Veteran Look Graduation Hits Valley Hard

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — Kasey Sapp takes over the reins of the Valley girls’ hoop program this winter and will be directing a squad with solid numbers and much experience.

The Lumberjills roster features 14 players, five of those hoopsters are seniors and three more are juniors.

One major issue was the loss of allstater Sophie Palmer. The standout point guard is the Lumberjills’ all-time leading scorer.

The senior class is deep and talented.

Back for their final go-round are 6-foot Jenna Dallison, Caitlyn Underwood (5-7), Summer Goodrich (5-2), Emma Ueltschy (5-4) and Kendall Williams (5-2).

Underwood provides Valley with excellent rebounding and shooting.

Dallison, like Underwood, is a fouryear letterman. They will serve as the co-captains.

Ueltschy returns after a year’s hiatus.

She possesses a deep shooting range.

Williams and Goodrich are newcomers to the program.

Three juniors are all expected to play key roles for Valley this winter.

Brittany Kennedy is a 5-11 post while Kaeleen Utt and Jamey West are both 5-3 guards.

Kennedy will be a force in the paint at both ends of the floor for the Lumberjills while Utt is another fine outside shooter.

West is a tenacious defender.

Valley Girls Nov. 30: at Paden City Dec. 6: at Madonna Dec. 11: Van at Glenville Dec. 13: at Glenville Dec. 14: Tyler Consoldiated Dec. 19: Madonna Dec. 28: Paden City Jan. 2: at Clay-Battelle Jan. 7: South Harrison Jan. 8: Cameron Jan. 14: Hundred Jan. 17: at Tyler Tournament Jan. 19: at Tyler Tournament Jan. 21: Magnolia Jan. 23: Clay-Battelle Jan. 26: at Magnolia Jan. 30: at South Harrison Jan. 31: at Cameron Feb. 1: at Hundred Feb. 12: at St. Mary’s

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Valley features three talented sophomores, although one is currently sidelined due to health concerns.

McKinlee Yoho, a 5-5 guard, enjoyed a fine freshman campaign but underwent surgery over the summer and her status is in question. Classmates Americus Ueltschy, a 5-10 post, and Rachel Bates (5-6) will see extensive varsity time.

Four freshmen round out the Valley roster. They are Shyanne Moore (5-9), Kim Soles (5-1), Reagan Dallison (58) and Madison Barnette (5-6). Dallison is challenging for varsity time.

Cody Jenkins is the Lumberjills’ assistant coach. Valley also lost the services of starter Tessa Dudgeon to graduation.

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — Graduation proved painful to the Valley boys’ basketball team.

The Lumberjacks saw five players pick up their diplomas last spring, taking with them much production.

One of the biggest losses was Levi Streets. He averaged 19 points a game last winter. Streets was joined at commencement ceremonies by four-year starter Peyton Bassett, starter Ethan Greathouse, Peyton Kocher and Caden Palmer.

Valley coach John Kocher will build this year’s squad around senior Avery Kincade. The 5-foot-10 point guard provides the Lumberjacks with a capable outside shooter and steady floor leadership.

Two others seniors will be counted on to provide solid varsity minutes. They are Jerry Evatt (6-0) and Ethan Fluharty (6-0). Evatt is a fine outside shooter while Fluharty provides inside strength.

Kocher will rely heavily on his junior class. It has good numbers and quality talent.

Levi Anderson saw extensive playing time last winter. The 5-11 swingman gives the Lumberjacks a fine shooter and a strong defender.

Classmate Abe Satterfield will anchor

Valley Boys Dec. 4: Tyler Consolidated Dec. 7: Paden City Dec. 8: Madonna Dec. 11: South Harrison Dec. 17: at Paden City Dec. 20: Clay-Battelle Dec. 27: at South Harrison Jan. 4: Cameron Jan. 5: Tygarts Valley Jan. 12: Beallsville Jan. 15: Magnolia Jan. 17: at Clay-Battelle Jan. 18: at Tyler Consolidated Jan. 19: at Tyler Tournament Jan. 22: Frontier Jan. 25: at Cameron Jan. 26: at Magnolia Jan. 31: at Hundred Feb. 5: at Beallsville Feb. 18: Hundred

the interior defense. The 6-2 post also has a deft outside touch.

Three other juniors — Ryan Baker (60), Jake Bush (6-0) and Jakeb Hall (60)— are all ticketed for bench duty.

Kocher is high on three sophomore aspirants. They are 6-3 center Logan Bassett, 5-10 guard Tommy Shannon and 6-1 forward Gavin Streets, who is waging a spirited battle for a starting spot.

Jack Dakan is serving as Kocher’s assistant.

Lombardo Continued from Page 18

“I’ve liked what I have things, but there still are rectable, and I know the girls seen in our scrimmages so things that need work. Fortu- are willing to do whatever it far. I’ve seen a lot of good nately, those things are cor- takes to correct them.”

Big Red has moved up to Class 5A in the OVAC this season. One new opponent, Imani Christian Academy from the Pittsburgh area, is on the schedule.

Lombardo’s crew will play Oak Glen and cross-town rival Steubenville Catholic during the annual Chuck Watt/ John Nese Holiday Classic, held inside the Crimson Center.

“As far as goals go, our No. 1 goal is to follow our process every day in practice,” Lombardo said. “We want our girls to be good teammates and commit to make themselves better every day.

“When it comes to statistical goals, we want to limit our turnovers, take care of the basketball and own the glass on both the offensive and defensive ends. Finally, we want to turn our defense into our offense.”

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20 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Heaton Becomes First Alum to Coach at Buckeye

By RICK DeLUCA CONNORVILLE — Chris Heaton graduated from Buckeye Local in 2005 and sports kept him pretty busy during his years with the Panthers. Since then, he has been a mainstay on the coaching staffs of three different sports.

As the 2018-19 season gets under way, Heaton will assume a new role and create a first in the process as he takes over as Panthers’ head basketball coach.

When the season tips off Friday on the home boards against Toronto, Heaton will also become the first Buckeye Local grad to serve as the school’s head basketball coach.

Of course, being no stranger to the court and having a calm, business-like personality, Heaton is taking things in stride in his new position with the Panthers.

Heaton replaces Joe Soos, who stepped down after one year at the helm, and is coming off a tough 2-21 season. That season also took with it eight graduated seniors.

Buckeye’s list of departed seniors includes the school’s alltime leading scorer in Drake Novak, who finished with 1,100

career points, including 527 last season. Also gone is Shane Heitz, who scored 207 points a year ago and Jeremiah Seaman, a 4.9 ppg scorer. Adding to that list is James Mills, John Marelli, Cody Griffith, Max Moffo and William Hopkins.

“Any time that you lose a player like Drake Novak who averaged 23 points a game, that’s a hard hole to fill,” he said. “And we have to replace Shane Heitz who scored over nine points per game. That’s 32 points we have to replace and we are only bringing back 15 points a game.”

“We have two seniors back that played a lot of minutes last year with Stevie Roberts and Owen Long and we are expecting good things from them this year,” Heaton said. “We have a solid junior class with five players, four sophomores and seven freshmen.”

“We have some pretty good balance throughout the program, but we expect the same from all of them, play hard, execute and play together”.

“Toward the end of last year, Coach Soos went with the direction of going with the young guys, so some of the younger players

Buckeye Local Boys Nov. 30: Toronto Dec. 4: Indian Creek Dec. 7: at Edison Dec. 11: Beaver Local Dec. 14: at East Liverpool Dec. 20: Bellaire Dec. 22: at Toronto Dec. 28: Barnesville Jan. 2: at Bridgeport Jan. 4: at Indian Creek Jan. 8: Edison Jan. 11: at Beaver Local Jan. 15: East Liverpool Jan. 19: at Monroe Central Jan. 22: Union Local Jan. 25: Martins Ferry Jan. 29: at Barnesville Jan. 31: Harrison Central Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 * Feb. 5: Bridgeport *at St. Clairsville

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TBD 7:30 p.m.

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got some valuable playing time in a varsity game. They should go in there and be nervous about playing their first varsity game.”

Three seniors top the roster for Heaton and the Panthers includ-

ing 5-foot-11 forward Long, 5-10 guard Roberts and 5-11 guard/ forward Blake Ring-Fish.

Heaton’s junior group includes 6-1 guard/forward Lance Novak, 5-8 guard Josh Kinyo, 5-10 guard Jacob Pielech, 6-3 forward Jacob Moffo and 6-1 forward Dalton Watt. Moffo is the leading returning scorer after tallying at a 5.1 clip last season and leading the team with 106 rebounds.

“Ideally, I think we can be pretty balanced in scoring, whether we can score from the outside with our guards and score on the inside from our three big guys. We should be pretty balanced where it comes from. Our team is pretty athletic, so we would like to get the ball out in transition, and if not, work with our offense.”

Buckeye’s four sophomores are 6-2 guard Jake Mayle, 5-10 guard Cameron Grabits, who saw ample playing time late last season, 5-8 guard Jacob Zanes and 6-1 forward Mason Brown, who finished with 70 points and 35 rebounds as a sophomore.

Not only is Heaton’s freshmen group the biggest in numbers, it also provides some notable size.

The group includes 6-5 brothers Luke Darrah, at forward, and Hunter Darrah, at center. Both will see a great deal of varsity action. Other freshmen are 5-8 guard Logan Capers, 5-6 guard Cameron Best, 5-8 guard Hunter Roush, 5-7 guard Zach Flesch and 6-0 forward Ethan McHugh.

“There really isn’t much drop off from 1 to No. 14 on the varsity roster, so I think we will be pretty deep. With the amount of kids that played last year, they will have an idea of what we will expect this year. They are always competing for playing time on the floor.

There’s a lot of guys competing for not a lot of minutes.” “ I’m trying to instill some of the defensive practices that I learned when I played for Coach (Joel) Nau. Defense wins championships. We could have used that last year. We let a lot of games slip away from us late in the games because of defense.”

Buckeye added two new opponents to its schedule this year, bringing on Monroe Central and Union Local in place of Weir.

Heaton has a staff that includes Neil McCormick, Cameron McKim and Joey Bodnar.

Holzopfel, Destifanes Look to Put Panthers Over the Hump

By RICK DeLUCA CONNORVILLE — Tom Figurski’s time with the Buckeye Local girls’ basketball helm has seen a steady improvement. Of course, with his two aces back for a fourth year, there is no reason that Panthers basketball can’t continue to improve and continue reaching for the stars.

What Figurski does have within his group of experienced and talented players are two of the Ohio Valley’s best and one players that has her sights set of the coveted 2,000-point mark.

Buckeye Local is coming off a 15-8 season that saw the Panthers fall to Cambridge in the OVAC Class 4A Championships and then lose to River View in the sectional tourney.

Figurski will need to replace a good group of graduates in Maddie Gill,

Angelina Piergallini, Carrie Dill, Brooklyn Miller, Skylar Langford and Lillie Windsheimer. Gill, Dill and Piergallini accounted for a total of 357 rebounds and 213 points last season.

“We’re optimistic going this year. We have a lot of talent. When you have Emily (Holzopfel) and Alaire (Destifanes), you are going to have two of the best,” Figurski said. “We just need to find four or five girls to go with them and I think that we have found them at this point, but can we stay healthy?”

Five seniors are back with the Panthers, including Holzopfel and Destifanes who are both going after their fourth letter.

Of course, Holzopfel, a 5-foot-8 forward, will be the one that most eyes will be centered on as she nears that 2,000-point mark.

She scored 429 points as a freshman, 435 and 563

the past two seasons. With her current 1,427-point total, she is well above the top of the Panthers career scoring list and comes into her senior year as the top returning rebounder.

Destifanes, a 5-7 guard, enters her final season after scoring 274 points and grabbing 114 rebounds last season. She was also the team leader in both steals and assists with 72 and 70, respectively.

Rounding out the senior group is 5-7 forward Audrey Sebring, 5-8 forward Morgan Donley and 5-6 guard Cameron Henry.

“Emily is the type of player that wants to get everyone involved and I think that’s her maturity as a basketball player.

“Alaire is probably the purest player at a guard, but I think this year she is going to be more aggressive. She just has the ability to handle the basketball

that you don’t see from too many girls that can do.

She is probably our best 3-point scorer.

“Emily and Alaire have gone through it, so there will be times when you will them some of the other players on side. It’s like having two coaches on the court. They’ve been in the system for four years, so I don’t have to be explaining it, they are already explaining it to the others before I have a chance. It’s great to have players like that.”

Figurski also has three juniors in the mix with Brooke Roski, who is coming off an injury from a year ago, 5-7 forward Emily Gonze and 5-6 guard Brooke Carpico.

Three sophomores will also be vying for playing time and they include 5-7 forward Megan Valuska, who had 107 points and 63 rebounds last season, 5-7 guard/forward Landyn

Walker and 5-6 guard Hannah Crane.

“We have another freshman coming up to play this year in Demetria Christian, she’s smooth and talented,” he said. “We have Brooke Roski back this year after sitting the past two seasons with a knee injury. We have some seniors that are coming back that will help.”

A good group of freshmen will play a big role in the attack including 5-5 guard Demetria Christian, who will be called on often with the varsity and could find a spot in the starting lineup. Rounding out the freshmen contingent are Haylee Dockery, Cassidy George, Erica Hurst, Adrianna Blazeski, Mariah Pelkey and Carly Englert.

“There are 10-12 girls that we can count on every night, it’s just who is ready to step up and whether or not we can stay healthy.”

Buckeye Local Girls Dec. 3: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at E.Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 12: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Edison 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Steubenville 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: at Harr. Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 * TBD Jan. 31: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 13: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m. * at Martins Ferry

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New Clifford on Bench for Red Devils St. C. Girls Can

By SETH STASKEY ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ryan Clifford knows exactly what it takes to build, maintain and run a highly successful basketball program.

After all, he grew up — literally as a man and figuratively as a coach — under Kim Clifford, who retired in April after 27 seasons and 371 victories at St. Clairsville High School.

But, even with the experience and knowledge, being in charge of a program for the first time has proven to be an adjustment still.

“My dad did a really good job of preparing me for this situation, but until you’re actually the (head coach) and every answer is expected from you, you don’t really realize how much beyond the actual basketball goes on,” Ryan Clifford said. “As the assistant coach, you’re able to just focus on the basketball part of things. Moving down the bench just one seat is still an entirely different animal.”

On top of the foundation that his father built for the program and instilled in his son, Ryan takes over a team in which the cupboard is far from bare after a 13-10 campaign that ended in the open-

ing round of the Division II sectional at the hands of Indian Creek.

“I knew, whenever my dad decided to retire, he was not going to leave (the program) in a bad situation for whoever the next (coach) was,” Ryan said. “The group of kids we have makes this season even more exciting.”

Though much of what the Red Devils look to accomplish this season will be predicated on many of the same principles that Kim Clifford utilized, Ryan admitted that there will be some subtle changes.

“We’ll probably be a little bit more multiple on defense than we’ve been in the past,” Ryan said. “There was a point in time when the ‘Z’ word (zone) was not allowed to be used in our house. It was like a swear word. A lot of things will be the same because we’ll still use motion offense, play with pace and try to get up and down.”

Because of the list of returnees, which features three returning starters and a handful of others who saw quality varsity minutes a season ago, the expectations are certainly as high as ever for the Red Devils, who lost Matt Butkus,

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St. Clairsville Boys Dec. 4: at Martins Ferry 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: at Harr. Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Philo 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: at Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 2: at Whg Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: River 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 TBA Feb. 8: at John Marshall, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m. * at OUE

Kaden Blomquist and Jayden Starks to graduation.

The Red Devils hope to be fairly deep, utilizing an eight or nine-man rotation.

Headling line the list of returnees is senior Craig Bober (6-foot-4), who was off to a brilliant start last winter. However, he dealt with a nagging knee problem for a big part of the season, which hampered him. He still scored more than 13 points a game and was close to a double-double.

“Craig worked hard this summer on continuing to develop his outside shot, so teams can’t sag off of him,” Ryan said. “He can be as good as anyone in the area if he’s able to stay healthy.”

Senior Justin Heatherington (6-3) will be a threeyear starter, but his actual debut date is still unknown.

He suffered a knee injury in Week 8 of the football season and didn’t return to action. But, he’s expected to be cleared relatively early in

hoops.

“Justin’s experience and athleticism are so valuable to us,” Ryan said. “So much of his game is based on his athletic ability. He’s put some time into his shot and he can get to the basket and rebound.”

Senior Matt Busby (5-11) is embarking on his third year as a starter and according to the head coach is the only Red Devils player who didn’t miss any time because either injury or illness.

“Matt is by far our best defender and will guard the other team’s best player,” Ryan said. “He’s been a steady presence for us and we’ll look to him to score more.”

Junior Brett Vike (6-0) is expected to move into a starting spot. A gym rat, Vike has worked hard on his perimeter shot during the offseason.

Junior Nate Harris (5-7) is expected to move into the point guard role, allowing Busby to shift to the off guard.

Harris is another hoops junkie who saw spot duty last winter.

Senior David Lane (6-2) will play a big role as another adept perimeter shooter.

Senior Greg Norman (6-4) and senior Broc Crist (5-10), who transferred to St. C. from Nicholas County in West Virginia, will also see time.

Junior Cade Wolfe (5-9), and sophomore Will Balgo (6-1) will also be in the mix.

Should the Red Devils need to go big, Ryan Clifford pointed out that junior Ja’Von Lyons (6-2) and freshman Avery Henry (6-7) will be utilized.

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22 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Shoot, Lack Size

By KIM NORTH ST. CLAIRSVILLE — As Stacey Agnew enters his fourth season as head coach of the St. Clairsville girls’ basketball team, he came up with a unique way in describing last season.

“We’re like a donut. We have four or five good perimeter shooters, but right now we have a hole in the middle,” he acknowledged.

Much of that is because of the loss of Katie Bradshaw and Ari Reager to graduation. Both were forces on the inside last winter.

“They both battled back from some nagging injuries to receive postseason honors,” Agnew said. “Ari was second team all-district and Katie was honorable mention. They are a big loss for us inside.”

St. Clairsville has 17 players on the roster this season.

“Our numbers were up a little more last year, but we’ve got a nice quality of girls out this season,” he said.

The Red Devils do return five letterwinners from last season.

Leading that group are returning starters in seniors Maria Vincenzo (5-foot-4) and Rileigh Simpson (5-6), and junior Keri Klinkoski (5-8). Junior Katie Strama (5-7) and sophomore Macy Malin (5-6) round out the group.

“Maria is a four-year starter at point guard for us,”Agnew said. “She came on really well at the end of last year, so we’re hoping that carries over to this season. She’s our primary ballhandler, but we’re also looking for her to do some more scoring. She’s a very good shooter from behind the three-point line. She’s streaky, but when she’s hot, she’s hot. She’s also a great defender.

“Rileigh will be a threeyear starter. We’re looking for her to up her scoring a little more this year. She’s also a great defender,” he noted.

Klinkoski is the tallest Red Devil.

St. Clairsville Girls Nov. 27: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: at Harr.Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8: Monroe Central 1 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19: Cambridge 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: John Marshall * 4:15 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Martins Ferry 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: at Fort Frye 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 TBD Jan. 28: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m. * at Buckeye Local

“Keri was our most improved player last year. She worked really hard,” Agnew said. “She can drive to the bucket and use either hand.

She also has 3-point range.”

Strama also battled injuries last year, but played well when healthy.

“Great athlete. She always goes one speed and that is fast, but she needs to slow down a little and let her talent and mind get on the same level,” Agnew said.

“She’s an explosive offensive player.”

Malin is the lone sophomore on the roster.

“Macy may move to the point this season,” Agnew said. “She could do a lot of the ballhandling and allow Maria to get open for her shots. She had a good summer. She is capable of shooting from the outside, but she can also take it to the hole. Another very good defender.”

Agnew said he wants to up the tempo a little more this season due to the lack of height.

“We’re going to get out and press. We’re going to open it up on offense,” he said. “I think we have three, four maybe five girls that can shoot the three, so we should have better scoring overall. We won’t be as strong inside, but our outside game should be pretty good.”

Please see St.C. Page 34

Four Starters Return Making Foul Shots Could For Stead, Weir Girls Be Key for Red Riders

By RALPH COX WEIRTON — When fourth-year Weir girls basketball coach Rick Stead opened practice, he was greeted with some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that four of last year’s starters returned along with the sixth girl and several other letterwinners. The bad news is that only 15 girls showed up and depth could be a serious problem.

Nevertheless, Stead thinks he has enough pieces to the puzzle that the Red Riders will be competitive enough to at least match last year’s record of 9-15 and perhaps do better.

That depends upon injuries and other internal factors, but it perhaps depends more on the difficult schedule that has been put together by design.

“We feel the regular season is all about getting ready for the postseason, so we wanted to play the best teams around, and I think we have a schedule that reflects that,” said Stead, who lost only one senior from a year ago — his daughter Bailey, whose injured knee relegated her to the bench through much of the second half of the season. “Bailey was returning as our leading scorer from the 2016-17 season, but it just didn’t work out for her last year. But, we have a couple of our leading scorers back, and I think we’ll be okay.

“This is the first year I can remember that we have a group of girls that we didn’t have to spend a lot of time on teaching them how to dribble, pass, shoot and play defense. This group of veteran players know those fundamentals and they know our system. We got right into working our sets and establishing the aggressive type of defense we want to play.”

Junior Sophia Mikula is perhaps the most accomplished of the returnees. She led the Red Riders scoring last year at 15 points a game and scored about 300 points during the 24 games overall. Joining her will be three other starters in Gia Fuscardo, Lea Maley and Isabella Aperfine. Fuscardo and Maley are seniors, while Aperfine is the sophomore point guard. Then there is the first girl off the bench last year in senior Julia Gianni.

Stead feels he has four other girls that came off the bench last year and have gained so

Weir Girls Nov. 30: East Fairmont Dec. 6: at Steubenville Dec. 10: at Oak Glen Dec. 13: Madonna Dec. 15: at Brooke Dec. 17: at Steub Catholic Dec. 19: John Marshall Dec. 29: Grafton Jan. 3: Steubenville Jan. 5: at Burgettstown Jan. 7: Wheeling Park Jan. 14: Oak Glen Jan. 19: Brooke Jan. 21: at Fairmont Senior Jan. 23: at John Marshall Jan. 24: at Madonna Jan. 26: Trinity Feb. 2: at East Fairmont Feb. 9: at Grafton Feb. 11: Fairmont Senior

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much ability and maturity that they are pushing the returning starters. They are seniors Alexis Vuiller and Treasure Elmore, along with junior Olivia Bernola and sophomore Taylor Nutter.

Fuscardo will be the chief outside shooting threat for the Red Riders, but Stead said that Mikula has worked hard on her all-around game so much so that she is a threat from behind the 3-point line, too.

When asked about who was going to play in the post, Stead chuckled a bit saying, “We may not have anyone inside. I think Maley will be in there and Mikula is tough on the boards, too. Then we have Elmore and Nutter that have improved their inside games.”

Stead said both the offense and defense will be upbeat and aggressive.

“All the girls came into practice in good condition and with good attitudes,” he said.

“We’re going to run. We have some very good athletes. Girls like Mikula and Fuscardo can get down the floor, and we’re hoping to use that talent and speed to score often in transition.

“On defense, we’re going to play man as much as we can. We are emphasizing defense this year. We want to play solid, aggressive defense. We hope to create turnovers and turn them into transition baskets. I think we have the girls that can go to the basket but also are athletic enough to pull up for the jumper when they need to.

Panthers

Continued from Page 21

“We know what we have in (Holzopfel and Destifanes), but we lost our enforcer from last year through graduation in Angelina Piergallini and we are looking for someone to fill that role.

I don’t think we need scoring, but we have four or five girls that can give up some added scoring.”

“Defensively, our goal basically is to hold teams under 50. Over the last two or three years, we only lost three games when we were to hold teams under 50, so that’s what we are stressing this year, defense.

“This is probably our best overall team that I’ve had with regard to the top

six or seven skilled players, but I think this is our most complete team. I think it’s going to be exciting for Buckeye Local basketball this year.”

Figurski returns a good staff in veteran Charlie Nest, Brittany Hicks, Christine DeFede, Gina Hicks and Bob Czuchran.

By RALPH COX WEIRTON — The Weir boys basketball team can be good if certain things work out for veteran coach Mike Granato, who is entering his 20th season as the head man of the program.

The Red Riders finished 10-14 last year, but Granato’s analysis of the scoring found that if his charges had just made 65 percent of their foul shots rather than the 58 percent they shot, the record could have been reversed.

Granato feels that overall shooting and foul shooting in particular needs to be much better this year, along with improvement in the defense, finishing in transition and getting the ball inside so the post players can work.

“I think the key will be the beginning of the season,” Granato said. “With the football players coming in late, it will mean everyone will have to get used to playing with each other in certain combinations.

“After all these years at this school, no one is more of a fan of the football team than I am. I root for the football team to have success because some of that success and leadership that those guys who play basketball bring to the program can be contagious.”

All three of the returning basketball starters are members of the football team — seniors Jake McCoy and Reed Reitter, along with junior Sebastian Spencer. Senior letterman Deon Trupiano, and juniors Elijah Gillette and Brodie McUmar also are contributing to the success on the gridiron.

The Weir junior varsity basketball team last year posted a 14-5 record. Gillette and McUmar, along with fellow juniors Tanner Mikula, Skyler Jackson and Dakota Nutter, will be vying for the two starting spots vacated when Keyshawn Faulkes, last year’s leading scorer, and Cam Pierce graduated. Also graduating were Frank Hudacheck and

Weir Boys Dec. 4: at Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at Madonna 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: East Fairmont 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Burgettstown 5 p.m.

Jan. 8: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: Madonna 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at Edison 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: at North Marion 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at East Fairmont 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: at John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Nick Krutilla.

Granato says that Thomas Buffington and Luka Haught, both seniors and both letterwinners, return and they too will have a say on the starting lineup or keys off the bench.

“That junior class is a strong group that has had success in middle school and with the jayvee squad,” Granato said. “We also have a large group of sophomores and freshmen coming behind them that also are talented. Most of them will make up the jayvees this year, but a couple have a chance of dressing with the varsity.”

Granato said the offseason program went well, with many of his club participating and playing as many as 25 games in the summer leagues.

“Including the freshmen, we had 10 basketball players playing football and several played American Legion baseball, so their schedules were stretched pretty thin, but they participated when they could,” he said. “I believe that from what I saw in the summer, Mikula and McCoy are the ones that showed the most improvement in basketball.

“One plus that the football success gives us is the opportunity for the ones that didn’t play to get more reps and work together on basketball fundamentals.”

Granato said one of the things the Red Riders need most is improved shooting.

“It starts at the foul line,” he said. “But, it also includes improved shooting numbers from in the post as well as long range. I think we have improved in that area, but we have to keep improving. I also think we will be more of a transition team this year because we’ll have more speed, quickness and depth, especially from those juniors coming up from the jayvee team. We can’t be one dimensional.

“I also saw improvement in our half court offense in the summer months. I think we’ll be much better there.

We had a lot of kids get a lot of varsity playing time last year, so we have much more experience at that level than we had going into last year.

We have better execution.”

Granato has two new members on his staff this year in veteran coach John Leary and Dylan Cassiadoro. Leary, who has recent stints as varsity boys basketball coach at Toronto and girls coach at Oak Glen, recently underwent open heart surgery and likely won’t get back to coaching at Weir until the second half of the season. Cassiadoro played under Granato at Weir a few years ago and now has graduated from West Liberty University. He is working in the classrooms of Hancock County schools. Paul Buffington returns as the Weir junior varsity coach and assists at the varsity level.

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Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 23

New Faces at Union Local Jets Will Look to Rebuild

By SETH STASKEY MORRISTOWN — There were many new faces in the gymnasium when Union Local started basketball practice.

From head coach Rob Barr to a 12-member freshmen class, the time it took for introductions was a bit longer than normal.

But, as it pertains to the Jets, it’s more about the familiar face that’s no longer there that’s causing Barr, who took over for Kelley Hanlon, the most concern.

Haley Porter, who scored more than 1,000 career points, collected her diploma last spring and is now a starter at Waynesburg University. Gone not only is her scoring and 3-point shooting, but her leadership is what Barr and the returning cast must figure out how to replace.

“We have to become accustomed to playing without Haley,” Barr said. “For the last four years, when all else failed, we always had Haley. Now that she’s gone, it’s up to these girls to take on that role.”

That challenge — and adjusting to coaching girls’ sports for the first time — has been a focus for the Jets coach.

“This is my first time coaching girls and my first time coaching at the varsity level, so there’s been a learning curve,” Barr said. “It’s really gone well. We have a great group of girls and I’m fortunate to have great assistants, and (coaching) has become just kind of second nature.”

The five seniors have all been around and earned letters during their careers with the Jets. But, most have been in complementary roles.

Union Local Girls Nov. 26: at Shadyside Nov. 29: Monroe Central Dec. 3: Ridgewood Dec. 6: Harrison Central Dec. 10: at Martins Ferry Dec. 13: Bellaire Dec. 17: at St. Clairsville Dec. 20: at Barnesville Dec. 27: Fort Frye Dec. 29: Cambridge Jan. 3: at Harrison Central Jan. 7: Martins Ferry Jan. 10: at Bellaire Jan. 12: Beaver Local Jan. 14: St. Clairsville Jan. 17: at Monroe Central Jan. 21: at Buckeye Local Jan. 24: Barnesville Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 Jan. 28: at John Marshall * at Martins Ferry

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One of those rebounding leaders from a season ago is senior Emilee Robb, who will be taking on a bigger role.

Senior Sutherlynd Butler has expanded her game, according to her head coach.

Senior Allison Loase is the team’s strongest player and Barr wants to be more aggressive on offense.

Senior Hannah Porter is another who will take on a larger role.

Sophomore Casey Kildow put forth an impressive rookie campaign and is looking for more this season.

Senior Lauryn Menges is back and healthy after battling injury-riddled campaigns the past few seasons.

Freshmen Keira Gregor and Hannah Merritt are also making a strong push for minutes along with junior Abby Boyer and freshman Marissa McGary.

By SETH STASKEY MORRISTOWN — While every coach would love to have to all of his questions answered in the preseason, the fact of the matter that’s very rarely the case.

Zach Delman is well aware of that as he prepares for his third season at the helm of the Union Local boys program.

Last season, the Jets advanced to the Division III Eastern District Tournament, fell in the OVAC Class 3A title game and finished with a 20-4 record.

“I knew we’d have a good team, but I had no idea we’d win 20 games,” Delman said. “We found a way to win some close games and overall it was a really exciting year that exceeded my expectations.”

As he begins for this season, however, four key members of that team — Ty Kildow, Luke Menges, Cody Ray and Derek Smith — are gone via graduation, leaving Delman and his coaching staff with those question marks.

“Losing those guys is huge for a multitude of reasons,” Delman said. “Not only did we lose a nice chunk of scoring, but those guys had

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24 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

played together for so long there was a cohesion about them. They were all intelligent kids who picked up everything we threw at them.”

Delman is hopeful that his program has gotten to the point where the next-guyup mentality starts to assert itself.

“We’d like to think we’re getting to the point where when you lose guys (to graduation), you just plug guys in and keep moving and you don’t fall off the bandwagon,” Delman said.

Size is an area in which Delman is concerned, but that seems like it’s becoming a yearly thing.

“We’re getting used to handling that,” Delman said.

“We have some inexperience in spots with some guys getting a taste of varsity for the first time and overall our basketball IQ was a real strength last year. I’m not saying our kids are bad in that area, but last year’s was so good.”

The Jets’ cupboard isn’t totally bare by any means.

After all, they do boast a returning All-Ohioan on their roster in senior standout Cal Kildow.

Kildow (5-foot-7) was named second team AllOhio in Division III after av-

Union Local Boys Nov. 30: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Steubenville * 2 p.m.

Dec. 28: at John Marshall 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15:at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Harr.Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 30: Buckeye Trail 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 TBA Feb. 5: Barnesville 7:30 p.m. * Buckeye 8 Challenge at OUE

eraging 17.7 points a game.

“Cal’s an unbelievable competitor,” Delman said.

“He gives you everything he has every time he steps foot on the court. We’re hoping he takes on more of a leadership role.”

Senior Elijah Baker (61) was a solid contributor a season ago, knocking down several big shots throughout the season.

“I am really excited about Elijah and the type of season he’s capable of,” Delman said.

“He really, really came on for us. He has great floor vision and he’s put on some weight.”

While those two are firmly entrenched into the lineup, the remaining three spots in the starting lineup and in the rotation are currently being “mixed and matched,” according to Delman.

Battling for the spots are senior Stuart White (6-3), senior Andrew Smith (6-0), junior Matt Bateman (6-0), sophomore Luke Merritt (59), junior Hunter McCort (5-8), sophomore Nathan Meyer (5-9), sophomore Cade Latham (6-0), junior Aiden Shugert (6-1) and junior Luke McDiffitt (5-10).

“These guys are competing hard every day trying to get minutes,” Delman said.

“I really see about 10 guys getting minutes on any given night. The lineups could change as the season moves along, too. It’s a puzzle each night to put together a lineup. We have some guys who are interchangeable and can play different spots as we need them to find our best lineup.”

Cameron Boys Will Be Young New Starters for Dragons

By KYLE LUTZ CAMERON — For the Cameron boys basketball team, the 2017-18 season was one of the better winters in recent memory.

The team won 19 games, tied for second-most in school history, while also playing in a handful of championship games. However, the Dragons’ impressive season came to an end one game short of making it to Charleston after losing to Tyler Consolidated in a regional co-final.

“We finished overall at 19-6,” Cameron coach Tom Hart said. “We won the Mason-Dixon Conference championship. We got to the OVAC championship game and the 19 wins is tied for the second highest total wins for boys basketball at Cameron, tied with the 2005 team, and only second to the 1963 team that won 20 games.

“We had a good year. We can’t take anything away from that, but we’re looking forward now. We had a great

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season in Trey Scott, Colby Brown and Robert Milliken as all three picked up their diplomas last May. Milliken averaged a douDec. 4: at Paden City 7:30 p.m. ble-double scoring 14.1 Dec. 6: Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m. points per contest while Dec. 14: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m. grabbing 11.4 rebounds. He Dec. 18: at Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Cameron Tourn. 8 p.m. also had 4.1 blocks per game Dec. 22: Cameron Tourn.

TBA and shot 56 percent from the Dec. 28: at Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Valley 7:30 p.m. floor. Colby Brown also avJan. 8: Wheeling Central 7:30 p.m. eraged a double-double with Jan. 11: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: Magnolia 7:30 p.m. about 14 points and 11 reJan. 15: at Trinity 7:30 p.m. bounds per outing while Trey Jan. 22: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Valley 7:30 p.m.

Scott averaged 11 points, Jan. 29: Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m. eight rebounds and six assists Feb. 1: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: at Madonna 7:30 p.m. per game.

Feb. 8: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Feb.19: at South Harrison 7:30 p.m.

“Those are three big shoes to fill,” Hart said. “We got the athletes to be able to step up.

Mike McCoy We just won’t be as big and State Farm as thick inside as we were the Moundsville, WV past couple seasons.

304-845-7660 “I was looking at our roster there before we started practice and we’re looking around run last year, but we’re look- and looking to having about ing forward to getting started 20 players overall. But overthis season.” all, we’re going to be a very The Dragons, though, will young team. be losing their top three scorSee Cameron, Page 34 ers and rebounders from last

Cameron Boys

By KYLE LUTZ CAMERON — The 2017-18 season for the Cameron girls basketball team will go down in the history books. During the regular season, the Dragons had an eye-popping 21-1 record and also brought home the first OVAC championship in school history.

The Dragons, though came up one game short of playing in the state tournament as Magnolia ended their magical season in the regional finals.

“It was actually the best year we had in school history, boys or girls,” Cameron coach Roger Cain said. “First OVAC championship in school history for boys or girls.

We won the West Virginia HIT tournament and the only loss we had was that school in Florida that had close to 2,000 students throughout the regular season. Of course we had the tough loss to in the regional final to Magnolia.”

The Dragons will almost have a complete new starting lineup this year as four seniors graduated from last season in Courtney Walker, Kelsie Meintel, Autumn Gossett and Peri Gray. Both Walker and Meintel were 1,000-point scorers as Meintel averaged a double-double with 17.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. Walker was solid as she averaged 10.4 points and grabbing 5.1 rebounds while dishing out 3.2 assists.

“We lost four starters from last year,”

Cameron Girls Nov. 30: at Hundred Dec. 4: Ritchie County Dec. 7: Tolsia Tournament Dec. 8: Tolsia Tournament Dec. 11: at Paden City Dec. 19: at Clay-Battelle Dec. 21: Beallsville Dec. 28: Magnolia Jan. 8: at Valley Jan. 10: at Beallsville Jan. 12: WVHIT Jan. 14: Clay-Battelle Jan. 17: at Frontier Jan. 19: St. Marys Tournament Jan. 21: WVHIT Jan. 26: WVHIT Jan. 28: Hundred Jan. 31: Valley Feb 2: WVHIT Finals Feb. 13: at Magnolia

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Cain said. “And not only did we lose those four starters, but we lost a lot of leadership as well. We have some shoes to fill this year, but we think we have the girls that can do it. Our freshmen group from last year are sophomores now, played quite a bit last year. They’re highly competitive.

See Dragons, Page 34

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­By BUBBA KAPRAL MARTINS FERRY — It’s never easy replacing a coaching legend. Derek Edwards, however, has done a superb job in that realm.

Edwards enters his third year as head coach at Martins Ferry. He took the reins from Jeff Sabatino, who guided the Purple Riders for a quarter of a century, amassing more than 400 wins to go with four regional berths.

Edwards has seen both ends of the coaching spectrum in two seasons as the head man.

In his inaugural season at the Purple Riders’ helm, the former All-Ohio point guard guided his alma mater to a sparkling 21-3 record and an OVAC championship.

In the process, Edwards was named Ohio AP Division III Coach of the Year.

Last winter, however, Edwards faced the ultimate rebuilding job as his squad featured no returning lettermen. That lack of experience reared its ugly head early on as Ferry stumbled

out of the gates, losing five of their first six starts. As the season progressed, so did the Purple success as they won eight of their final 15 games.

Inexperience is no longer an issue. Ferry boasts a host of battle-tested performers despite still featuring a relatively young roster, one that has just two seniors.

Graduation claimed two players — forward RayQuan Prayear and Marcus Clark.

“RayQuan and Marcus were two very dedicated players,” Edwards said.

“They played hard and helped to hold us together during our slow start.”

Edwards is excited for his third season.

“I am always optimistic.

I am never negative. The bigger difference this year is now we know better who we are. It took some time to figure that out,” Edwards said.

“We want to take another step this year. We want to get better a little bit every day.”

Because of football playoff action, Ferry’s first two

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Nov. 30: at Bellaire 7 p.m.

Dec. 4: St. Clairsville 7 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Union Local 7 p.m.

Dec. 11: Harrison Central 7 p.m.

Dec. 14: Wheeling Park * 7 p.m.

Dec. 19: at Linsly 7 p.m.

Dec. 21: Indian Creek 7 p.m.

Dec. 28: at Steubenville 7 p.m.

Jan. 4: at St. Clairsville 7 p.m.

Jan. 5: Shadyside 7 p.m.

Jan. 8: Union Local 7 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Harrison Central 7 p.m.

Jan. 15: Bellaire 7 p.m.

Jan. 18: Steubenville 7 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Shadyside 7 p.m.

Jan. 22: at River 7 p.m.

Jan. 25: at Buckeye Local 7 p.m.

Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 TBD Feb. 5: at Indian Creek 7 p.m.

Feb. 8: Barnesville 7 p.m. * at WesBanco Arena

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talented in transition.”

The fifth returning starter is Logan Smith. He is a 6-6 sophomore with a high ceiling. Smith can play inside or out.

“I look for Logan to take a major stride, not step this year. He is a tremendous talent,” Edward said. “He has spent a lot of time in the gym working on his game. He is a very physical player and very coachable.”

Rounding out the letter-winning list is Reuben Hilson. He is a cat-quick 5-9 sophomore.

“The thing I love most about Reuben’s game is his tenacity. He really gets after it,” Edwards said. “Reuben has spent time in the weightroom and the gym to improve his game. We expect big things from him this season.”

See Riders, Page 27

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MARTINS FERRY HIGH SCHOOL, STAFF & STUDENTS!

games with Bellaire and St. Clairsville have been pushed back. Consequently, the Riders will launch their campaign Dec. 7 against Union Local.

All five starters and six total lettermen return.

The two seniors are DeAndre Pugh and Donovan Shrodes. Both mean a lot to this year’s team success.

Pugh is a 6-foot-5, 310-pound post. He enjoyed a solid junior campaign.

“DeAndre is a load. He is working hard to get in shape.

He is a double-double waiting to happen,” Edwards said. “DeAndre is an impact player on both ends of the floor. He really finished last season strong.”

Shrodes is a 5-11 swingman. He is coming off a excellent football campaign.

“Donovan is a hard-working young man. He has dedicated himself to the gym the last few years,” Edwards noted. “Donovan has developed not just into a good shooter but rather a good allaround basketball player.”

A pair of rising 5-11 juniors — Cody Olson and Dasyn Hores — will handle the backcourt duties.

“Cody is our type of player. He has a lot of toughness. Cody brings it on both ends of the floor.

We want him to look more for his shots this year,” Edwards said. “Dasyn is a very athletic player. He is a hard-nosed kid and is very

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Everyone Is Back For Ferry Girls

By KIM NORTH MARTINS FERRY — Paul Matuska is in his second year as head coach at Martins Ferry, and for the second consecutive season, the Purple Riders will have not one senior on the court.

However, that suits him just fine.

“We didn’t lose anyone that saw action a year ago.

We had a senior in Sierra Pintarich, but she had a knee injury and didn’t play. Last year the sophomores were our starters because the transfers we had were ineligible for the first semester, so some of the young girls were kind of thrown into the fire,” he explained.

“Our expectations are the same as last season ... to get a lot better. Although, I believe we are at a better point and starting in a better place. The girls are a year older. They are a year stronger. They are doing more things right.

We’ve had a pretty good beginning of the year and the girls worked really hard during the summer, so I think we’ll be alright.”

Martins Ferry has six letterwinners in the fold, with some of them having earned two letters in their short careers.

All six of the returnees reside in the talent-ladened junior class. They are leading scorer from a year ago, Madison Ging (5-foot-5); leading rebounder and second leading scorer, Richella Spielvogel (5-10); the sweet-shooting tandem Shayla Schuster (5-5) and Jaden Stalder (5-6); defensive-minded Sidne Sidon (5-2); and athletic Haleigh Boyer (5-6).

Ging came into her own a year ago as she averaged a team-best 14 points while Schuster was sidelined with a foot injury.

Ging also charted 51 rebounds and 38 steals. She is also a 60-percent shooter from the charity stripe.

Martins Ferry Girls Nov. 27: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8: Indian Creek 3 p.m.

Dec. 10: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: River 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: at Bridgeport 1 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Harr. Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: Shadyside 3 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 TBD Jan. 28: at Edison 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 24: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

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She was also recognized by the Buckeye 8, OVAC and District 12.

Possibly the Purple Riders most improved player last year was Spielvogel, who turned into a double-double machine in points and rebounds on a nightly basis. Her length also allows her to be a shot-blocking force.

Schuster is back after missing most of last season.

Stalder, the third sister to play for the Purple in recent years, is the type of player that does all the little things that don’t show up in the boxscore.

Sidon is another player that has an engine that doesn’t know any other speed than full go.

Boyer blended in well with the Purple Riders last year after transferring in from St. John Central. She gives Matuska some added force on the inside, but can knock down the long ball.

Another junior is Carly Marchbank (5-7).

“She didn’t play last year, so The sophomore class only numbers two, but they are both dandies in Macie Ging (5-2) and Alivia Matz (5-4).

Top Scorers Back for PC Loy Will Lead Wildcats

By TRACY WATSON PADEN CITY — Paden City boys’ coach Jeff Hohn took the reins of the program last year with the condition that he only planned on staying for a maximum of three or four years to help get the Wildcats rolling again.

Hohn is in his second stint as a head coach having guided the Hundred boys’ program from 1993-2000.

Coming off a 6-16 campaign, Hohn welcomes back the team’s top three leading scorers from a season ago and a roster that he hopes can help get things jump started.

“I came in here with the mindset that I was going to retire in three or four years and I let them know that if they wanted something long term I wasn’t the guy,” Hohn said. “My goal is to have a good run during that time and I really think things are coming along.”

There are three players leading the way for the Wildcats, including a pair of seniors in 5-foot-8 guard Matt Saxon and 6-foot forward Trey Slider. Saxon averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a season ago while Slider contributed 10.7 points a night and 6.4 caroms.

The third returning starter was the leading scorer in 5-11 junior guard Ethan Cross, who averaged 13.4 points and 2 rebounds.

Senior Anthony Newman,

Paden City Boys Dec. 4: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Valley

7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at Beallsville 7 :30 p.m.

Dec. 14: at River 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Valley

7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Hundred 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Cameron Tourney TBA Dec. 22: at Cameron Tourney T BA Jan. 5: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Tyler Cons.

7 :30 p.m.

Jan. 8: Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: at Hundred 7 :30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at Clay-Battelle 7 :30 p.m.

Jan. 18: WVHIT

TBA Jan. 25: WVHIT

TBA Jan. 26: Rotary Classic 6 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Magnolia 7 :30 p.m.

Feb. 1: WVHIT

TBA Feb. 5: Clay-Battelle 7 :30 p.m.

Feb. 8: WVHIT Finals 6 :30 p.m.

a 6-foot. forward-guard, will be looking to fill one of the other two starting positions along with 6-2 senior newcomer Jacob Greene, who Hohn calls “very athletic,” at forward and 6-2 sophomore center/power forward Ty Cain.

The remainder of the Paden City roster consists of juniors Jason Anderson (61, C/F), Nicholas Clarke (61, C), Bryant McKay (5-9, G) and Walter Joy (5-10, G/ swing forward). Sophomore Carson Palmer (5-10, swing forward) is also in the mix.

“We have our three top scoring threats back and a pretty nice clog of people to go along with them and I think we are going to be all right,” Hohn said. “Last year was tough for the kids in a brand new system with most of them never having

played at the varsity level.

“Hopefully we will be able to win a few more games this year and I believe part of that may be the fact that a lot of teams we played last year were senior dominated teams.

“We are definitely expecting bigger and better things this year. We are also excited about once again being a part of the WVHIT tournament, something that we hope to do very well in.”

The Wildcats will play the normal cast of characters with a trip to the Cameron Christmas Tournament thrown in. However, Paden City will have only eight home contests.

“Yeah, we will be traveling a lot the way the schedule is set up,” Hohn said. “But it’s just the way it played out this year with the teams we only play once having played at our gym last year.

“I think the Christmas Tournament in Cameron will be fun and hopefully by the time the new year rings in we will pretty much know what we have here.”

Graduated from last years squad were center Garrett Cross (7.8 ppg/5.2 rpg) and forward Seth Bohrer (4.1/3.5).

Hohn will again be assisted by Paden City do-itall Brent Croasmun. Ironically, Hohn is Croasmun’s assistant on the baseball team.

Riders

Continued from Page 26

Elijah Smith is in the hunt for quality time. He is a talented 5-10 sophomore.

“Elijah got thrown into the fire last year.

He showed he could play,” Edward said.

“He knows his role and is one of our smartest players.”

Two 5-10 juniors — Jeffrey Grubba and Michael Buksa are being counted on to deliver quality backcourt depth.

“Jeffrey is a very good offensive player who plays hard. He is getting acclimated to our system,” Edwards said. “Michael has spent a lot of time in the gym. He has shown good improvement.”

Sophomore Jovahn McKennen — a 5-10 guard — adds additional depth to the backcourt.

The freshman class harbors several promising nuggets.

Jaizen Miles is a 6-2 multi-faceted tal-

ent.

“Jaizen is a physical specimen. He is extremely raw but talented,” Edwards noted.

“We are very excited about the potential he possesses.”

Davian Ray and David Skvarka are a pair of 5-10 promising guards.

“Davian has good quickness and a good shooter,” Edwards stated. “David comes from a great basketball background. He is one of our hardest workers.”

Rounding out the varsity roster is freshman J.C. Hill, a 5-10 guard.

Wheeling Park is the one new addition to the Purple Riders’ card.

Edwards boasts a quality staff. Veteran Ron Hill is one of the premier hoop lieutenants in the OVAC. Jeremy Shrodes, Mike Beck and Dave Edwards, Derek’s dad, round out the coaching staff.

By TRACY WATSON PADEN CITY — Paden City girls’ coach Alan Miller has higher expectations for his Wildcats entering the campaign.

Coming off a 6-16 season, Miller has his eyes set on at least a .500 season, if not better, and a possible trip to the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class A Tournament.

To help accomplish that he will be relying on a starting lineup led by 5-foot-6 senior guard Hannah Loy, who recently signed a letter of intent to play at Concord College, along with another senior, two juniors and a sophomore.

Loy averaged 15 points and eight rebounds last season and will be joined in the starting five by classmate Paige Leonard (5-4, guard), juniors Abbe Stackpole (5-1, guard) and Skylar Faulks (5-1, guard) and sophomore Raven Faulks (5-2, guard). Loy also stands 190 points shy of 1,000 for her career with 810.

“Hannah is such a hard worker and has earned everything coming her way,” Miller said. “Paige Leonard is someone who can, and will, play anywhere that we need her while Abbe Stackpole is finally realizing how good she can be and is very fast, having finished third in the 100 in the state track meet.

She could be a real difference-maker.

“Skylar Faulks is a decent shooter who can really help us while her little sister Raven has improved so much from last year and you could really see her coming along in the summer.”

The Wildcats’ six-player bench will be led by senior Madi Knight (5-6) and Kerri Daugherty (5-9); junior McKenzie Lewis (5-1), sophomores Erin McIntyre (5-3) and Abilene Bolen (5-1) and freshman Madi Kline (5-6).

Both Daugherty and Lewis are playing for

Paden City Girls Nov. 27: Hundred Nov. 30: Valley

Dec. 3: Beallsville Dec. 5: Magnolia Dec. 7: St. Marys Dec. 10: Clay-Battelle

Dec. 11: Cameron Dec. 17: at Hundred

Dec. 18: at Ritchie County

Dec. 28: at Valley Jan. 3: Tyler Consolidated

Jan. 12: WVHIT

Jan. 17: at Clay-Battelle Jan. 18: at WVHIT Jan. 22: Wood County Christian Jan. 26: Rotary Classic at Magnolia Jan. 28: at Magnolia

Feb. 11: at Wood County Christian

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the first time since eighth grade while Miller said, “McIntyre and Knight will help with offense and hustle, and some underneath, while Kline should see serious playing time as a freshman.”

Jamie Natali is the assistant coach.

“I really believe we will be a better basketball team this year and really expect to be at .500 or better,” Miller said. “I think we are going to have the ability to sneak up and surprise some teams.

“The girls are really working hard in practice and will do anything we ask of them with no questions. They really try their hardest at everything they do. I can see the difference in these girls over the last four years and there has been a lot of improvement.

“Even if they go out and don’t win a game this year I can’t tell you how proud of them I am both on and off the court.

“We have some big goals including winning the WVHIT and playing in the OVAC Tournament. I told them they need both goals they can reach and some that maybe are out of reach.”

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Familiar Faces For Barnesville

By RICK THORP BARNESVILLE — When Barnesville’s boys open the season, Shamrocks fans will see plenty of familiar faces.

The roster features seven letterwinners and a combined eight seniors and juniors, something second-year coach Matt Johnson hopes translates into success.

“They’re working hard,” Johnson said. “I have no complaints. Everything is falling into place. They’re understanding a bit more of what’s expected of them.

“It just helps having that extra year of experience.”

Barnesville finished 6-17 last winter, falling in the opening round of sectional play.

Struggles on defense and consistent offensive production were the Shamrocks’ Achilles’ heels last season, but Johnson said his team has made great strides in correcting both deficiencies.

“I think having a whole offseason to work on the defensive side of the ball and implement some new things, while staying true to man-toman principles, will help us in the long run,” he said. “We’ve really improved on that side of the ball.

“We will try to use our defense to help create a little bit more offense. I’m proud of the way they’ve worked on it and embraced it.”

Aaron Marovich is in line to earn his fourth letter this season after averaging 15.2 points and eight rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-3 senior can be a force inside or out,” Johnson stated.

Marovich’s classmate, Tate Dowler (6-0),

Barnesville Boys Nov. 30: Buckeye Trail Dec. 4: at River Dec. 11:at Bellaire Dec. 14:Monroe Central Dec. 15:at St. Clairsville Dec. 21:Bridgeport Dec. 22:Conotton Valley Dec. 28:at Buckeye Local Dec. 29:Crooksville Jan. 2:Bellaire Jan. 5:Union Local Jan. 11:at Buckeye Trail Jan. 15:Caldwell Jan. 18:River Jan. 22:at Monroe Central Jan. 25:at Caldwell Jan. 29:Buckeye Local Feb. 1:at Bridgeport Feb. 5:at Union Local Feb. 8:at Martins Ferry

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is another senior who has three letters. His biggest concern this season is staying healthy.

Gage Hannahs (6-2, forward) and letterwinner Hunter Carpenter (5-10, guard) are the other seniors.

Junior Luke Powell (6-3) anchors the Shamrocks. He averaged 21.4 points and seven boards a game last season and continues to get everyone involved, Johnson said.

Payne Johnson (6-0, guard) and Jacob Burghy (5-7, guard) are two juniors cut from the same mold, Coach Johnson said.

Another junior in the mix is forward Zach Thompson (6-4). He didn’t play last season, but Johnson expects him to contribute on the inside.

Johnson also expects big things from sophomores Ayden Hannahs (5-9, guard) and Evan Hudson (5-7, guard), along with a trio of freshmen — Colton Hines (5-5, guard), Kason Powell (5-8, guard) and Jeremy Hunkler (5-8, guard).

Who Will Lead Shamrocks?

By RICK THORP BARNESVILLE — For the past two seasons, there was little question who the leaders were for Barnesville’s girls’ basketball team.

Two years ago, it was Kallee Dowler, now playing at Westminster in Missouri. Last year, it was Dulcie Christman and Sarah Powell.

This year? Well, veteran coach Jamie Carpenter has candidates for the job, but is hoping one emerges as the Shamrocks enter into the early portion of their schedule.

Despite having six seniors on his roster of nine varsity players, Carpenter recognizes that neither has really served a leadership role. Now, though, it’s time for one or more to rise to the challenge.

“We’re looking for that player that wants to be a leader and be one to take that last shot,” he said. “A couple of them are getting there, but they’re just not there yet.

“Annie (Carpenter), Paige (Morgan) and Rylee (Stephens), they all played with (Kallee, Dulcie and Sarah),” Carpenter said.

“They have sense of what it takes to get deep in the tournament and have a successful season.

“If they could kind of capture that feeling again, I think it would really help us here at the beginning.”

Annie Carpenter and Morgan are two players Coach Carpenter is eyeing to take on the leadership role.

In Carpenter, a 5-7 guard, Coach Carpenter has a player who’s been through the battles of the last two campaigns.

Morgan (5-9, forward) played a little as a sophomore before missing a few weeks last season with an injury. Her role changed from one as a starter to a reserve, but Carpenter said her contributions are vital.

Barnesville Girls Nov. 23: at Bridgeport Nov. 27: St. Clairsville Dec. 3: Buckeye Trail Dec. 6: at Caldwell Dec. 10: at Monroe Central Dec. 13: St. John Dec. 15: at Edison Dec. 17: Cambridge Dec. 20: Union Local Dec. 27: at Buckeye Trail Dec. 29: at Buckeye Local Jan. 3: at Meadowbrook Jan. 7: Monroe Central Jan. 10: at St. Clairsville Jan. 14: Meadowbrook Jan. 17: Bellaire Jan. 24: at Union Local Jan. 26: at St. John Jan. 28: Bridgeport Jan. 31: Caldwell

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The remaining trio of senior letterwinners consists of guards Madyson Little (5-6), Mallory Conner (5-6) and Sydney Leach (5-6).

Conner sustained an injury in the preseason and Carpenter was unsure of her status, but said her ball handling and ability are good when on the floor.

Little is another player who’s been hampered by the injury big and, too, is a “great shooter.”

Leach switched to a post role last winter.

Addy Wildes (5-5, guard) is the team’s other senior.

Sophomore Ryle Stephens (5-6) has been plugged into the team’s point guard role.

Junior Regan Hanlon and sophomore Kinzie Kaplet, both 5-6 forwards, will fill bench roles.

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Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 29

Ray, Stark Will Need to Be Leaders for Bulldogs

By KIM NORTH BRIDGEPORT — Donnie Cash has been around long enough to know what it takes to win at the varsity basketball level. In his 15th year as head coach of the Bridgeport boys program, he has a pair of OVAC championships.

However, successful seasons haven’t been in the fold recently as the Bulldogs have fallen upon some tough times lately.

Bridgeport has just three lettermen back from last season’s 9-14 squad, but the good news is that its top two scorers also return for another campaign.

“We are going to be really, really young,” Cash said. “We have two seniors, a junior and five sophomores in the mix for some playing time.

That gives us eight guys that we’ll count on.”

Back for his second season will be senior Trevonn Ray (5-foot-8). The letterman scored around 14 points a contest last year.

“Trevonn will be a two-year starter for us. He had a really good junior ridgeport season and we’re hoping he can carry that over to this season,” Cash oys said. “We’re going to rely on him for 7:30 p.m. a lot of our offense this season and I Nov. 30: Monroe Central Dec. 4: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m. think he is capable of handling that.

Dec. 7: Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

“He has really worked on his jump Dec. 8: St. John Dec. 14: Belluaire 7:30 p.m. shot over the summer. That will help Dec. 18: at River 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. out because he is known as a driver/ Dec. 21: at Barnesville Dec. 22: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m. slasher-type of player.

Dec. 27: at Steubenville Catholic 4 p.m.

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“He needs to be our leader be- Dec. 28: at Monroe Central Jan. 2: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m. cause he is one of the few players on Jan. 4: River 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. the team that have been out there in Jan. 8: at St. John Jan. 11: at Cameron 7:30 p.m. the fire.”

Jan. 12: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

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Also back for another season are Jan. 22: Cameron Jan. 25: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m. senior John Stark (6-0) and sopho- Jan. 29: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: Barnesville 7:30 p.m. more Dylan Gregorcic (6-1).

Feb. 5: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

“John had a decent junior year,” Cash said. “He’s been doing a good job of working with the younger kids Sands Electric Co. on their games.

Wheeling, WV “He just needs to know the differ304-233-3030 ence between a good shot and a bad shot. We do need him to shoot the ball and put points on the board, but for a shot like that in our offense. He sometimes it might not be the time has to adapt to that.”

B

B

Cash said Ray and Stark need to be the team leaders.

Also being counted on is junior P.J. Sauvageot (5-9).

In addition to Gregorcic, Cash is real high on his sophomore group.

“The sophomores have done a good job of listening in practice and doing what we are trying to teach them,” he continued. “They’ve had good attitudes and everything, which is a plus, but until the lights come on and we get out there and play to see how they react, we don’t know.”

The sophomore class is comprised of Cooper Dulesky (5-9), Adam Sommer (5-7), Eric Williams (5-9), Riese O’Kernick (6-0), J. B. Marling (6-2) and Timmy Stanton (5-8).

Rounding out the roster are seniors Jacob Waterman (5-7), Riccardo Mainetti (6-0) and Ryan Stewart (5-8); juniors Jera Massey (6-1) and Kyle Gummer (5-10); and freshman Kayden Williams (6-1).

“We did okay in our first scrimmage, but we’ve got a lot of time

until we open up. So the kids have to get out there and continue to get in as much work as they can.

“I’ve been stressing to each player to just contribute in the best way they can. Not everybody has to be a scorer, but be a rebounder or play defense or take care of the ball. I’ve been satisfied with their efforts so far.

“Overall, it’s been good attitudes.”

Cash said everyone on the team must define his role.

“Until we identify our roles and everything, these kids, especially, the underclassmen, need to keep improving on what they need to work on. If we need a guy to be a defender, be a defender. If we need a guy to be a rebounder, be a rebounder. Certain players will have certain roles. With not putting limits on what they can and can’t do as coaches, they have to work on their all-around games.

“Our goal is to prepare and be ready for November 30 when Monroe Central comes here.”

Getting Off to Good Start Will Be Key for Bridgeport

By KIM NORTH BRIDGEPORT — In Greg Harkness’ two years as head coach of the Bridgeport girls basketball, the Bulldogs have gotten off to terrible starts.

There are several reasons for

that, however.

In his first season he inherited a group of inexperienced sophomores that had relied upon the scoring of Caitlyn Kroll as freshmen. Last year, he had a talented cast that just

couldn’t put things together against a formidable schedule until it made a late run down the stretch and upset a very good Shadyside team for the Division IV sectional title in finishing 11-14.

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“It just took us a while to start clicking,” Harkness said. “The first year we had a lot of inexperienced girls, but last year we had more experience back. Not making excuses, but our schedule is pretty challenging, especially last year. If you look back at last year, there were a lot of teams on our schedule they either won the OVACs or made the OVAC Tournament. Shenandoah made the regionals, so we played a lot of good teams.

“It doesn’t give you too much room for error, but sometimes when things are going bad they tend to snowball. It’s a credit to that group for getting it turned around and finishing strong.

“How that translates to this year is to be determined.”

The lone starter back is senior Angela Sommer (5foot-4).

“We only have three girls that played meaningful minutes, so a lot of these girls are going to be thrown into the fire immediately,” Harkness said. “We’re still figuring ourselves out right now as much as anything.”

Sommer is a three-year letterwinner that Harkness is going to rely a lot on, espe-

30 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

cially early in the campaign.

“She’s our captain. She’s a prototypical point guard. She handles the ball really well and gets us in our offense,” he said. “We’re going to need her to look to score a little more this year and be more of an offensive threat. She was more of a ball distributor last year. This year she is going to have to step up and help us score.”

The other returnees are senior Briana Conaway (5-7), will be a forward, and junior Jaren Tucker (5-6), a guard.

“Bri came on strong towards the end of last season.

She had a real nice game against Beallsville in the (sectional) tournament,” Harkness said. “Her main problem was she was stuck behind Kamden and Shelby. She probably deserved more minutes, but it was hard because she was behind two people that had already been through that.

“She’s done some things to improve. She looks a little quicker and we’re going to expect her to help us on the boards and with some more scoring this season.

“Jaren really improved as the year went on last year. A lot of what we are going to expect from her this season is to

Bridgeport Girls Nov. 23: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 26: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: at River 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19: Shenandoah 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Martins Ferry 1 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Steub. Catholic noon Dec. 29: Beallsville* 12:45 p.m.

Jan. 3: River 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9: at Shenandoah 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Martins Ferry 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Monroe Central 1 p.m.

Jan. 24: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: at St. John 7:30 p.m. * at Buckeye Local

Sands Electric Co. Wheeling, WV 304-233-3030

take that next step in, basically, every aspect of the game.

We’ll need her to handle the ball some. We’ll need her to make some outside shots.

The seniors are guard Lauren White (5-5) and forward Brooke Corrick (5-6).

Kayleigh Roberts (5-6) and Jessa Stockwell (5-6) are a guard and forward, respectively, while sophomore Meleah Tiber (5-5) is listed as a guard.

Clifford Feels Standard for Success Reached at HC

By SETH STASKEY CADIZ — Justin Clifford has learned a lot during his near decade tenure as the basketball coach at Harrison Central.

One thing that he had re-affirmed for him last season was always be ready for the unexpected.

And he was reminded of that in many different ways during the course of the 2017-18 campaign, which saw the Huskies finish with a solid 18-6 record, qualify for the OVAC Tournament and reach the Division II district tourney where they fell to eventual regional champion Meadowbrook.

While the on-court success was probably a little more than Clifford had expected last winter, there was more than that. During the course of the season, Clifford was diagnosed with cancer, causing him to miss a handful of games and be unable to coach fully in some other games.

It actually seemed to serve as a rallying cry for the Huskies.

“Personally, (last season) was a whirlwind,” Clifford said. “You never expect to have cancer or anything like that. I am good now (health-wise) and I really think it made me, my family and our team stronger.”

Clifford, who still undergoes some treatment, tests and routine checkups, has been given a full go-ahead to coach the same as he had prior to the diagnosis last season.

“Our kids really rallied around the entire situation, and I am proud of them for that,” Clifford said. “It could have been an easy out to fold their tents as a builtin excuse. But, instead of doing that, they rose to the occasion and maybe played better. It’s a tribute to our seniors, Coach (Chad) Figurski and our staff and our entire team for leading us on the court and in practice.”

One guy who Clifford isn’t worried about adjusting to any change in a role is highly regard-

Harrison Central Boys Dec. 7: Bellaire Dec. 11: at Martins Ferry Dec. 14: St. Clairsville Dec. 18: at Union Local Dec. 22: Linsly * Dec. 28: Indian Creek Jan. 5: Minerva Jan. 8: at Bellaire Jan. 11: Martins Ferry Jan. 15: at St. Clairsville Jan. 18: Union Local Jan. 22: Beaver Local Jan. 25: at Edison Jan. 29: Claymont Jan. 31: at Buckeye Local Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 Feb. 5: East Liverpool Feb. 8: at Indian Creek Feb. 19: at Steubenville Catholic Feb. 23: at Garaway * at OUE

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ed sophomore Kobe Mitchell (6foot-1), who is coming off a brilliant rookie season in which he averaged nearly 18 points a game.

“We know what kind of payer Kobe can be and hopefully will be,” Clifford said. “He is an intel-

ligent player and has the physical skills. But, the mental aspect of the game is, in my opinion, what really makes him a good player because he played above his age and grade. The moment never seems too big for him.”

Senior Evan Stine (6-4) is a hard-working forward, who also had some big games. He’s an adept rebounder and can score on the block.

“Evan had a breakout year for us,” Clifford said. “We always thought he had a chance to be good and he played with confidence last season. He’s as good as anyone when he does that.”

Senior Caden Dalton (5-10) is back for his third season as a starter. He’s one who Clifford mentioned will need to take on a more offensive mindset.

“We need him to score more consistently,” Clifford said. “He’s quick, athletic and can really get to the hoop.”

Senior Tyler West (6-0) was a

solid contributor last season off the bench.

“He’s as quick and athletic as it gets,” Clifford said. “He’s really a force on defense, too. He understands what we need from him.”

Expected to round out the starting lineup is senior Peyton Taylor (6-1), who Clifford said “is a leader in practice who can really shoot it.”

The Huskies expect to employ about an eight-to-10 player rotation for the most part.

Off the bench, sophomore Gavin Muckle (6-1) is expected to see solid minutes. Junior Cale McAfee (6-1) is another who Clifford said is an impressive shooter from the perimeter.

Sophomore Sam Santille (6-4) is a good shooter and will also spell Stine on the interior.

Others battling for minutes in the rotation are senior Joseph Rogers (5-11), sophomore Skylar Mazeroski (5-11) and junior Cruz Capers (5-9).

Huskies Have Nice Mixture of Experience, Youth

By BUBBA KAPRAL CADIZ — Nick Yourkovich enters his 10th season at the Harrison Central girls’ helm with a sense of optimism.

“I believe that this team has the potential to be pretty darn good, but in order to do that, we need everyone on the roster to get after it in practice every single day,” Yourkovich said.

“We have talent, but we are also inexperienced in some key areas. With that being said, I think that we can address those weaknesses in practice, and our hope is, that we can improve upon those as the season progresses.”

The Huskies, coming off a 10-13 campaign, boast a nice mixture of experience and youth.

Four battle-tested seniors will provide leadership and skill this winter for Yourkovich.

Sydney Starr enjoyed a solid junior campaign. The 5-foot-9 forward averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds a game. She is primed for a strong final campaign.

“We have challenged Syd to be more assertive on

the court, both with her play and as a leader,” Yourkovich said. “She has stepped up her level of play from last year, and we are going to need her to be a force each and every game.”

Yourkovich has a nice situation in the backcourt with a trio of seniors ready for regular duty. They are 5-4 Lexee McAfee, 5-5 Marina Miller and 5-6 Jara Madzia.

“Lex has put in countless hours in the gym since the end of last season. She has stepped up as a leader and is truly showing our younger girls the way we expect them to work,” the former Martins Ferry athletics great said. “Lex has really improved her offensive game, including her accuracy from the outside.

“Marina has the tools to be a very good player for us. Her court vision is tremendous and she has really improved her outside game. Jara is one of our most versatile players. She has good length, is very athletic, handles the ball well and is our best passer.

She will be counted on to do a lot of things that may

go unnoticed by the casual fan, but will be very important in our success.”

Two juniors — Lexi Carter and Kobey Johnson — play big into the Huskies’ plans this winter.

Both are 5-5 guards.

“Kobey is back after a year’s absence from basketball, and I couldn’t be happier to have her. She is our best defender and is just tenacious when she is on the floor. She has one speed, and it is full throttle,” Yourkovich said. “Lexi is someone we will rely on to help with ball-handling duties and, hopefully, develop into a top notch defender. She has battled injuries this pre-season, but we expect her to be ready for the opener.”

Harrison Central boasts a promising sophomore class, several of whom will see quality varsity time this winter.

Audrey Corder is a 5-7 wing, Britton Positano is a 5-5 guard while Thea Haney is a 5-11 forward.

All boast nice potential.

“Audrey is one of our most athletic players. She

is very aggressive on both ends and has a motor that does not stop. Audrey has improved dramatically since last season,” Yourkovich said. “Thea has the ability to be dominant in the post for us, and that is what we are trying to bring out in her. She is very agile and has a soft touch around the basket.

“We have high hopes for Brit. We have challenged her with the idea of becoming a point guard, and she has taken that head on.

She has really developed her ball handling abilities while not losing any aggressiveness offensively. I’m looking forward to seeing her against live competition.”

McKayla Dunkle is a 6-foot freshman forward.

“McKayla is probably the most skilled freshman that has come in for me, but she still has a lot to improve on for her to be an impact player for us,” Yourkovich said. “She will play both inside and outside for us. McKayla has taken everything we have thrown at her in stride and is really pushing

our veterans for time.”

Two other sophomores round out the varsity roster. They are 5-3 guard Tory Thompson and 5-7 forward Taylor Mencer.

“We are going to rely heavily on our length and athleticism, both offensively and defensively,” Yourkovich said. “We have several girls that are very versatile, which we hope will create match-up issues for our opponents.”

Mike Angelozzi and Chace Smith are the assistants.

Harrison Central Girls Nov. 26: at Indian Creek Nov. 29: Edison Dec. 3: St. Clairsville Dec. 6: at Union Local Dec. 10: at Steubenville Dec. 15: at Fort Frye Dec. 17: Bellaire Dec. 19: Indian Creek Dec. 27: Martins Ferry Jan. 3: Union Local Jan. 5: East Liverpool Jan. 7: Linsly Jan. 10: at Martins Ferry Jan. 14: at Bellaire Jan. 16: at St. Clairsville Jan. 21: Steubenville Jan. 24: Buckeye Local Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 Jan. 28: At Beaver Local Feb. 15: Malvern

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Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 31

Eft Takes Over At Indian Creek

By ANDREW GRIMM WINTERSVILLE — Indian Creek’s girls basketball team might have a new coach, but don’t expect the Redskins to miss a beat from last season.

Steve Eft takes over the program after two years as an assistant coach with the girls program, with a large portion of the group that went 17-6 last season back for more.

“I’m very exciting about it,” Eft said of taking over.

“We had a very good summer, and we have had a very good preseason, too. We are all excited to get going and get on the court.”

Having already been in the system, along with experienced assistant coach Ron Tweedy, the transition has been very smooth for the team so far.

“They are pretty used to me by now,” Eft said. “It’s been nice. They are also really familiar with my assistant coach, Ron Tweedy. He does a great job and has actually been running our youth program here for a long time.

“All the girls know us both and know what we expect and the way we want things to be done.”

Last season, the Redskins were runners up in both the Buckeye 8 and OVAC Class 5A. This year, he wants to see the group pick up those titles.

“We won some games last year, but we fell short of accomplishing some of our goals,” Eft said. “There is still plenty for us to go out and be able to accomplish this year.

The girls are hungry and excited. We talk about (having unfinished business). If we work hard and improve every day, the big goals will take care of themselves.

“We made it to the Buckeye 8 championship game and the OVACs. We want to win this year.”

To accomplish those goals, he’ll be relying on his group of seniors that are made up of Mackenzie Orban, Taylor Scott, Kacie Vandeborne, Hayley Scott and Tera Parrish.

“We have five seniors coming back, so we will be relying heavily on them to show leadership,” Eft said.

“We have one junior on the varsity squad, then the rest are sophomores, so I’m going to really count on the seniors to lead by example.

“I think the experience

Indian Creek Girls Nov. 26: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: at Edison 7 p.m.

Dec. 6: East Liverpol 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8: at Martins Ferry 3 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19: at Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Edison 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: at East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: Madonna 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 TBA Jan. 28: at Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Brooke 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: at Brooke 7:30 p.m.

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and the depth that we have is going to be our two main strengths this year.”

By position, Vandeborn, Hayley Scott, Parrish, Ally Tweedy, Kylie Kiger and Hailey Clark will play guard.

Orban and Abby Copeland can play multiple positions for Eft, while Mackenzie Taylor, Taylor Scott and Taylor Jones will be at forward.

“With our depth, we want to play up-tempo,” he said.

“We can pressure the basketball. We are going to play a lot of different girls, so we can be up-tempo and pressure the ball.”

Creek to Grow as Season Goes

By ANDREW GRIMM WINTERSVILLE — Indian Creek boys’ basketball coach Joe Dunlevy likes to look at the second half of the season to see how his squads grow through the course of the season.

This year will be no different, as the Redskins sport a combination of returning seniors and young guys looking to get in the mix.

“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Dunlevy said. “You’ve got a lot of games to get better.

I really look at the second half of the year and the tournament to see if we did a good job with the kids. The thing about basketball is everybody gets in, so if you improve and work hard to get better throughout the year, anything can happen.

“Some years the kids really surprise you by the end of the season with how much better they’ve gotten, which is what you hope for every year.”

The seniors that are returning are guards Michael Allan, Derrick Eakle and Brennon Norris, as well as forward Austin Judson. Also part of the senior class is Matt Mamula, a center, Noah Hildebrand and Adduhl Ade. Norris is coming off an injury during football season but, according to Dunlevy, has been working hard to get back to full strength.

“He was there the first day,” Dunlevy said.

“Him and Matt (Mamula) and the rest of those guys from football came out right away. He is getting better in practice every day.”

Mamula, an All-Eastern District second-team wide receiver in football, rejoins the team after not playing basketball last season.

Juniors on Dunlevy’s squad will be Brock Lucas, also recovering from a football injury, and Shawn McClurg.

As is the case for many teams, the Redskins will look to some young guys to grow at the varsity level. For Dunlevy, he is hoping to get that growth from a talented pool of soph-

Indian Creek Boys Nov. 30: Carrollton Dec. 4: at Buckeye Local Dec. 7: Weir Dec. 11: Edison Dec. 14: Beaver Local Dec. 18: East Liverpool Dec. 21: at Martins Ferry Dec. 28: at Harrison Central Jan. 4: Buckeye Local Jan. 8: at St. Clairsville Jan. 11: at Edison Jan. 15: at Beaver Local Jan. 16: at Brooke Jan. 18: at East Liverpool Jan. 25: at Weir Jan. 29: at Steubenville Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 Feb. 5: Martins Ferry Feb. 8: Harrison Central Feb. 19: St. Clairsville

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omores.

That group is made up of Justice Morris, Michael Kuczykowski, Isaiah Vandine, Jacob Wright and Clayton Parsons. Freshman Mitch Williams also will be in the mix.

One thing Dunlevy likes about his group is it’s work ethic.

“They are going to do everything that they can to represent the school district, our high school, their teammates, their classmates,” he said. “That’s typical of Indian Creek kids.

They’re here early, and they stay after practice.

“Our kids want to get better and work really hard to improve every day. We’re not Ohio State or Duke, we’re not going out and bringing kids in. We just work hard with the great kids in our school and try to represent Indian Creek the best we can.”

Edison Must Find Way to Replace 1,000-Point Scorer Huff

By AARON PETCHAL marks.

RICHMOND — The EdThe biggest question is ison girls team enters this how do the Wildcats replace season with some question the production of Kayla Huff, who was one of the best players in program history? Huff, who ended her illustrious career with more than 1,000

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points, is one of five seniors the Wildcats lost from last season’s 7-15 team. Huff averaged 17.7 points per game last year.

The three other departed seniors are Sami Springer, Kierstyn Simeral, Tommi McCon-

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nell and Logan Perry.

Last season was Edison’s first under Coach Jeff Stone, who previously served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.

“We were fortunate that I knew the girls and the girls knew the system,” Stone said.

“Things were different being the head coach, as compared to being an assistant. A lot of the games were close, but we missed some shots.

“Kayla was our scorer.

Sami and Tommi were are rebounders. Kierstyn got our assists. We are going to have to learn to rebound.”

The Wildcats will be a young team, as they will have to rely heavily on younger players to be successful on the court.

32 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Edison will be led by its two seniors — Lauren Ferralli, the team’s leading returning scorer, and Kenzi Potkrajac.

Ferralli will play on the wing, while Potkrajac will play in the post.

The Wildcats have two juniors, but only one (Mikayla Petrisko) has experience playing basketball. Petrisko will play on the wing.

“Ferralli and Potkrajac are our leaders,” Stone said.

“They have played for four years. Petrisko has played for three years.”

Edison has five sophomores in Sydnee Keenan (post), Emma Scott (post), Ashley Grafton (wing), Liz Montgomery (wing) and Trista Furbee (wing).

Three freshmen — Alay-

Edison Girls Nov. 27: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: at Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: Barnesville 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Toronto 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Newcomerstown 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: Toronto 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: at East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: at Southern Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Wellsville 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Buckeye 8 TBD Jan. 28: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 30: Southern Local 7:30 p.m.

na Fiedorcsyk (wing), Laine Murphey (guard) and Alayna Meadows (wing) — are also expected to contributed on the court this season for the Wildcats. They will split time between jayvee and varsity.

Life Without Isaly Begins for Romick, River

By SETH STASKEY HANNIBAL — Even with the season opener upon him, Mark Romick still has caught himself taking a quick glimpse at the R.L. Potts Gymnasium Door to see who might be walking in.

The veteran River Pilots boys basketball coach has finally comes to grips with the fact that Lukas Isaly — the all-everything, 2,000-point scorer — isn’t “walking through that door anytime soon.”

The current Marietta Pioneers basketball player might be back at some point, but it’ll strictly be as a spectator. His graduation coupled with the losses of Cody Hupp and Drew Dietz leave the Pilots with several unknowns following last season’s 24-2 campaign, which saw them win the OVAC Class 2A title before bowing out in the Division IV, Eastern District championship game to Hiland after ascending to as high as No. 2 in the state poll.

“Life goes on,” Romick said. “We have to find a way to fill the void that not only Lukas leaves, but that all of those kids from last year leave.”

Romick admits that the group last season, which hung its hat on its halfcourt man defense, spoiled him from

basically the first practice of the season on.

“Last year, we could walk in the gym and those kids were just able to do a lot of things because of their experience,” Romick said. “Those were all good kids who came with a blue-collar attitude and approach each day. We’re hopeful that kids who are back realized what it took to have that kind of success.”

Entering this evening’s opener against Frontier, the Pilots have just three players in their expected eight-player rotation who have significant varsity experience. But, just one — John Murphy — was a starter against the Hawks in the Pilots’ finale.

“The learning curve is sharp this year and we’ll need some kids who catch on quickly,” Romick said. “A few of these kids got a taste of what (varsity basketball) is all about and know what’s going on, so we’ll really kind of lean on them to shoulder some of the burden.”

One aspect that Romick doesn’t expect to be any different this winter than last is the Pilots’ approach and commitment to the defensive end of the floor.

“If you’re able to play good de-

River Boys Nov. 30: Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at St. John 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Paden City 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: Crooksville* 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: St. John 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Columbus Bishop Ready 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: at Union Local 7:30 p.m. * at Marietta

fense each night out, you’ll be in games,” Romick said. “We believe that defense is about work ethic. If you work hard at it, you can be a good defender. But, if you take breaks or slack off (defensively), you’re going to get burned.”

With the bulk of their scoring gone, the Pilots will settle into more of a half-court team this winter.

“You might see us run more sets than we have in the past because we obviously don’t have Lukas out there, allowing us to do some freelance kind of things,” Romick said.

“We need to continue to improve each game. I think our defense will be there, but we have to find a way to score because you’re not going to shut teams out no matter how good of defense you play.”

Murphy (6-3) will be counted upon to shoulder a big part of the scoring load, especially early. He had a handful of bigger games last season.

“John is a very capable scorer and player,” Romick said. “He had a huge game against Strasburg (in the district semifinal) and we will need that this year. He played a vital part in our success last year and he’s going to do a lot of things for us like scoring, defending and handle the ball.”

Junior Stone Thompson (6-2) saw heavy minutes off the bench last season. He’ll move into a starting role and be another that’s looked upon for scoring.

“There were a few times when Stone had 18 to 20-point nights for us,” Romick said.

Junior Colton Lawrence (5-10) is another who saw some minutes a season ago, but they’ll be increased significantly this season.

Sophomore Michael Johnson (58) played primarily on the jayvee

squad last season. He’ll move into the point guard role.

Sophomore Carter Dennis, who enjoyed a breakout football season and was named Eastern District Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to be the fifth starter this evening.

Senior Jason Deaton (6-0) has shown some signs during practice that he’ll be a solid contributor off the bench and could be in the mix to start based on matchups and such.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a guy who can get us 40 (point) on any given night, so it’s going to have to be more of a team thing,” Romick said.

Others expected to contribute off the bench are senior James Hendershot (6-0), junior Jonas Schmidt (5-11) and sophomore guard Chase Lawrence (6-0).

“Guys four through nine (on the depth chart) have never stepped onto a varsity court, so there’s some unknown from those kids,” Romick said. “Obviously, the speed of the game, the window you have to shoot the ball all changes at the varsity level. And sometimes that can consume some guys, so we will have to see how those guys adjust.”

High Expectations for OVAC Champ River Girls

By KIM NORTH HANNIBAL — River won the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 2A championship last year without a senior on its roster.

That’s good news for veteran coach Rick Isaly as the Pilots enter the 201819 campaign with a roster full of veteran players and high expectations.

“Our key is staying healthy. We can’t afford to lose one player because that turns everything around,” he explained. “We also can’t afford to look ahead and we need to stay positive.”

Isaly welcomes back seven letterwinners and nine players from last season’s deceiving 14-10 record.

Three of them will be fouryear letterwinners, while another two will have lettered three times.

“The girls are working really hard. They know

they have a target so-to-say on their backs as OVAC champs, but I think they relish the opportunity to try and win back-to-back titles,” Isaly said. “I think that is possible if we stay healthy.”

Leading the group of returnees are five seniors.

Lauren Flannery (5-foot5), Carsyn Reynolds (5-9) and Riley Lollathin (5-4) have lettered since they were freshmen and have enjoyed outstanding careers.

Candace Caldwell (5-8) and Livi Rose (5-5) have lettered since they were sophomores.

“Those five girls have given a lot to this program,” Isaly said. “They have had pretty good careers so far and they want to end with another championship.”

Flannery is the most decorated of the group. The NCAA Division II Lake Erie College recruit was a second team Division

VI All-Ohio and Eastern District co-Player of the Year selection last winter when she averaged 18.4 points per outing. She also surpassed the coveted 1,000-point plateau last season when she was also a District 12 honoree.

However, she does more than score as her 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three steals a game last season indicate.

“Signing early took a lot of pressure off of her,” Isaly said. “A lot of pressure.

She just wanted to get that out of the way so she could concentrate on her senior season.”

When asked how good Flannery could be, Isaly smiled.

“As good as she wants to be,” he quickly answered.

“She’s a very good ballhandler. She sees the floor and she knows the game. She is tough to defend because if you play her close, she’ll

beat you to the basket. But, if you play off of her she can beat you from the outside. She also has a good pull-up jumper.”

Reynolds, who has been slowed by injuries during her career, is healthy and Isaly said she is looking really good thus far.

Lollathin has worked her way into being an allaround player, according to Isaly.

Caldwell will play a forward spot.

Rose will be the first player off the bench for the Pilots.

Senior Hanna Straub (55) lettered last year and will provide the Pilots with some depth at the guard position..

Junior Alli Long (5-10) has started every game of her career, but has been slowed some this preseason with a back injury.

Rounding out the varsity roster are junior Makenzie

Cieszewski (5-9); sophomores Emile Smith (5-9) and Jonayah Moeller (5-6); and freshman Raylee Smith (5-11).

Isaly is joined on the bench by long-time assistant Dean Caldwell. Scott Piatt has come over from the boys staff, while former Paden City head coach Fred King also joins the staff.

River Girls Nov. 26: at Mon.Central 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1: Bellaire 1 p.m.

Dec. 6: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Park. South 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Fort Frye 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: at Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28: TBD* TBD Dec. 29: Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: at Bellaire 1 p.m.

Jan. 21: Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Waterford 7:30 p.m. * at Marietta College

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St.C.

Continued from Page 22

Other members of the varsity squad are senior Kassidy Stephens (5-7); juniors Olivia Robinson (5-5), Emily Vera (5-5) and Emma Haley (5-10); and freshmen Shae Brookover (5-5) and Alexis Thoburn (5-7). Vera is sidelined with an injury sus-

tained in soccer.

“Kassidy played last year, but she didn’t letter,” Agnew recalled. “However, she’s really improved her game this year.

“Olivia had a good summer and has carried that over to this winter,” Agnew said.

Cameron

Continued from Page 25

“Out of our 20-man roster, we’re going to have about 14 players are going to be freshmen or sophomores. Overall we’re going to be pretty young. But we do have seven lettermen returning from last season.”

The Dragons have seven returning lettermen starting with senior Travis Mickey (6-foot-3), who scored nearly 10 points per game last year, along with classmates Aidan Lucey (5-11) and Dillon Meintel (6-5).

The junior class brings back Zane Clutter (5-9) along with Noah Neely (5-11), Garrett Scott (6-1) and Jessop Broughton (6-1).

One sophomore that Hart sees helping the team out is Logan Burkett (5-11). As a freshman, Burkett moved up from jayvee and saw some varsity minutes last year.

Scott Pekula (5-10) and Conner Howard (5-10) are a pair of sophomore Hart will look to see have some varsity minutes.

The other sophomores are Austin Day, Scott White and Mason Miller.

The freshmen class includes Trevor Beresford, Clayton Bryan, Nathan Haeberle, Chris McCulley, Conner Powell, Landon Van Tassell and Donald Wasmuth.

“One thing about our top eight, including Logan Burkett with the juniors and seniors, is that they’re all tremendous athletes.

They’re multi-sport athletes,” Hart said.

“We have some combination of guys that are outstanding football players, outstanding baseball players and also a couple of state qualifiers in track in Meintel and Clutter. We definitely have our fair share of athleticism.”

While the Dragons will have mostly a new look, Hart knows it’s going to take some time for the underclassmen get used to the system.

“With having so many young players and new players, we’re progressively going to take it one day at a time,” Hart said. “We got a lot of guys become familiar with our system. Once we can start mixing in our returning veterans, I think that progression will continue to improve.

“The goal is always to get to Charleston.

I don’t think that’s any secret for any team.

We have an extremely competitive schedule.

We have a nice mix of traditional rivalries and some really good basketball programs.

We’ll see a lot of good teams, players and coaches. It’s going to be very competitive and most of it is in our back door. We don’t have to travel far to find the good competition.”

Hart is assisted by Matt Burge and Devin Overholt.

Dragons

Continued from Page 25

They’re eager to see where we can get this year as well as Jordyn Hughes. She’s my lone senior. She’s looking to get back to that regional final and hopefully we make our first trip to Charleston in school history.”

Those underclassmen that had a lot of freshmen experience are Kori Scott, Madge Lucey and Lili Neely, who Cain said will be starting along side Hughes. The fifth position is still up for grabs.

“We’re going to be pretty small, but we’ll have some speed. We’ll have some quickness,” Cain said. “We’ll try to utilize that to our advantage because we do lack size. We don’t have Kelsie in the post anymore that we can look to kind of dump it down to. But I think we have the guards to really get out and push the ball, look to get pressure. We’ll look to see to build off the things we did last year.”

Also returning for Cameron are juniors Kendra Dobbs and Maelyn Canada, both of which could fill the fifth starter spot.

Emma Whipkey and Reagan Gray are the other sophomores while Emily Harker, Carlee O’Neil, Kayleigh Milliken, Au34 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

breigh Walker and Autumn Streight are the freshmen.

Gray could also battle for the fifth starter spot according to Cain. Gray was lost for the year before the season started with a torn rotator cuff last year.

Milliken has caught Cain’s eye early. And sitting around 6-foot-1, Cameron hopes that they can build and develop her throughout the season. Cain said she has the potential to play some key minutes if she works hard enough and be a solid post player.

Cain also could see some minutes in the future for O’Neil.

“I do have a pretty core group that had a lot of experience playing last year. And their excited with what we can do this year and hopefully be able to duplicate those OVAC championships, WVHIT championships, Mason-Dixon championship,” Cain said. “Our goal is get past that regional final. Being in that regional final the last two years and losing in it, these girls are really eager get past that point and hopefully make our first state tournament.”

Cain is assisted by Mike Juliano and Tim Brown.

Shadyside Looking To Bounce Back

By SETH STASKEY SHADYSIDE — It didn’t take Ed Andes long to pinpoint an area in which his Shadyside basketball team needs to be better.

Last season en route to a 7-17 record, the Tigers weren’t the most difficult team to defend because they didn’t have a lot of legitimate scoring options.

Andes, who is beginning his 22nd season at his alma mater, would like to look at his scorebook following a game and see as many players in double figures as possible.

Should that happen, he believes the Tigers could have a bounce-back season.

“I am hoping we have more guys who can score,” Andes said. “Most of the time, last season, we had two kids who did the bulk of the scoring and other teams could really key on them. We’re hoping to get at least three or four legitimate scorers this year because when that happens for us, we’re usually successful.”

Because they were offensively challenged at times a season ago, Andes actually couldn’t find much to be upset about as it pertained to the 2017-18 campaign, which ended with a sectional-final loss to Hiland.

“Overall, I really can’t complain,” Andes said. “We got better as the season went along and won a tournament game. A lot of things go into determining success and you always have to be realistic.”

Shadyside returns a talented scorer in junior Kelly Hendershot (6-foot-2). Coming off a brilliant football season, Hendershot has been slowed by a shoulder injury he

Shadyside Boys Nov. 30: Shenandoah Dec. 4: Bridgeport Dec. 7: at Linsly Dec. 11: Cameron Dec. 15: at Union Local Dec. 18: Wheeling Central Dec. 21: River Dec. 28: at Bellaire Jan. 4: Monroe Central Jan. 5: at Martins Ferry Jan. 8: at Shenandoah Jan. 12: Bridgeport Jan. 15: Union Local Jan. 18: at Monroe Central Jan. 19: Martins Ferry Jan. 22: Linsly Jan. 25: at River Jan. 29: Bellaire Feb. 1: at Cameron Feb. 5: at Wheeling Central

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sustained in the football finale against Fort Frye. A season ago, he averaged close to 18 points a game.

Senior Collin Holmes (5-8) returns after netting seven points a game last season.

Senior Anthony Coggins (6-0) scored five points a night in a season that ended prematurely because of injury.

The battle for the other two starting spots has been a true battle. Andes pointed out that senior Quinn Berletch (5-10), senior Frank Ripoly (5-10), sophomore Alec Shepherd (6-1) and sophomore Jacob Visnic (5-10) all saw some varsity action and earned a letter last season.

Sophomore Jordan Joseph (5-9) is another trying to work his way into the varsity mix.

Juniors Nicholas Murphy (6-0) and Douglas Renshaw (5-10) are in search of their first letter, while sophomores Eric Allen (5-11), Parker Gibson (5-7) and Nate Milhoan (5-10) are also vying for minutes.

Six freshmen are highly touted and could make a signficiant push for varsity minutes.

The group includes Bryce Amos (6-4), Korey Beckett (5-10), Anthony Deitch (511), Jacob James (5-11), Wyatt Reiman (59) and Mason Vannest (5-10).

Tigers Are Seeking More

By SETH STASKEY SHADYSIDE — As Serge Gentile took a minute to think back to last season, he found a lot of positives to accentuate.

The Tigers qualified for the OVAC Class 2A Tournament, advanced to the title game and played in a sectional final.

But, advancing to the OVAC and sectional final just wasn’t enough for neither him nor his squad, which finished with a 15-9 record.

“We reached a lot of our goals, but we obviously came up with short on many others,” Gentile said. “All in all, it was a pretty good season and we gained some experience.”

With the new season upon them, the Tigers have set their sights on taking the next step or “getting over the hump,” if you will.

“We were close at times against a lot of good teams on our schedule, but we have to find a way to win those games and build on the experience we gained last year,” Gentile sai. “Whether it’s a possession here or there, we need to be able to do the little things that it takes to be successful.”

During the course of last season, Gentile made the difficult decision to shake up his starting lineup when

Shadyside Girls Nov. 26: Union Local 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: at Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5: Wheeling Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Whg Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27” Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Buckeye Trail* 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Bellaire 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: at Martins Ferry 3 p.m.

Jan. 7: at Steub Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14: River 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: Steub Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: at River 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: Bellaire 7:30 p.m. * at Buckeye Local

he inserted freshmen Baylee Wach and Tory Hendershot into the starting lineup.

Now sophomores, both are expected to take on even bigger roles — on both ends — this season.

Wach (5-8) earned a bevy of postseason accolades after she averaged 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists a contest.

Three seniors — Syd Destifanes, Jaycee Mayeres and Macy Coffland — will join the sophomores in the starting lineup. All three were solid contributors last season.

Destifanes (5-0) will serve as the Tigers point guard as she seeks her fourth letter.

She’s an adept 3-point shooter and is fearless in going into

the paint despite her height.

“Syd’s a smart player who makes all the right plays,” Gentile said. “She knows what to do, how to play and finds people. It feels like she’s been playing for us for 20 years. We want her to be aggressive offensively because we feel like she passed up some open shots at times.”

Mayeres (5-5) also showed flashes of brilliance at times last season. A solid shooter and an improved rebounder, she’ll also draw the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best player.

Coffland (5-8) will play in the post for the Tigers.

She’ll be one of the players Gentile leans on for rebounding. She’s also expanded her range on the offensive end.

When the Tigers go to the bench, junior Brooke Selmon (5-3) is expected to be the sixth girl. She’s a veteran of the program and saw some spot duty last season.

From there, Gentile will look to junior Julie Hendershot (5-8), sophomore Kamdyn Elerick (5-2) and freshman Paige Gorby (58) to supply depth. He also mentioned senior Haleigh Osman (5-0) and junior Madisyn Stewart (5-4) as in the mix. Sophomore Mandy Doyno (5-4) is also vying for minutes.

Edison, Moses Have Seven Seniors on 22-Player Roster

By AARON PETCHAL RICHMOND — Some teams rebuild. Some teams reload.

The Edison boys basketball team hopes last year’s down season was a reloading season and not the first step in a rebuild.

“So far, so good,” Edison coach Nate Moses said about how things were going for his team in mid-November. “We have been blessed so far. We have a lot of guys out. We have a lot of guys who return. They know what to expect coming in.

We also have a lot of freshmen who are going to have to adjust to what we do on both ends of the floor.”

The Wildcats ended last season with a record of 6-17, but Edison returns most of the players from last year’s roster.

“We won six games, but we improved throughout the season,” Moses said. “We struggled at times, but we took it one game at a time.

A lot of our younger players gained experience last year.

This should be an interesting year.”

Edison has 22 players in the program, and there are 12 on the varsity roster. The Wildcats should use a rotation of seven to nine guys, depending on how a game is going.

The Wildcats have seven

Edison Boys Dec. 1: Sandy Valley 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4: at East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: at Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Steub. Catholic 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: at Toronto 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: Indian Creek 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Weir 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 TBD Feb. 5: at Southern Local 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: Ridgewood 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: at Carrollton 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

seniors — Anthony Sinicropi, Gage Robinson, Zac Easter, Bryce McAfoose, Isaac Schmitz, Brennan Scott and Andrew Kinney.

“Seven seniors is the most I have had,” Moses said.

“This is my seventh year as head coach.”

Schmitz is the team’s top returning scorer. He averaged 13.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season.

Sinicropi enters his senior season coming off a successful campaign as the quarterback of the football team. Sinicropi scored 9.3 points per game and grabbed 3.2 rebounds.

Easter, who Moses said is having a really-good preseason, scored 5.6 points and pulled down 3.1 rebounds last season. Kinney, who started every game last sea-

son, averaged 5.3 points and sisted by Mark Smyth and Jeremy Matics.

5.4 rebounds.

The seniors will be the leaders of the team.

Good Luck The two juniors are Alec Tigers’ Basketball McBane, who averaged 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds last year, and Andrew Pugh, who averaged 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds a game.

Also in the mix for playThe region’s leading ing time are sophomores provider of quality Tyler Shrieve and Jayden • Bridge • Construction Sanders.

• Slip Repair • Utility Installation “Those guys are still • Site Prep & More learning,” Moses said.

56461 Ferry Landing Road, “They need to gain some Shadyside, OH 43947 experience, but once they Phone: 740-676-7464 do they are going to be able Fax: 740-676-4410 to help us out.” www.owvexcavating.com Moses will again be as-

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 35

St. John Boys Are Back Nixon to Lead Irish Girls

By SETH STASKEY BELLAIRE — Dr. Douglas Swartz knows what he’s embarking on as the St. John Central boys basketball coach.

The former youth basketball coach who is set for his first season as a varsity coach is relishing the challenge that lies ahead for a program that didn’t field a team last season.

“It’s going to be a slow building process,” Swartz said. “One of the big reasons I took this job was to help build the program from the ground up. I think it’s exciting because we’re really bringing this program from the ground level and now we have to incorporate some good fundamentals and then hopefully in five or six years, we can have a good program that we can all be proud of.”

The Irish mentor said his team has seven players on the roster and will dress no more than six throughout the season because of OHSAA transfer rules puts the Irish’s “backs to the wall.”

“We have to stay mentally focused and we’ll have to be tough because we’re going to ask kids to play a lot of minutes against a good schedule,” Swartz said. “From what I’ve seen in practice, though, if these kids set their minds to it, we can be a pretty good team. We want to get better in every practice and every game we have.”

Though the roster size is small, Swartz likes the group — both as players and as people.

Senior Matt Fouty (5-foot-11) will be leaned upon heavily this season for the Irish to play a bevy of roles.

Junior Mason Kelly (5-10) will in the opening lineup for the Irish. However, because he didn’t arrive at SJC before the OHSAA’s poli-

St. John Boys Dec. 4: Beallsville Dec. 7: Frontier Dec. 8: at Bridgeport Dec. 11: River Dec. 14: at Union Local Dec. 18: Shenandoah Dec. 21: at Linsly Dec. 28: Wood Co. Christian * Dec. 29: at Frontier Jan. 5: Linsly Jan. 8: Bridgeport Jan. 9: Tyler Jan. 11: East Richland Christian Jan. 15: at River Jan. 18: at Beallsville Jan. 19: Tree of Life Christian ** Jan. 28: at East Richland Christian *** Feb. 1: at Shenandoah Feb. 12: at Tyler * at Marietta College

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cy change on transfer sitout, he will not play in the second 11 games of the campaign.

Senior Nick DiLorreta (5-9) is also an adept 3-point shooter and his head coach says he’s “a good, on-court leader.”

Freshman Aiden Parr (5-3) is a scrappy, quick player who will be one of the Irish’s top defenders, according to Swartz.

Freshman C.J. Fouty (5-7) rounds out what’s expected to be the lineup for the Irish when they play host to Beallsville on Dec. 4.

Freshman Jacob Powell (5-8), who Swartz said is a “decent spot up shooter” will be in the sixth-man role.

The Irish will be without the services of junior Mikey Shaheen (6-0) for the first 11 games after he transferred to St. John in the spring prior to the OHSAA’s vote that calls for transfers — without an exception — to sit out the second half of the season and tournament.

He played at St. Clairsville last season.

By SETH STASKEY BELLAIRE — Bubba Kapral begins his 25th season as the head girls basketball coach knowing that his team will get better as the season goes along.

The one thing he doesn’s know, though, is just how long that improvement process is going to take.

“We will need to get better quickly,” Kapral said. “We have some kids who are wet behind the ears that are going to have to produce for us during the season.”

The Irish, who finished 9-13 last winter, have little room to bring anyone along slowly. There will be a lot of baptism by fire as the roster features eight players, including three who are extremely new to the game.

Kapral, who has been involved with the program at his alma mater for 31 years and owns 381 career victories and a district championship, hasn’t been accustomed to too many sub .500 seasons in his tenure.

Because of that, last season was deemed “very disappointing.”

“We were strapped for numbers last year and we lacked quality depth, which showed,” Kapral said.

St. John Girls Nov. 23: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29: Toronto 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1: at Madonna 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: Shenandoah 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: at Madonna Tourn. TBD Jan. 7: at Caldwell 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: Frontier 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: Trinity 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: at W.Muskingum 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 30: Tusky Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: Bridgeport 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Linsly 7:30 p.m.

“Whenever you do not have a winning season, it’s disappointing.”

The numbers issue certainly hasn’t been rectified, which has Kapral openly concerned.

“Our numbers are just as bad as they were,” Kapral said. “They’re actually a little bit more shaky this year than they were last year because of who we lost.”

The Irish boast one of the area’s premier players in senior Kaylin Nixon, who is coming off a brilliant junior season.

Nixon was named third team All-Ohio after she posted 19.1 points and 11.1

rebounds a game. She was named All-Eastern District, All-OVAC and All-District 12 to go along with her state honor.

“We moved Nixon to point guard late last season and she really handled it well,” Kapral said. “She’s a very good player who can score inside and outside. I believe she can be a Division II college players.”

Moving back to the perimeter after playing in the paint last season will be sophomore Jayden Lowe (5-foot7). She’s coming off a solid freshman campaign.

“She has really blossomed since we moved her to two guard,” Kapral said. “She has a high ceiling. Her shot has really improved.”

Seniors Shay Horvath (57) and Julie Schlanz (5-9) will take on expanded roles as starters this season. Schlanz was the Irish’s sixth player last winter.

From there, however, Kapral could be mixing and matching.

Sophomore Danielle Yaegal (5-7) is expected to be the fifth starter.

Rounding out the rotation are sophomore Kaylee Bryant (5-8) and freshmen Sadie Watts (5-6) and Alexis Stewart (5-4).

Bellaire Boys Behind Because of Football Success

By RICK THORP BELLAIRE — Ben Doyle had to move his opening basketball game.

That’s all right by him.

Such a move means Bellaire’s football team made a deep run in the Ohio playoffs, something Doyle, the Big Reds’ second-year basketball coach, applauds.

“It’s always good to have a culture of success,” he said. “We’ll take it.”

Even if it meant tipping off practice earlier this month with a smaller squad.

“The lettermen that didn’t participate in a fall sport have been great in taking on the leadership role and getting us ready,” Doyle said.

And when the gridders traded their pads in for shorts, the transition was seamless.

“They jumped right in and were excited to be there,” Doyle said.

“The biggest thing was everyone was

healthy. That’s always a concern.

Coming off a longer football seaellaire oys son, you want everyone healthy, and Dec. 4: Union Local 7:30 p.m. that’s true.”

Dec. 7: at Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

The Big Reds will enter the opener Dec. 14: at Bridgeport 7:30 p.m. inside “The House of Champions” Dec. 15: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m. vs. Buckeye 8 rival Union Local Dec. 20: at Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. with a plethora of familiar faces, but Dec. 22: Bridgeport 28: Shadyside 7:30 p.m. without one that lit up the scoreboard Dec. Jan. 2: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Union Local 7:30 p.m. last year.

Jan. 8: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

That’s because the team’s top two Jan. 11: at Monroe Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m. scorers from last season — Chase Jan. 18: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

Yoho and Mason Ramsay — picked Jan. 25: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Monroe Central 7:30 p.m. up their diplomas.

Jan. 29: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2: Buckeye 8 7:30 p.m.

Yoho, now playing at MuskingFeb. 5: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m. um, left the All-American Village, * at St. Clairsville as one of the top scorers in school history. He led the area in scoring Frizzi’s Market last season with 25.5 points per Bellaire, OH game en route to earning All-Ohio 740-676-6386 honors.

One of Bellaire’s Achilles’ heels sive end at key moments. So when last winter in struggling to a 9-15 re- camp opened, Doyle made that a cord was getting stops on the defen- focus.

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Bellaire’s lineup is led by five seniors — Cole Runyan (5-foot-7), Sheldon Lekanudos (5-9), Jacob Marthaler (5-10), Daniel Lednik (60) and Mason Badia (6-1).

“Cole is a shooter, and when he’s on, he’s on,” Doyle said of Runyan.

“He’s really learned to enjoy defense, and he’s becoming more aggressive to the bucket.”

“Marty” came up big in many moments last season with his 3-point shooting.

“He stepped up and was always in he mix,” Doyle said. “He’s always in the mix and has a gritty work ethic.

He always makes players work when he’s in there.”

Doyle expects big things from Lednik, Lekanudos and Badia, who’s back after taking time away from the sport.

“Sheldon had a great summer of basketball,” Doyle said. “He really

36 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

improved and it was valuable to his development. He loves to defend and challenges the opponent to outlast him. I’m really looking forward to seeing him out there.”

Juniors in the mix for the Big Reds include: A.J. McCarthy (5-7), Levi Littell (6-3), Trenton Wilson (61), Austen Rejonis (5-7) and Kaleb Pitchford (5-6).

“That’s an athletic class,” Doyle pointed out. “McCarthy is a spitfire.

He’s energetic. He can get to the bucket and just loves to compete. He has the potential to score, too.”

Doyle sees Littell and Wilson boosting Bellaire’s inside presence.

“The matchup will dictate our style,” Doyle said. “We’ll try to take advantage of any weaknesses we see.”

Sophomores David Zwack (5-7), Jacob Defibaugh (5-7) and Marshall Fish (5-7) round out the roster.

Optimism High for ’Noles MC Lacking Experience

By RICK THORP WOODSFIELD — Optimism is high surrounding the Monroe Central girls basketball program.

Having five returning letterwinners will do that.

“Things are going smoothly this year,” said Troy Baker, in his 18th season guiding the Seminoles. “We bring back five letterwinners and, basically, five starters from last year, so things are definitely improving.

“We’re a lot further along than last year.”

Monroe Central finished 5-18 a year ago, dropping a heartbreaking sectional contest to Steubenville Catholic.

From the moment the final buzzer sounded in February, Baker and his staff knew what issues needed to be tackled in the offseason and preseason.

“The biggest thing this year is we’re going to have to take care of the ball better than we did last year and the year before that,” he said.

“We’ve had a bunch of turnover issues and it’s definitely something we’ve been trying to get them to understand.

“We just need to get fundamentally better on defense.”

Monroe Central’s strength, though, lies in its seniors, a trio led by a pair of two-time letterwinners — Sydney Yoho and Kirsten Friday.

Yoho (guard) averaged about nine points per game last season and paced the team in 3-point percentage and assists.

“Syd is a good passer and good shooter,” Baker said. “She was asked to do an awful lot the last two years and I think some of that pressure will come off her this year with everybody having a lot more experience.”

Friday, a forward, averaged about eight

Monroe Central Girls Nov. 26: River Nov. 29: at Union Local Dec. 1: Frontier Dec. 3: Shadyside Dec. 6: at Fort Frye Dec. 8: at St. Clairsville Dec. 10: Barnesville Dec. 13: Bridgeport Dec. 20: at Caldwell Dec. 29: at River Jan. 3: Shenandoah Jan. 7: at Barnesville Jan. 10: at Shadyside Jan. 14: at Frontier Jan. 17: Union Local Jan. 19: at Bridgeport Jan. 24: Fort Frye Jan. 28: Caldwell Jan. 31: at Shenandoah

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points and a team-best eight boards per outing.

“She’s gotten better at all things,” Baker noted. “She always gives everything she has and is comfortable outside or inside.

Sierra Rainey (guard), Allee Zwick (guard/ forward) and Amy Bettinger (forward) are the returning letterwinners in the junior class.

Rainey was second in 3s last season.

“She’s sometimes more of a streak shooter,” Baker said. “But she has the ability to go off at anytime. And if she’s on, she on.”

Senior Myranda Sechrest (guard) and juniors Gracie Gehrig (guard) will also compete for playing time, along with a pair of junior guards — Morgan Kendall and Gillian Leonard.

The six seniors on the roster are — Kalista Friday (guard), Trista Morris (guard/forward), Haylynn Hiles (guard/forward), Regan Hamilton (guard/forward), Alex Marley (guard/ forward) and Megan Hoover (forward).

By RICK THORP WOODSFIELD — Monroe Central’s boys’ basketball team might be short on experience this season. But what the Seminoles lack in that department very well might be made up in the areas of work ethic and hustle, according to their head coach.

“We’re extremely young,” third-year coach Jon Perkins said. “But with that being said, I think our freshmen and sophomore classes are really talented. I think we’ll deal with some inexperience and growing pains at times.

“We’re young, but we’re hungry,” he said. “I expect a lot of competition, especially at guard. I think any time you have competition it makes guys better. And I think that’s one of the things we’re excited about this year.

“This may be the most coachable group I’ve had. A lot of ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir’ kind of guys who have good attitudes and come to practice ready to work.

“And we have lots of good leaders. The older guys are helping the younger guys.

I’m encouraged by that.”

The lone double-figure scorer returning is Zac Jones.

The 6-foot-5 senior averaged

Monroe Central Boys Nov. 30: at Bridgeport Dec. 4: Magnolia Dec. 7: River Dec. 11: at Shenandoah Dec. 12: at Magnolia Dec. 14: at Barnesville Dec. 15: Frontier Dec. 18: at Caldwell Dec. 21: at Fort Frye Dec. 28: Bridgeport Jan. 4: at Shadyside Jan. 8: at Frontier Jan. 9: Magnolia Jan. 11: Bellaire Jan. 15: Shenandoah Jan. 18: Shadyside Jan. 19: Buckeye Local Jan. 22: Barnesville Jan. 26: at Bellaire Feb. 1: Fort Frye Feb. 5: at River Feb. 8: Caldwell

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11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game en route to earning all-district honors.

“Every year I’ve been impressed with him,” Perkins said. “He’s worked on his game a lot. As a sophomore, he was thrown into the fire and he took his lumps. This year, he’s developed his perimeter shot.

“He exudes confidence.

Not arrogance, but a healthy confidence.”

Jason Reich (6-1) is the squad’s other senior.

The Seminoles sport three

juniors — Wyatt Young (510), Talin Babcock (5-10) and Paul Yanok (6-1).

“We hope he can do like Logan last year and sacrifice for the team,” Perkins said of Young. “He handles the ball well and is athletic and can create. We’re hoping for big things this year.”

Babcock has impressed with his decision making.

“He might be the best defender we have,” Perkins said. “Last year, many times he drew the toughest defensive assignment.”

The sophomores include: Cooper Thompson (5-9), Luke Burkhart (5-11), Auston Hogue (5-8) and Garet Cramer (6-0).

“Auston is an Aaron Craft type,” Perkins said of Hogue.

“He just makes things happen. He’s grown a lot since last year, He makes it hard not to play him.”

Perkins has been impressed with his two freshmen — Malachi Rose-Burton (5-9) and Dillon Lincoln (5-10).

“We’re very pleased with the team so far,” Perkins said, “and we have a lot of high hopes for it.”

Perkins is assisted by Jordan Stephens, John Ischy and Jordan Reusser.

Farrier Embracing High Expectations for His Big Reds

By RICK THORP BELLAIRE — Expectations are high surrounding the Bellaire girls’ basketball program.

John Farrier wouldn’t want it any other way.

But with high expectations come challenges; challenges to maintain success from within and those from outside forces and other teams.

Farrier feels he has a veteran group that can handle any type of adversity that comes its way. But it’s always a work in progress to keep the squad on its toes.

“We know we have some high expectations this year because we’ve had some success the last two years,” Farrier said. “That’s a good thing, but sometimes it can be a bad thing.

Sometimes, we might lose sight of of how hard we have to work to attain that.”

Twenty-one victory campaigns don’t come easy, and the Big Reds

have put together two straight. Last year’s resulted in an appearance in ellaire irls the OVAC championship game and Nov. 26: 7:30 p.m. a district semifinal. So, there’s room Dec. 1: atBridgeport River 1 p.m. for improvement, and Farrier be- Dec. 3: at Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m. lieves his team can get there.

Dec. 13: at Union Local 7:30 p.m.

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“The girls know what needs to be Dec. 14: Wheeling Park * Dec. 17: at Harrison Central 7:30 p.m. done,” he said. “We have the core Dec. 20: Martins Ferry 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27: Buckeye Local 7:30 p.m. four that’ve been around. We have Jan. 3: Shadyside 7:30 p.m. two three-year starters and two two- Jan. 7: at St. Clairsville 7:30 p.m.

10: Union Local 7:30 p.m. year starters. They’ve been around Jan. 12: at Wheeling Central 7:30 p.m. and know what they need to do when Jan. Jan. 14: Harrison Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Barnesville 7:30 p.m. they step out there.”

Jan. 19: River 1 p.m.

So far, Farrier said the team ap- Jan. 26: Buckeye 8** TBD Jan. 28: at Shadyside 7:30 p.m. pears up to the challenge.

Jan. 31: at Steubenville 7:30 p.m.

“They’ve looked pretty seasoned,” Feb. 13: Wheeling Park 7:30 p.m.

Arena he said. “They’re working hard. The ***atatWesBanco Martins Ferry one thing I’m trying to get through Frizzi’s Market to them is you have to sellout in evBellaire, OH ery practice and sellout every scrim740-676-6386 mage.”

Bellaire’s calling card under Farrier has been its tenacity, especially sulted in many buckets and scoring on the defensive end. The Big Reds’ opportunities. Farrier said that will defense, along with its press, has re- need to continue this season.

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The Big Reds aren’t exactly slouches in the half-court offensively. They have a plethora of weapons, especially shooting the ball.

One of the players normally on target is senior Maci Crozier. Now a four-year starter, Crozier, 5-5, entered the season, 64 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She averaged 13.4 points per game from her guard spot last season.

“Her shooting has improved tremendously from last year,” said Farrier, who’d already said Crozier is virtually automatic in the paint.

“She’s a great vocal leader and talks on defense. She works her butt off.”

Crozier’s classmate, Natalie Stoner (5-foot-5) nearly duplicated her scoring averaged from a year ago (13.5 ppg) and is 173 points away from 1,000. She set a school mark for 3-point shooting percentage last winter.

“Every time she steps on the court she might be the fastest one out there,” Farrier said of the second four-year starter. “She’s had a great last three years and her shooting has improved.”

Junior Katrina Davis enters her third year in the starting line up after averaging 13.1points and 7.2 boards per outing last year. Despite being 5-2, she led the team in rebounding.

Senior Michaela Flaherty (5-9) also returns for her second season starting. She averaged nine points and six boards last season.

Battling for the final starting spot in the preseason were: seniors Brittany Falcone (5-5) and Sydney Purtiman (5-7), along with junior Mia Gavarkavich (5-5).

Ashley McCarthy (5-7) and Kaleigh Leigh (5-4) are two sophomores in the mix for playing time, as is promising freshman Jenna Miller (5-1).

Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 37

Holmes in Charge at SCC Crusaders’ Numbers Low

By ED LOOMAN STEUBENVILLE — For Mike Holmes, Steubenville Catholic’s new boys basketball coach, the few weeks leading up to the season opener have been just a little hectic.

Holmes, also the athletics director at Franciscan University, took the job days before practice began. He replaced Chris Tarquinio, who guided the Crusaders to a 12-9 mark last season and a berth in the OVAC Class 2A championship game.

“I took over about four days before we got started, so it’s been a whirlwind, just even learning names and getting some history on the kids,” Holmes said. “When I was in high school as a teacher, of course you are going to see the kids in the hallway and maybe have them in call. At least you know who everyone is. You have some background and know a little about their families.

“That just hasn’t happened here, so we’re kind of learning on the fly. The kids have not had real time to adjust, either. They had this guy thrown in front of them who is throwing all these weird things at them. Everyone is doing things on the fly.

“So far, it’s been a good marriage. The guys are really willing to try and do what we are asking them to do. They are working hard at it. I’m trying to teach it slow enough for them so they can pick things up. We are getting there. It’s a very slow process, but we are getting there.”

Holmes’ roster features just one senior in Dom Argentine, who started as a sophomore but didn’t play as a junior and five juniors — Luca Connor, Anthony Lefever, Jeffrey Dawson, Cole Maragos and Gian Asci.

Connor was one of the first players off Central’s bench last season.

Steubenville Catholic Boys Nov. 30: Union Local Dec. 7: Steubenville Dec. 14: Madonna Dec. 15: at Wheeling Central Dec. 18: Oak Glen Dec. 21: Weir Dec. 22: at Edison Dec. 27: Bridgeport Dec. 29: at Tusky Central Jan. 4: at Steubenville Jan. 8: at Weir Jan. 11: at East Liverpool Jan. 19: at Madonna Jan. 22: Edison Jan. 25: at Bellaire Jan. 26: St. Clairsville Jan. 29: at Bridgeport Feb. 1: at Oak Glen Feb. 5: Bellaire Feb. 19: Harrison Central

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“Luca played a lot last season, so the game is a lot slower for him because of that experience,” Holmes said. “We are working to get our younger guys to that level where the game is slow for them as well. We try to do that through simulation at practices and through our scrimmages.”

Ten sophomores also are looking for playing time. They are Isaac Hough, Michael Rook, Jack Rook, Vince Carapellotti, Ryan Gorman, Toby Lesnefsky, Naszier Foster, Joe Rohde (the tallest Crusader at 6-foot-2), Mikey Sollom and Cole Tegano.

There also are nine freshmen looking to contribute. The freshmen include Tomasso Toriscelli, Jeremiah Greve, Johnny O’Karma, George Harris, Primo Toriscelli, Antonio McGinnis, Ryan Anderson, David Kissinger and Jayden Bradley.

STEUBENVILLE — The numbers are down, but the expectations aren’t for the Steubenville Catholic girls basketball team.

“Quantity wise, our numbers unfortunately are not where we would like them to be,” Jess Looman, who’s entering her fifth season as Central’s head coach, said.

“We only have 12 girls in the program this season, but we have some real quality in our numbers.

“We’re still expecting the girls to play hard, improve every day and keep moving our program in the right direction. We had some real success last season, and we certainly don’t want to go in the opposite direction.”

Central finished 18-6 last season, captured a city championship, returned to the OVAC Class 2A final four and earned the No. 1 seed in the Division IV Eastern District. The Crusaders, who have posted 33 victories the past two seasons, were state-ranked for several weeks.

Three starters, including the leading scorer and top rebounder, return. A fourth returnee saw plenty of playing time off the bench last season.

Steubenvile Catholic Girls Nov. 29: Linsly* Nov. 30: at Brooke Dec. 3: at Bridgeport Dec. 10: at Madonna Dec. 15: Toronto Dec. 17: Weir Dec. 19: Indian Valley Dec. 20: at Oak Glen Dec. 27: Bridgeport Dec. 28: Steubenville Dec. 29: at Madonna Jan. 7: Shadyside Jan. 10: Linsly Jan. 16: at Toronto Jan. 17: at Shadyside Jan. 21: Madonna Jan. 28: at Weir Jan. 30: at Indian Valley Feb. 14: Steubenville * at Brooke

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Senior guard Julia Zatta, a second-team all-Eastern District Division IV performer and an honorable mention all-Ohio selection, leads the list of returnees.

She averaged a team-high 10.3 points per game to go along with two steals and 1.3 assists.

Guard/forward Christine Dombrowski is Central’s other senior. She averaged 8.6 points per game and five rebounds. Dombrowski was a District 5 Division IV honoree as a junior.

The third returning starter is junior forward/guard Bel-

la Oliver. She was a firstteam District 5 selection and a third-team All-Eastern District pick. As a sophomore, Oliver averaged a team-high 10.8 rebounds per game and 8.6 points.

“We definitely will be leaning heavily on those three this season,” Looman said. “They are our leaders.

As first-year starters, they all really stepped up, and they know they’ll need to do even more now.”

Junior post Hannah Olszewski is the fourth returnee and will join Looman’s starting lineup. She averaged nearly six rebounds a game as a sophomore.

Juniors Carly Fayak, a guard, and Edy Harold, a forward, are candidates to be the fifth starter.

Sophomores vying for playing time include post Bri DeChristopher, forward Tina Dong, guard Morgan Green, guard Ali Grimm and post Kaylee Kirkpatrick. Freshman Katie Zatta, who can play guard or forward, rounds out the Central roster.

Looman will be assisted

by Rachel Rigaud and Ed Looman. Don Ogden, who was on the staff a season ago, is now an assistant at Franciscan University.

Wiley Back for Second Stint as Oak Glen Girls Coach

By AARON PETCHAL NEW MANCHESTER — Scott Wiley returns to the big chair.

Wiley, who served as an assistant coach on the boys basketball team last season, returns as head coach of the Oak Glen girls this year. Wiley replaces John Leary, who served as the head coach for two seasons.

Wiley spent four seasons as head coach of the girls (2010-14) before spending the last four as an assistant for the boys.

While Wiley was with the boys team, he did not have much of an opportunity to watch the girls team play last season.

“I have not seen them play basketball, but I have seen them play other sports,” he said. “I have not seen them play basketball except for the last two weeks when I have been coaching them.”

Despite a lack of familiarity, the preseason has been going well for the

Golden Bears.

“So far, things are going pretty good with the girls we have,” Wiley said. “The first week, the volleyball team was still in season. They ended up going to the state tournament. We have a lot of soccer kids who also play basketball, and they just finished up going to the state tournament. We have had a few injuries but, overall, things are going well. I am excited.

“They are picking up the coaching.

They are understanding what we are trying to do. They are listening. I am trying to figure out who does what well. We are trying different lineups.

I told the girls I don’t have any favorites or anything because I have not seen them play. I don’t know what they can do. We are trying different things.”

This season, Oak Glen is looking to rebound from last season’s 5-18 record in which it was hit hard by injuries. Oak Glen lost four seniors in

Oak Glen Girls Nov. 29-30: at Brooke Dec. 5: at East Liverpool Dec. 7: at Toronto Dec. 10: Weir Dec. 13: Indian Creek Dec. 19: East Liverpool Dec. 20: Steub. Catholic Dec. 27: at Steubenville Dec. 29: Wellsville Jan. 3: Beaver Local Jan. 5: at East Fairmont Jan. 10: Brooke Jan. 14: at Weir Jan. 16: Madonna Jan. 23: at Wellsville Jan. 24: Steubenville Jan. 29: at Madonna Jan. 31: at Beaver Local

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The Golden Bears enter this season with some talented ballplayers.

Oak Glen has 23 players in the program, and about a dozen are expected to see varsity times.

The Golden Bears are a young team with one senior, five juniors,

nine sophomores and eight freshmen.

“We have got a mix,” Wiley said.

“Due to injuries, a lot of younger players got a chance to play last season. Coach Leary had to play some of his freshmen. I know he did not want to. It made it rough for him, but it is going to help us out because the girls were able to get some varsity time.

“I watched film from last season, and he had five freshmen on the floor a couple of times. That was because of injuries. That is not what you want to be forced to do, but injuries happen, and the girls were able to get some experience. That will help us going forward.”

Point guard Maggie Kovalcik returns, and she is the lone senior.

“She’s really quick,” Wiley said.

“She’s not really tall. She is the state champion in the long jump. She played for the soccer team.”

Wiley is expecting big things from junior Kaylee Travis.

38 - Supplement To THE INTELLIGENCER and NEWS-REGISTER - Wheeling, W.Va. - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

“She is a post player,” Wiley said.

“She was the goalie on the soccer team. She played well last season.

She can get up and down the court as a post player.”

Sophomore guard Izzy Burganski will also be counted on this season.

“I was told by one of the assistant coaches that she is the most improved player on the team from last season,” Wiley said. “She is a hard-nosed kid.

She does not back down.”

Another key player for the team will be sophomore guard Reece Enochs. Junior Alexa Andrews can play anywhere on the court.

Two other players Wiley is counting on this season are junior guard Brittney Gorgini and sophomore post player Alayna Kranis. Big things are expected from freshman guard Maddie McKay. Wiley will be assisted by Ashley Tharp, Rachel McKay and Jeremy Krzys.

Dons Look to Avoid Injury Bug 4 Starters Back at Madonna

By RALPH COX WEIRTON — Last season, the Madonna girls team was hit with several season-ending injuries to key players.

But, with perseverance, the Blue Dons finished at 11-13, including a win over Hundred in the first round of sectional tournament play.

While there is no doubt injuries played a role in the final record, they allowed several younger players to gain valuable experience that will be a huge benefit to Rodney Boniti’s 2018-19 club.

The Blue Dons lost Kasey Canei and Gianna Mascio, starters on the inside and outside, respectively, to graduation.

Boniti, who is in his second season at the helm, greeted six letterwinners when workouts began, and five of them started games during the season — that is when they weren’t nursing injuries.

Senior Andrea Alimario returns for her fourth season, three of them as a starter. She is the leading scorer and rebounder returning.

The versatile Alimario is the Blue Dons power forward, but also gets into the rotation at guard.

Of the other returning letterwinners, senior Gia Riccadonna escaped the serious injury bug and got the most playing time at guard.

Seniors Rachel Boniti and Gabriella Staffelino return, but both missed large portions of the games last year, as did promising sophomore Jazzy Melnyk, who worked her way into the starting lineup as a freshman, only to have a season-ending knee injury. Rachel Boniti, who has worked her way back from knee and hip injuries, will be the point guard, while Staffelino is at forward along with Melnyk who, like Alimario, gets time playing guard.

Junior Kennedy Martin, the tallest of the Blue Dons at 6-foot, will plug into the center

Madonna Girls Dec. 1: St. John Dec. 6: Valley Dec. 8: at Park. Catholic Dec. 10: Steub. Catholic Dec. 13: at Weir Dec. 15: at Linsly Dec. 19: at Valley Dec. 22: at East Liverpool Dec. 29: Caldwell Jan. 3: at Conotton Valley Jan. 9: Linsly Jan. 12: Notre Dame Jan. 16: at Oak Glen Jan. 17: at Indian Creek Jan. 21: at Steub. Catholic Jan. 24: Weir Jan. 25: Trinity Jan. 29: Oak Glen Jan. 31: at Notre Dame Feb. 2: Magnolia

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spot where she gave Canei a breather last year.

Rodney Boniti says that sophomore Michaela Battista, who saw limited action with the varsity squad last year, is the backup at point guard. Others that Rodney Boniti says will see varsity playing time are sophomore forwards Alaina Moore and Marianna Martinez, along with talented freshmen Anna Backel and Vanessa Alatis. Senior Makayla Virden, out for basketball for the first time, is vying for playing time at the guard position.

“These girls were committed to basketball in the offseason and really worked hard,” said Rodney Boniti, whose resume includes coaching the Junior Dons girls basketball teams with many on the squad now playing for him the past five or six years. “They committed to the gym, and when I say gym, I also mean weight lifting, core training and working out three days a week. On the other days they played basketball and, for the first time in years, it was not unusual for us to have 16 or 17 girls playing in the summer leagues.”

By RALPH COX WEIRTON — With four returning starters along with a tall transfer student, Madonna boys’ basketball coach Chris Blair is looking for improvement over the seven-win season of a year ago.

The Blue Dons lost five seniors from the 7-16 squad, but Blair is confident he has the talent, size, quickness and depth to fill in the pieces of the puzzle.

“We’ve got four starters returning, but they know that nothing is set in stone,” Blair, a Madonna alumnus who is in his fourth season as the head coach, said. “We have several guys that are pushing for playing time and who could even work their way into the starting lineup.”

Returning Blue Don starters from last year are seniors Gavin Dietrich and Dom Mazur, along with junior Evan Boniti and sophomore Lucky Pulice. Along with them are returning lettermen A. J. Mitchell, Christian Ridgeway and Mike Fuscardo, all seniors. Mazur is 6-foot-2, while Mitchell and Ridgeway both are about 6-4.

Blair said Brennan Secrist, a 6-3 junior, is working his way into the system after

Madonna Boys Dec. 8: at Valley 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11: Clay-Battelle 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: at Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: Weir 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22: Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: Beaver Local 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: at Beallsville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5: East Liverpool 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Trinity 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Weir 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15: Conotton Valley 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16: Wheeling Central 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19: Steub. Catholic 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: at Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Oak Glen 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: at Linsly 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5: Cameron 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: Magnolia 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20: Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.

transferring from Brooke High School.

“Secrist will fit right into our front line rotation, along with Mazur, Mitchell and Ridgeway,” Blair said. “He not only has the size, but he also might be the fastest guy on the team, so that also fits in well with what we want to do, which is get up and down the floor with our transition game.”

Blair said that Pulice, who led the Blue Dons in scoring last year as a freshman, returns with a year of experience, maturity and added strength gained with an off-

season of weight training and conditioning.

“He had a lot on his shoulders last year as a freshman,” Blair, who starred at Madonna and West Liberty University, said. “I’m sure that pressure weighed him down, especially toward the end of the season last year. He is a hard worker who spent a lot of time in the gym and weight room. I expect that work ethic to carry over into this season.”

Blair said Fuscardo, junior Angelo Quatrocchi and sophomore Ethan Rowing are pushing the lettermen hard for playing time. Quatrocchi is back to the basketball team after sitting out his sophomore year.

Also catching Blair’s eye is Thomas Sessi. The sophomore had a breakout year on the Blue Don football team as a running back/wide receiver. Blair is expecting Sessi’s speed and athleticism to carry over into basketball.

Dietrich, who led the Madonna football team in rushing and all-around athletic play, returns at point guard, along with Boniti. Both are interchangeable at point guard and two-guard, so Blair feels the Blue Dons’ floor leadership will be in good hands.

Oak Glen Looking to Take Next Step After 14-Win Season

By AARON PETCHAL NEW MANCHESTER — The Oak Glen boys basketball team is looking to take another step forward after last season’s winning campaign.

The Golden Bears shook off a slow start last season, won 12 straight games and then ended on a losing streak, as the team finished up the season at 14-9.

“We had a lot of success last season,” Oak Glen coach Jerry Everly said. “We had a 12-game winning streak. That was big for us. That was fun. When you are in the middle of it, you just go and play your next game. You do not realize what is going on. It was an accomplishment.

“Unfortuantely, we ended the season on a losing streak. We ended up losing our last three games.

What we are striving for is we want to improve on that. We want to

have a consistent season.”

Oak Glen lost two seniors — Marcus Poling and Chris Kokoski — from last year’s squad.

“We are going to miss those two guys,” Everly said.

Though Poling and Kokoski were key contributors on the court last season, the cupboard is not bare, as Oak Glen returns a good group of players.

Oak Glen has 22 players in the program this season, and 11 are expected to see varsity time.

“The kids are competing.” Everly said. “We have talent. We have a lot of talent. It is not just a couple of guys. We have several guys with talent. We have guys fighting for spots and fighting for playing time.

I like that. That is good to see.”

Oak Glen has a good group of seniors to lead the way.

“We have six seniors, possibly seven,” Everly said. “We have one

Oak Glen Boys Dec. 4: Weir Dec. 11: Brooke Dec. 14: at Linsly* Dec. 18: at Steub. Catholic Dec. 21: East Liverpool Dec. 22: at Madonna Dec. 27: at Beaver Local Dec. 29: Wellsville Jan. 2: at Toronto Jan. 4: at John Marshall Jan. 9: Linsly Jan. 12: at Shenandoah Jan. 15: at Brooke Jan. 19: North Marion Jan. 22: at Weir Jan. 26: at East Fairmont Jan. 29: Madonna Feb. 1: Steub. Catholic Feb. 5: at Wellsville Feb. 21: John Marshall * at WesBanco Arena

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kid who is injured.”

Jay Aloria (guard), Ethan Travis (post), Sean Smith (guard), Jarrett Gittings (guard), Alex Staub (post) and Wyatt Wiley are all seniors.

Travis and Staub are both 6-foot4, giving the Golden Bears a lot of

size in the paint.

The Golden Bears have two juniors in Zach Taylor (forward) and Blake Perez (guard).

Oak Glen also has a talented group of three sophomores — Gage Patterson, Jacob Clark and Brayden Mineard — who are all expected to contribute this season.

“Our strength is our depth,” Everly said. “We also have good size.

That will be a big help. We have some good shooters. We are looking for a big year.”

This season, the Golden Bears will continue to do a lot of the same things they have done in the past under Everly’s leadership.

“We like to get out and run,” Everly said. “Ethan Travis was a wide receiver on the football team, so he can handle getting out and running.

Zach Taylor was also a receiver on the football team, so he can also get out and run. We have speed with

size. We want to push the ball. We want to get down the quickly and get shots up.”

Defense is an area of concern for Everly, as the Golden Bears struggled at times on the defensive end of the court last year.

“Defense has been our focus,” Everly said. “We are practicing it.

We want to improve our defense.

We are working on it. Our defense let us down last year. We are working on improving our defense.

“We want to be able to play good, solid defense. We are preaching that to the kids. We want to be able to get into the gaps. Getting into the gaps will help us. We want to play good man defense.”

Everly will be assisted by Ryan Wells, who at one point was the head coach of the girls basketball team and currently the head coach of the girls’ soccer team, and Jason Wiley.

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