The month of December takes us away from the gridiron and back to the hardwood. Last winter, five area schools concluded their campaigns with 20-wins or more (Struthers, LaBrae, McDonald, Sharon, New Castle). Two local programs (Ursuline, McDonald) advanced to the elite eight in their classification.
McDonald (24-1) closed out this past season with a #10 ranking in Division IV and their first regional tournament victory in school history over Richmond Heights 54-52 on March 15. Longtime assistant Brian Higgins replaces Jeff Rasile as McDonald's head basketball coach. Instead of playing in the Struthers District Tournament this February, the Devils will head to Warren to battle the likes of Warren Kennedy, Mineral Ridge, and Windham). The Blue Devils bring a 63-game regular season win streak into the upcoming season.
In the Howland District of Division III, top-seeded LaBrae (20-3) saw their season come to an end at the hands of Berkshire 55-52 in the round of thirty-two.
Ursuline advanced to the regionals for the third time in six years by knocking off Campbell in the Salem District Championship. Keith Gunther’s group defeated Orrville 66-58 to move onto the Division III Regional Final. The Irish (16-7) lost to the eventual state runner-up Cleveland Central Catholic, 59-46.
Since the Inter-Tri County League was formed in 2006, East Palestine has won the Upper Tier four of the five years. Like McDonald, the Bulldogs have been crowned champion each of the last three seasons.
Over the past two years, Struthers has posted a 40-6 mark. This past winter, the Wildcats edged Poland 36-33 in the Division II Boardman District Final moving onto the regionals for the first time since 1999.
Harding boasted two MyValleySports.com Boys’ Hardwood Starting 5 members in seniors Craig McFerrin and Tre Brown. The Raiders closed out the season with an 18-5 record but could not get by #1 ranked Garfield Heights 75-61 in the district final. The All-American Conference has had the most 'Starting Five' players. Last year, Colin Reardon (Poland) and Nate Jacubec (Struthers) were honored by being named to the team also. Reardon averaged 22.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Jacubec shot 47.3% from beyond the three-point arc during the regular season. The current Mount Union Purple Raider led the White Division with 19.8 points per contest.
Speaking of honors, McDonald center Matthias Tayala was named to the Associated Press' First-Team All-Ohio. The Mahoning Valley has produced at least one player on the state's top team over the course of the past fifteen years.
Area's First-Team All-Ohio Members
Past 15 Years
2010-11: D4 - Matthias Tayala (McDonald)
2009-10: D4 - Casey Carroll (Youngstown Christian)
2008-09: D1 - Desmar Jackson (Harding), D4 - Nick Brown (Warren JFK)
2007-08: D2 - Ben Umbel (Poland)
2006-07: D3 - D'Aundray Brown (Ursuline), D4 - Bradley Hinton (McDonald)
2005-06: D4 - Vance Keirsey (Mineral Ridge)
2004-05: D2 - Brian Kreefer (East Liverpool), D2 - Chad Fender (Poland), D4 - James Beedle (McDonald)
2003-04: D2 - Chad Fender (Poland), D3 - Lucian Smith (Lisbon), D4 - David Scarpitti (Sebring)
2002-03: D1 - Greg Mayes (Fitch), D3 - Dan Schuler (Springfield), D4 - Craig Giesey (Bristol), D4 - Greg Van Kirk (Sebring)
2001-02: D3 - Dan Schuler (Springfield), D4 - John King (Bristol)
2000-01: D4 - Chris Hatch (South Range)
1999-00: D2 - Rick McFadden (Struthers), D2 - Chris Winesburg (Beaver Local), D4 - Matt Orr (Western Reserve)
1998-99: D1 - Romauld Augustin (Rayen), D1 - Dan Swiger (East Liverpool), D2 - Ray Austin (Liberty), D2 - Rick McFadden (Struthers), D3 - Joe Wilson (Newton Falls), D4 - Ryan Snyder (Sebring)
1997-98: D3 - Greg Harrison (Liberty), D4 - Brad Butler (Lowellville)
1996-97: D3 - Chad Phillips (Warren JFK), D4 - Tim Woods (Bristol)
Despite harnessing some of the top players in the state, the Mahoning Valley has not fared well in the state tournament. Since Ursuline’s 1994 Division III State title over Lima Central Catholic (55-53), the area’s Ohio schools have posted an 0-7 record in Columbus.
In 2010-11 to the east of the border, Sharon (14-2, 20-6) improved by 14-wins overall to garner the Region 6 title. A possible PIAA Class AAA second round match up between the Tigers and New Castle was altered by WPIAL champion, Montour, who defeated Sharon, 72-42. The Hurricanes also fell to the eventual state finalist Spartans, 55-50.
Sharpsville (9-1, 18-8) was crowned Region 2 champion for the second consecutive year. The Blue Devils were paced by leading scorer Jon Wilson (15.7 ppg) and three-year starting point guard Chad Piccirilli. Sharpsville fell to Sto-Rox in the first round of the PIAA Class AA Tournament on March 12.
Patrick Horton of Farrell became only the eleventh player in school history to score 1,000 points or more during his varsity career joining some of the elite names in Steeler lore (Julius McCoy, Willie Somerset, Shawn Roberts, Gravelle Craig, Marsell Holden, etc).
Neshannock (17-6) made their fourth straight trip to the WPIAL Tournament. The Lancers finished the season by winning ten of thirteen since January 11.
With the excitement that high school basketball generates, this time of the year is without question one of the most thrilling moments on the prep calendar. Can McDonald keep their regular season win streak alive? Who will challenge for the Boardman District crown? Which players and teams will shine this year? Those questions will be answered soon enough as the season tips off this Friday night in gymnasiums across the area.
2010-11 Statistical Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Michael Johnston (Wellsville/SR), 22.6
2. Colin Reardon (Poland/JR), 22.3
3. Matt Dogan (West Middlesex/SO), 21.4
4. TJ Lanier (Howland/SR), 21.2
5. Nate Jacubec (Struthers/SR), 19.8
Rebounds Per Game
1. Mike Lopuchovsky (Hubbard/SR), 12.2
2. Bobby Marino (Niles/SR), 11.8
3. Lee Johnson (East/SR), 11.7
4. Colin Reardon (Poland/JR), 11.0
5. Taylor Frederickson (Salem/SR), 10.9
Assists Per Game
1. Kory Hopkinson (Hubbard/SR), 7.6
2. Tony Patterson (Reynolds/SR), 7.2
3. Chad Piccirilli (Sharpsville/SR), 7.0
4. Ray Russ (Niles/SR), 6.2
5. Michael Johnston (Wellsville/SR), 5.7
3-Point Percentage
1. Cameron Derr (Brookfield/SR), 48.6% (17-35)
2. Tom Mastran (Springfield/JR), 48.4% (15-31)
3. Nate Jacubec (Struthers/SR), 47.3% (69-146)
4. Torin Smith (Grove City/JR), 44.9% (70-156)
5. Jeremy Quinlin (Brookfield/SO), 44.4% (52-117)
Free Throw Percentage
1. Kenny Surano (Greenville/SR), 97.5% (39-40)
2. Evan Standohar (Girard/FR), 90.5% (38-42)
3. Cody Dillon (Newton Falls/JR), 82.0% (85-104)
4. Brady Beech (Grove city/SR), 80.9% (55-68)
5. Colin Reardon (Poland/JR), 80.0% (100-125)
2010-11 Baird Brothers-MyValleySports.com Hardwood Starting 5
Nate Jacubec, Senior (Struthers)
Tre Brown, Senior (Warren Harding)
Patrick Horton, Senior (Farrell)
Colin Reardon, Junior (Poland)
Craig McFerrin, Senior (Warren Harding)
Coach: Chad Kiser, LaBrae
A special thanks to the coaches, statisticians and athletic directors who provided the statistics.
