Warren scored more points in a game than it has in years on Friday in a 95-78 Region 7 win over Fort LeBoeuf at Warren Area High School.
"Tonight was a game where neither team was sharp defensively, especially in the first half," said Warren coach Jeff Berdine, whose Dragons are 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the region. "It was 53-46 at halftime - that is usually a final score of a game. Both teams shot very well and had a lot of unselfish plays."
Warren had a fast start to the game, opening up a 9-4 lead. But, as would become a trend throughout the game, the Bisons hit a three to tighten the gap. The visiting team hit seven 3-pointers in the first half alone.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Tyson Himes
Forward progress
Warren’s Preston McMeans (35) squeezes in between two Fort LeBoeuf defenders for a shot during the Dragons’ 95-78 Region 7 win on Friday at Warren Area High School. McMeans scored 22 points as the Dragons moved to 3-0 in Region 7 entering four straight region road games beginning Tuesday.
The Dragons were running a 1-2-2 full-court zone through much of the first half, forcing the Bisons to be more deliberate on offense. With both teams settling in, the opening quarter ended in a 28-28 tie.
Fort LeBoeuf came out in a 2-3 zone on defense in the second quarter. Warren hit a few threes and made the Bisons switch back to man defense.
Warren stayed aggressive on offense the entire game, using fast break offense interior passing to get easy looks.
"To start the second half we switched to a match-up zone," said Berdine. "I felt that it broke Fort LeBoeuf's rhythm and gave us a working margin."
The Bisons went scoreless their first four possessions to start the third quarter, but the Dragons could not stop their three point attack; LeBoeuf hit three 3's in the third period.
"Mark Davis played strong for us underneath and did a great job with offensive rebounds," said Berdine. Davis came up big in the period, scoring eight of his 22 points.
Warren had a ten-point advantage going into the fourth quarter and extended the lead. It was Hank Morrison's time to shine in the final stanza. He had 10 of his 19 points.
Standouts for Warren included Davis with 22 points and nine rebounds, Preston McMeans with 22 points and seven assists, and Austin Jerman with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Six players scored for Warren, five of which were in double figures, and the Dragons hit six 3-pointers of their own. The 95 points were the most Warren has scored since a 105-71 win over St. Marys in the 1999-2000 season.
LeBoeuf hit 11 3-pointers and still couldn't hang with Warren as the game rolled on. Tyler Hering led LeBoeuf with five of them and finished with 26 points, but only seven points in the second half. LeBoeuf was 11-of-15 from the line to Warren's 15-of-23.
The Dragons begin a key road stretch on Tuesday night when they visit undefeated General McLane, which is 4-0 in the region and 9-0 overall. Warren visits Central Tech on Thursday. Tech is also 4-0 in the region. Warren is at Harbor Creek on Saturday and Corry the following Tuesday.
Warren had four players score in double figures - led by Collin Fantaskey's 14 points - in a 63-44 junior varsity win over LeBoeuf.
FORT LEBOEUF (78): Greggs 3 2-3 10, Campbell 2 1-2 5, Yost 2 0-0 6, Hering 10 1-2 26, Kress 4 5-5 14, Lockhart 5 2-3 12, Gambill 2 0-0 5. Totals 28 11-15 78
WARREN (95): Mark Davis 9 4-6 22, Grayson Foley 0 0-0 0, Austin Jerman 5 3-5 14, Ryan Gustafson 0 0-0 0, Matt Sandberg 5 0-0 11, Collin Fantaskey 0 0-0 0, Cody McGraw 0 0-0 0, Andrew Hammersley 0 0-0 0, Jacoby Passmore 0 0-0 0, Kory Thomas 3 0-0 7, Hank Morrison 7 4-7 19, Preston McMeans 8 4-5 22, Jack Daley 0 0-0 0, Tanner Stanz 0 0-0 0, Austin Schwanke 0 0-0 0. Totals 37 15-23 95
FORT LEBOEUF 28 18 17 15 -78
WARREN 28 25 20 22 -95
3-pointers. F-Hering 5, Greggs 2, Yost 2, Kress 1, Gambill 1. W-Preston McMeans 2, Austin Jerman 1, Matt Sandberg 1, Kory Thomas 1, Hank Morrison 1.
Junior varsity game
FORT LEBOEUF (44): Galvin 1 0-0 3, Piekiewicz 4 0-0 11, Holes 1 0-0 2, Gambill 8 0-2 18, Lombardozzi 0 2-2 2, Alexander 3 2-2 8. Totals 17 4-6 44
WARREN (63): Grayson Foley 1 0-0 2, Derrick Hanlin 0 0-0 0, Austin Schwanke 2 0-0 4, Ryan Gustafson 5 0-0 11, Collin Fantaskey 6 0-0 14, Andrew Hammersley 2 2-2 6, Jacoby Passmore 7 1-1 15, Tanner Stanz 5 0-0 10, Andrew Stanton 0 0-0 0, Nick Rosequist 0 1-2 1. Totals 28 4-5 63
FORT LEBOEUF 10 10 9 15 -44
WARREN 15 17 19 12 -63
3-pointers. F-Piekiewicz 3, Gambill 2, Galvin 1. W-Collin Fantaskey 2, Ryan Gustafson 1.
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Eisenhower 58, Saegertown 50
SAEGERTOWN - Aaron Lundmark set the tone with three first-quarter three-pointers and the Eisenhower Knights won for the third straight time with a 58-50 victory over the Saegertown Panthers Friday at Saegertown High School.
Lundmark's deep balls helped the Knights to a 18-5 first quarter advantage and Eisenhower was able to keep Saegertown at bay throughout the final three quarters.
"It was a fast paced game with a lot of quick shots taken," said Ike assistant coach Jacoby Curtis. "Aaron had a heck of a game. He really shot the ball well and set the tone with some key shots early on."
The Knights (5-5) will try to make it four straight victories Tuesday when they host winless Youngsville in a county rivalry game.
Lundmark finished with 18 points and Ryan Williams also reached double figures for the winners with 11 total points. Colin Shine and Andrew Onoratti finished with eight points each and Josh Deppas scored seven markers.
The Knights were defeated, 34-18, in junior varsity action. Kyle Hunt scored six points to pace the Eisenhower effort.
EISENHOWER (58): Josh Deppas 2 3-4 7, Aaron Lundmark 7 1-4 18, Colin Shine 2 3-5 8, Nathan O'Brien 2 1-2 5, Andrew Onoratti 3 2-3 8, Ryan Williams 4 3-4 11, Joe Rutsky 0 1-2 1, Totals: 20 14-24 58
SAEGERTOWN (50): Truitt 0-0 6, Wood 2 1-4 5, Brode 1 0-0 2, Carter 1 3-5 5, Scere 1 1-2 3, Wise 1 1-1 3, Mondi 4 0-1 10, Pavlik 4 0-0 9, Rigby 0 3-8 3, Mattocks 1 2-9 4, Totals: 18 11-30 50
Eisenhower 18 14 16 10 - 58
Saegertown 5 17 15 13 - 50
3-pointers: E- Lundmark 3, Shine; S- Mondi 2, Pavlik
Junior varsity game
EISENHOWER (18): Carter Farrell 2 1-2 5, Jarrett Johnson 2 0-0 4, John Potts 0 0-0 0, Chris Sanders 1 0-0 3, Kyle Hunt 1 4-9 6, Jake Harvey 0 0-0 0, Ricky Zortman 0 0-0 0, Totals: 6 5-11 18
SAEGERTOWN (34): Brode 2 0-0 4, Durasa 1 1-2 3, Shoop 1 0-0 2, Long 2 0-0 4, Sada 1 0-2 2, Barclay 2 1-2 5, Rumsie 1 0-2 2, Walters 1 1-2 3, Lang 3 2-4 9, Totals: 14 5-14 34
Eisenhower 5 5 5 3 - 18
Saegertown 12 9 7 6 - 34
3-pointers: E- Sanders; S- Lang
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Elk County Catholic 63, Sheffield 57
SAINT MARYS - Elk County Catholic held a two-to-one advantage in free throws attempted and went 14-for-18 in the fourth quarter of a 63-57 victory over the Sheffield Wolverines Friday in Saint Marys.
Sheffield led by a bucket at the break and was within five or six points for much of the final quarter. However, the Crusaders were able to knock down their free throws in crunch time and the Wolverines had to settle for the six-point loss.
Despite the setback, Sheffield coach Todd Fitch said he couldn't have been happier with his team's performance.
"Those guys did exactly what we asked of them for the entire 32 minutes," said Fitch. "If they continue to play with that heart, passion and commitment, good things are going to continue happening for us. They left nothing out on that court tonight."
Mark Sprandle scored 15 points to lead Sheffield in defeat. George Fitch was next with a double-double effort of 12 points and 17 rebounds.
"George was huge for us on the boards," said Fitch. "We were able to take control of the boards and that was big for us. We finished with 39 rebounds and George had 17 of them."
Sheffield (8-4) will try to get back on the winning track Tuesday when it hosts Ridgway.
Sheffield's junior varsity team lost for the first time this season, 47-37. Brendan Winslow had a huge night in defeat with 20 points.
SHEFFIELD (57): Ike Nearing 4 1-2 9, Mark Sprandle 5 2-2 15, Nick Bonavita 3 1-2 8, Josh Anderson 2 0-0 4, George Fitch 5 2-4 12, Kalil Slaughter 1 2-5 4, Brendan Winslow 1 0-0 3, Dylan McNeal 1 0-0 2, Totals: 22 8-15 57
ELK COUNTY (63): Housler 5 6-9 18, Wortman 5 2-4 12, McCollough 5 2-6 12, Catello 1 8-9 10, Jacobs 0 2-2 2, Constable 3 0-0 9, Totals: 16 20-30 63
Sheffield 8 9 12 28 - 57
Elk County 6 9 21 27 - 63
3-pointers: S- Sprandle 3, Bonavita, Winslow; E- Housler 2, Constable 3
Junior varsity game
SHEFFIELD (37): Nic Confer 2 0-2 4, Luke McCracken 0 0-0 0, Brendan Winslow 7 2-4 20, Noah Heeter 0 3-9 3, Dylan McNeal 4 0-0 8, Brandon Kipp 0 0-0 0, Chris Pederson 0 0-0 0, Tyler Fitzgerald 1 0-0 2, Totals: 14 5-15 35
ELK COUNTY (47): Jacobs 2 2-3 7, Lecker 4 3-6 11, Wortman 4 1-5 9, Krouse 1 3-4 5, Reuscher 1 0-0 2, Gebauer 1 2-4 4, Huff 2 5-11 9, Totals: 16 14-33 47
Sheffield 14 7 9 7 - 37
Elk County 19 12 11 5 - 47
3-pointers: S- Winslow 2; E- Jacobs
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CLA 50, WCCS 20
SENECA - Down one starter with a roster that's already thin, the Warren County Christian School Lions were overpowered by Christian Life Academy, 50-20, on Friday.
"We were down one starter and we're already so thin," said WCCS coach Steve Zwald. "We really missed him tonight. We played better in the second half, but we didn't get the job done early. They were able to jump out to a big lead on us."
Josh Carpenter finished with nine points as the Lions dropped to 1-4 on the campaign. Andrew Laird chipped in six points in the loss and Carson Moore contributed 10 rebounds.
In junior varsity play, the Lions lost a 32-14 decision to CLA. Tommy Jones' six points led the Lions.
WCCS is back in action Monday, hosting Jamestown Bethel in a make-up contest.
WCCS (20): Andrew Laird 3 0-2 6, Josh Carpenter 3 2-2 9, Carson Moore 1 1-2 3, Jamie Petrush 0 0-0 0, Marcus Root 0 0-0 0, Daniel Lauffenburger 0 0-0 0, Tommy Jones 0 0-0 0, Eric Sorenson 0 0-0 0, Josiah Poindexter 1 0-0 2, Totals: 8 3-6 20
CLA (50): Manssur 4 1-2 9, H. Kennedy 4 0-0 9, A. Kennedy 8 0-1 16, J. McFall 1 2-2 4, S. McFall 5 1-4 12, Totals: 22 4-9 50
WCCS 2 6 2 10 - 20
CLA 13 18 13 6 - 50
3-pointers: W- Carpenter; C- H. Kennedy, S. McFall
Junior varsity game
WCCS (14): Marcus Root 0 0-2 0, Tommy Jones 3 0-4 6, Daniel Lauffenburger 0 1-2 1, Eric Sorenson 1 0-2 2, Josiah Poindexter 2 1-2 5, Totals: 6 2-12 14
CLA (32): Allman 4 0-2 8, Berger 4 0-0 8, Masters 3 0-0 7, Tyger 0 1-2 1, Switzer 4 0-1 8, Totals: 15 1-5 32
WCCS 2 3 3 6 - 14
CLA 10 8 6 8 - 32
3-pointers: W- None; C- Masters
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Cochranton 79, Youngsville 14
The Eagles (0-8) were hoping that the end of 2011 would signal the end of their losing streak, but turnovers cost them in a 79-14 loss to Cochranton Friday at Youngsville High School.
"Turnovers hurt us (tonight)," Youngsville coach Ray Neidrick said. "The guys just were not on the same page."
The Cardinals hit two threes to help them jump out to a quick 14-4 lead to start the game. Cochranton was firing on all cylinders early in the first quarter. The Eagles were able to slow the Cardinals offense near the end of the quarter, but had trouble getting rebounds to get their offense started and Cochranton led 20-6 after one.
"We're going to work on our rebounds a lot tomorrow," Neidrick said. "We weren't getting into position or boxing out well tonight."
Rocco Gatta scored all six of Youngsville's first quarter points, but picked up his fourth personal foul just over two minutes into the second quarter. The Eagles couldn't get anyone else going offensively for the rest of the half.
"I'm pretty perplexed as to why we can't get going on offense," Neidrick said.
The Cardinals outscored the Eagles 24-4 in the second quarter to take a 44-10 lead into the locker room.
Cochranton really clamped down defensively in the third quarter, holding Youngsville scoreless. Gatta fouled out just 1:30 into the second half. The Cardinals used turnovers to create easy transition buckets to gain a 40-point lead and put the continuous clock rule into effect.
Youngsville managed just four points in the fourth quarter as Cochranton had the game well in hand.
In addition to Gatta's six points, Collin Lehnen had four points for the Eagles.
Neidrick said he's hoping to use Saturday's practice to try to regroup for next week's games against Iroquois Monday and at Eisenhower Tuesday.
"We're a young team and we need to learn how to work together," Neidrick said.
Cochranton won the JV game 61-5. Trevor Flinn and Dacoda Buchanan both had two points for Youngsville.
COCHRANTON (79): Oertly 9 3-8 21, Kenny 3 2-2 9, Vanderhoff 4 0-0 8, Buchan 2 3-4 7, Dickson 3 0-0 6, Herzberger 2 0-0 6, Adams 2 1-2 5, Troutner 2 0-0 4, Saunier 1 2-3 4, Custead 2 0-0 4, Roche 1 0-0 3, Bridge 1 0-0 2, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Totals 32 11-19 79.
YOUNGSVILLE (14): Rocco Gatta 3 0-0 6, Collin Lehnen 2 0-0 4, Broc Horn 1 0-0 2, James Frazier 0 2-5 2, Josh Taydus 0 0-2 0, Thomas Chapman 0 0-0 0, Dan McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Corey Jones 0 0-0 0, Nick Barrett 0 0-0 0, Trevor Flinn 0 0-0 0, Ben Frederick 0 0-0 0, Levi Ecelberger 0 0-0 0, Dustin Jesson 0 0-0 0, Dacoda Buchanan 0 0-0 0, Totals 6 2-8 14.
Cochranton 20 24 15 20-79
Youngsville 6 4 0 4-14
3-pointers: C-Herzberger 2, Kenny, Roche. Y-None.
Junior varsity game
COCHRANTON (61): Roche 5 1-3 13, Vanderhoff 5 0-2 11, Custead 5 0-0 10, Bridge 5 0-0 10, Buchan 3 3-4 9, Saunier 3 1-6 8, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Totals 26 5-15 61.
YOUNGSVILLE (5): Trevor Flinn 1 0-0 2, Dacoda Buchanan 1 0-0 2, Brandon Lake 0 1-2 1, Dustin Jesson 0 0-1 0, Ben Frederick 0 0-0 0, Jeremy Niemeyer 0 0-0 0, Levi Ecelberger 0 0-0 0, Zach Sanford 0 0-0 0, Andrew Tyers 0 0-0 0, Totals 2 1-3 5.
Cochranton 14 23 18 6-61
Youngsville 2 2 0 1-5
3-pointers: C-Roche 2, Saunier, Vanderhoff. Y-None.
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Thursday
Erie Bethel 47, TCCS 31
ERIE - Things are starting to come together for the Tidioute boys basketball team.
Despite that fact, it didn't translate into a victory during the Bulldogs' 47-31 loss to Erie Bethel on Thursday night.
"We're starting to gel as a team, but turnovers continue to kill us," said TCCS coach Dave Manning. "It was nice to see Brian Faulkner put together a nice shooting night. We've been looking for that and he came through in this game."
Faulkner's hot shooting led to a 15-point performance for the Bulldogs guard. Calvin Marsh finished with eight points and Kendrick Morrison added four points.
The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, visiting Erie First Christian.
TCCS (31): Jordan Yeager 1 0-0 2, Brian Faulkner 6 0-1 15, Kendrick Morrison 2 0-0 4, Pat Haney 1 0-0 2, Calvin Marsh 4 0-0 8, Cody Mohrey 0 0-0 0, Todd Breeden 0 0-0 0, Brian Bonner 0 0-0 0, Austyn Marsh 0 0-0 0, Pat Thompson 0 0-0 0, Alex Marsh 0 0-0 0, Chance Klos 0 0-0 0, Totals: 14 0-1 31
ERIE BETHEL (47): Donikowski 4 0-2 8, Dietz 8 1-2 17, Oakes 0 0-1 0, Stumpo 1 0-0 2, VanDeVeer 7 1-4 18, Neil 1 0-2 2, Socash 0 0-1 0, Totals: 21 2-12 47
TCCS 4 8 6 13 - 31
Erie Bethel 14 6 12 15 - 47
3-pointers: T- Faulkner 3; E- VanDeVeer 3