With a Flannel Panel White Out in full effect, the Warren Dragons put together one of their most complete performances of the season Friday at Warren Area High School.
The result was a 71-45 victory over Fort LeBoeuf that sent the throngs of Warren faithful happily into the weekend.
"I think our defensive effort early on and into the second and third quarters was outstanding," said Warren coach Jeff Berdine. "We came out of the gate strong and I think the crowd had a lot to do with that. The team played hard the entire 32 minutes and that's something we've been striving to do all season long."
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Times Observer photo by Allen Seybert
Stuck in the middle
Warren’s Preston McMeans attempts to split a pair of Fort LeBoeuf defenders during the first quarter of Friday’s boys basketball game at Warren Area High School. McMeans scored a team-best 14 points, leading the Dragons to a 71-45 victory.
Despite a raucous crowd pumping momentum into the Dragons, Warren failed to carve out an early advantage. The teams went back and forth through the opening eight minutes and the Dragons led by just three after the opening quarter.
The second and third quarters were an entirely different story.
The Dragons (12-8) slowly extended the margin as the opening moments of the second stanza ticked away. The lead swelled to 11 and another quick Warren surge pressed the gap to 15 by intermission.
With the score 32-21, Preston McMeans connected on a driving layup with 1:48 remaining in the first half. 35 seconds later, Tyler Fantaskey hit a jump shot in the paint to press the advantage to 36-21 - a score that would hold until halftime.
Austin Jerman led Warren's first-half effort with eight points while McMeans added seven of his own.
While the second quarter gave the Dragons breathing room, it was the third quarter that put the nail in the Bisons coffin.
Warren would score the first 12 points of the second half, extending the advantage to 48-21. The run was highlighted by back-to-back buckets by point guard Joel Stewart and a scintillating three-point play by McMeans.
The remaining quarter and a half was merely academic as the Dragons kept the lead above 20 points for the duration of the contest.
McMeans was one of four Dragons in double figures with 14 points. Fantaskey added 13 points, Mark Davis had 11 and Jerman chipped in 10. Hank Morrison led the rebounding effort with nine boards, McMeans and Jerman both added five rebounds and four assists and Kory Thomas also had four assists.
"These guys are beginning to play with a chip on their shoulder," added Berdine. "We're right there with Girard for that last (District 10 Class AAA) playoff spot and these guys want to take pride in getting it done. They want to be the guys to take this team where it has failed to go the past couple of seasons."
The Dragons also had a convincing junior varsity win on Friday, defeating Fort LeBoeuf 65-45. Davis had a monster game for the winners, scoring 25 points. Jerman and Matt Sandberg each added 12 points.
The Dragons have two regular season outings remaining in the season, beginning with Monday's home game with Central Tech.
FORT LeBOEUF (45): Cassano 3 4-9 10, Heard 3 0-0 6, Yost 1 0-0 2, Hering 0 5-7 5, Lockhart 3 0-1 6, Gibson 0 2-2 2, Campbell 0 1-4 1, D. Kress 4 0-0 11, P. Kress 1 0-0 2, Totals: 15 12-22 45
WARREN (71): Joel Stewart 2 2-2 6, Austin Jerman 5 0-0 10, Kyle Papalia 0 0-0 0, Mark Davis 4 3-3 11, Kory Thomas 2 0-0 5, Drew Lobdell 0 1-2 1, Hank Morrison 3 2-2 8, Tyler Fantaskey 6 1-1 13, Preston McMeans 5 4-5 14, Andrew Morrison 0 0-0 0, Nathan Billman 1 0-0 2, Grayson Foley 0 1-2 1, Totals: 28 14-17 71
Fort LeBoeuf 12 9 9 15 - 45
Warren 15 21 22 13 - 71
3-pointers: F- D. Kress 3; W- Thomas
Junior varsity game
FORT LeBOEUF (45): Greggs 5 0-0 13, Domkowski 1 0-0 2, Campbell 3 2-3 8, Boccio 2 2-4 7, Kress 5 1-3 15, Totals: 16 5-10 45
WARREN (65): Kevin Barsness 0 0-0 0, Grayson Foley 2 0-1 5, Matt Sandberg 5 0-0 12, Austin Jerman 5 2-2 12, Cody McGraw 2 0-1 4, Mark Davis 7 11-13 25, Tyler Abbott 1 3-6 5, Drew Lobdell 0 2-4 2, Totals: 22 18-27 65
Fort LeBoeuf 8 13 19 5 - 45
Warren 18 17 20 10 - 65
3-pointers: F-Kress 4, Greggs 3, Boccio; W- Sandberg 2, Foley
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Erie First Christian 61, Tidioute Charter 40
On Thursday evening, Tidioute Charter won its first basketball game of the season.
The momentum didn't transfer to Friday as the Bulldogs fell behind big in the first half, dropping a 61-40 decision to Erie First Christian.
"We had a slow first half and just dug too deep a hole," said TCCS coach Dave Manning. "We were missing some easy shots and we just can't do that and win. You have to make those easy looks to stay close when the other team is converting."
The Bulldogs played much improved out of the locker room, scoring 30 second-half points. However, the 26-10 halftime deficit was just too much to overcome.
Shaun Sitterley and Matt Brown were a lethal one-two punch for TCCS. Sitterley canned a season-high 17 points and Brown finished with 13 points of his own.
Erie First also won the junior varsity game, 30-14. Cody Mohrey scored six points to lead the Bulldogs.
TCCS (1-14) has a tough task ahead Tuesday when it hosts undefeated Conneaut Valley.
ERIE FIRST (61): Swonger 4 0-0 9, Hanlin 5 3-4 13, Gernovich 3 1-2 7, Liang 9 0-0 18, Wang 2 0-0 4, Hess 1 2-6 4, Wiggins 1 0-0 2, Byrne 0 4-6 4, Totals: 25 10-18 61
TCCS (40): Ben Craft 0 0-2 0, Jordan Yeager 0 0-0 0, Pat Haney 0 0-0 0, Kendrick Morrison 0 2-4 2, Shaun Sitterley 5 5-8 17, Matt Brown 4 3-5 13, Calvin Marsh 4 0-2 8, Cody Mohrey 0 0-0 0, Totals: 13 10-21 40
Erie First Christian 10 16 17 18 - 61
TCCS 4 6 15 15 - 40
3-pointers: E-Swonger; T- Sitterley 2, Brown 2
Junior varsity game
ERIE FIRST (30): Martin 4 1-4 9, Montaferri 6 1-7 13, Shi 3 2-2 8, Totals: 13 4-13 30
TCCS (14): Jordan Yeager 0 0-2 0, Pat Haney 1 0-0 2, Kendrick Morrison 1 0-0 2, Calvin Marsh 2 0-0 4, Chance Klos 0 0-2 0, Cody Mohrey 3 0-0 6, Cody Masters 0 0-0 0, Totals: 7 0-4 14
Erie First Christian 6 11 4 9 - 30
TCCS 6 2 2 4 - 14
3-pointers: None
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Conneaut Valley 67, Eisenhower 42
Eisenhower cut the lead to 10 a couple times, but couldn't hold off Casey Baker or his Region 3 first-place team, Conneaut Valley.
Baker finished with a game-high 34 points and the Indians jumped out to a 36-21 halftime lead.
"I was very pleased with both my backcourt and my inside game tonight," said Eisenhower coach Steve Norris, whose Knights are 4-13 overall and 2-4 in the region. Conneaut Valley is 18-1, 6-0. "The last two games have been against two very good teams and we've held our own... We're close."
Josh Deppas was the only Knights' player in double figures with 10 points.
Austin Schwanke had 14 points and Colin Shine 13 in Eisenhower's 45-39 junior varsity win. Ike's J.V. team is 11-2 overall.
CONNEAUT VALLEY (67): Haworth 2 0-1 5, Baker 12 8-13 34, Varee 4 1-4 10, Sid Smith 2 0-0 5, Sam Smith 1 2-2 5, Nelson 0 1-4 1, Conolley 1 0-0 2, Braden 1 3-4 5. Totals 23 15-28 67.
EISENHOWER (42): Josh Deppas 4 2-3 10, Tre Frank 2 0-0 5, Aaron Lundmark 2 4-4 9, Colin Shine 3 1-2 8, Nathan O'Brien 1 0-0 2, Andrew Onoratti 1 0-0 2, Ryan Williams 2 1-2 5, Joe Rutsky 0 1-1 1. Totals 15 9-12 42.
Conneaut Valley 20 16 17 14 - 67
Eisenhower 11 10 13 8 - 42
3-pointers: C-Hayworth, Baker 2, Varee, Sid Smith, Sam Smith; E-Frank, Lundmark, Shine.
Junior varsity game
CONNEAUT VALLEY (39): Sid Smith 4 0-0 10, Kardash 0 1-2 1, Varee 6 3-8 17, Braden 1 1-2 3, Walters 1 0-0 2, Kimble 0 1-2 1, Lass 2 0-0 4, Beil 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 6-7 39
EISENHOWER (45): Carter Farrell 2 1- 4 5, Colin Shine 5 3-3 13, Nathan O'Brien 2 2-4 6, Alex Johnson 2 1-2 5, Austin Schwanke 5 4-4 14, Joe Rutsky 0 2-2 2. Totals 16 13-19 45.
Conneaut Valley 8 9 8 14 - 39
Eisenhower 15 10 13 7 - 45
3-pointers: C-Sid Smith 2, Varee 2; E-none.
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Saegertown 87, Youngsville 21
Saegertown took full advantage of a depleted Youngsville team to run away with an 87-21 Region 4 victory Friday at Youngsville High School.
The Eagles were without five varsity regulars, including three starters, due to injury or illness and had to play with a bench only two players deep.
Saegertown set the tempo early by creating turnovers and getting transition points as it started the game with a 15-0 run. Youngsville came out cold as the Eagles were unable to get a field goal for the first six minutes of the game. The Eagles also found themselves in foul trouble early, collecting four team fouls in the first quarter. The Panthers were able to connect on their free throws and held a 21-2 lead after the first quarter.
Youngsville was able to hit just one of two free throws following a technical foul against Saegertown for hanging on the rim after a dunk. The Eagles went 2-4 from the line in the quarter for their only points in the period. The Panthers continued to try to wear down the shorthanded Eagles with an up-tempo offense, taking a 39-4 lead into the half.
The Eagles (1-18) were able to more than double their point total from the first half, connecting on four field goals in the third quarter. Youngsville was unable to slow the Saegertown attack though as the Panthers were able to stretch their lead to 45, 59-14, by the end of the period.
Saegertown poured it on in the fourth quarter, going 3-5 from 3-point land and continuing to run a transition offense.
"They took advantage of us being shorthanded and turned it into a track meet," said Youngsville coach Ray Neidrick.
Jeremy Clark led the Eagles with 10 points. Tom Chapman added five points.
"Chapman played pretty good coming off the bench and stepped up," Neidrick said.
Saegertown also won the junior varsity game 46-24. AJ Gustafson led Youngsville with eight points.
SAEGERTOWN (87): Handel 14 2-2 30, Mohd 8 0-0 19, Scere 6 0-1 12, Pavlik 3 1-1 8, Rigby 1 4-7 6, Mattocks 2 0-0 4, Johnston 1 0-2 2, McCray 0 2-2 2, Carter 0 2-2 2, Ohmer 1 0-0 2, Totals 36 11-17 87
YOUNGSVILLE (21): Jeremy Clark 2 5-8 10, Tom Chapman 2 1-2 5, AJ Gustafson 1 0-0 2, Brandon Reed 1 0-0 2, James Frazier 1 0-0 2, Nathan Smith 0 0-0 0, Coll Dininny 0 0-0 0, Totals 7 6-10 21
Saegertown 21 18 20 28 - 87
Youngsville 2 2 10 7 - 21
3-pointers: S-Mohd 3, Pavlik; Y-Clark
Junior varsity game
SAEGERTOWN (46): Scere 4 2-6 10, Lang 2 2-6 6, Mondi 2 0-0 6, Siple 3 0-0 6, Mattocks 2 1-1 5, Hayes 2 0-0 5, Johnston 1 2-4 4, Digicomo 1 0-0 2, Kimnong 1 0-0 2, Toshey 0 0-0 0, Totals 18 7-17 46
YOUNGSVILLE (24): AJ Gustafson 3 0-0 8, Coll Dininny 1 3-4 5, Corey Jones 2 0-0 4, John Pollow 1 1-4 3, Colin Lehnen 1 0-0 2, Esteban Carphio 1 0-1 2, JR Yost 0 0-0 0, Josh Taydus 0 0-0 0, Totals 9 4-9 24
Saegertown 8 8 15 15 - 46
Youngsville 2 11 4 7 - 24
3-pointers: S-Mondi 2, Hayes; Y-Gustafson 2
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WCCS 44, French Creek Valley 33
Carson Moore was one steal shy of a triple-double in leading Warren County Christian School to a 44-33 victory over French Creek Valley Christian Friday at French Creek.
Moore finished with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 9 steals, stepping up for a Lions team that lost two of their top three scorers for the season last week due to injury.
The Lions held a 16-10 advantage at the half and outscored the Eagles in every quarter.
Already down those two starters to begin the game, Andrew Laird fouled out in the third quarter, forcing the Lions to finish the game with just two starters on the floor.
The Eagles tried to mount a comeback, but kept fouling Moore who went 10-14 from the line. Moore scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half.
"(French Creek) was scrambling and kept fouling Moore, and he kept hitting (the free throws)," said WCCS coach Steve Zwald.
Laird finished with 10 points and Chris Root added eight points for the Lions.
WCCS will have its first playoff game Tuesday against Girard Alliance. WCCS is the 4-seed and Girard the 5-seed.
The Lions won the junior varsity contest 21-14. Jaimie Petrush led WCCS with 11 points.
WCCS (44): Andrew Laird 5 0-0 10, Carson Moore 5 10-14 20, Josh Wagonseller 0 1-2 1, Chris Root 3 0-2 8, Jaime Petrush 1 1-6 3, Jim Hungerford 1 0-0 2, Total 15 12-24 44
FRENCH CREEK (33): Budraitis 6 2-6 14, Gamber 1 3-4 5, Storms 1 0-0 2, Robertson 2 0-0 5, See 3 1-2 7, Total 13 6-16 33
WCCS 9 7 14 14 - 44
French Creek 5 5 10 13 -33
3-pointers: F-Robertson; W-Root 2
Junior varsity game
WCCS (21): Tyler Keller 2 0-2 4, Josh Wagonseller 2 0-0 4, Jaime Petrush 4 3-6 11, Chris root 1 0-0 2, Total 9 3-8 21
FCV (14): Gillette 0 1-3 1, Robertson 4 0-4 9, See 2 0-0 4, Total 6 1-10 14
WCCS 5 4 4 8 - 21
French Creek 0 0 4 10 - 14
3-pointers: F-Robertson, W-none