Hoffee reaches milestone as Lions split week

One Lion continued his move up the list of Minerva’s best players while the team came close to sweeping both its games this past week.

The Lions were home for both their games, hosting Beaver Local in a nonconference dust-up Dec. 9 and Salem Dec. 12 in an Eastern Buckeye Conference contest.

Out of the gates against Beaver Local, the Lions looked sharp, roaring to a 15-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. The teams were neck-and-neck for the remainder of the first half and Minerva entered the intermission with a 30-25 advantage.

Beaver Local made adjustments in the third and outscored the Lions 19-9. Taking a five-point lead into the final quarter, the Beavers hung on for the 56-52 win. The difference came down to the charity stripe as Beaver Local took 22 free throw attempts, sinking 15, while Minerva was 7-of-9 from the line.

Despite the loss, it was noteworthy as Minerva senior guard Rowen Hoffee recorded his 1,000th career point for Minerva. Hoffee led Minerva with 24 points, including three treys, while Owen Shick added 14. As a team, the Lions totaled nine three-pointers. 

Owen Hill scored 27 points to lead all scorers, becoming the career leader in points scored with 1086 for Beaver Local (3-0).

Three days later, the Lions hosted the Quakers looking to bust out of their two-game slump. The teams got off to a somewhat slow start, but it was mission accomplished as Minerva blew out the Quakers 62-26.

Following the first quarter, the Lions held a 7-2 advantage. That was nothing as it was was the second and third periods when Minerva slammed the door on Salem, outscoring the Quakers 37-19 to take a commanding 44-21 lead.

With the win, the Lions (2-2, 1-1) evened their record overall and in the EBC as Hoffee continued his hot hand, scoring 25 points. Shick added 11 while Braydon Wood and Isaak Morckel each scored seven. Salem (0-3, 0-2) was paced by Deontay Steele’s nine points.

Girls Basketball

The wins will come for Minerva, but things just didn’t shake out for the Lions, who got awful close on a couple of occasions over the past week.

Minerva opened its week by hosting Richmond Edison in a nonconference contest Dec. 8. The Wildcats came in undefeated, having beaten their four opponents by more than 36 points per game. Edison leapt out to an 18-11 win, looking poised to take command early.

That was until the Lions’ defense clamped down on the Wildcats, holding them to only eight points over the second and third periods. Meanwhile, Minerva was steady on offense, and opened a 34-26 lead heading into the final quarter.

Edison (5-0) battled back, outscoring the Lions 18-7 over the final eight minutes for a come-from-behind 44-41 win. Ivey Rettig led Minerva with 14 points while Rachel Benedict scored 10.

Two days later, the Lions visited Salem for an EBC duel. Minerva hung close in the first period and trailed 9-6, but the Quakers exploded for 19 points in the second quarter to take control of the game and cruised to a 46-26 victory.

Ireland Kirkpatrick and Benedict finished with seven points apiece for Minerva, while Abby Knickerbocker scored 16 points to lead Salem (5-0, 2-0).

The Lions wrapped up their week by hosting Marlington in another EBC matchup. Minerva fell in a big hole as the Dukes jumped out to a 12-4 lead after one period, but the Lions recovered, outscoring Marlington 11-2 in the second period to take a narrow one-point lead into the locker rooms.

Marlington tied it up by the end of the third so both teams entered the deciding fourth quarter knotted at 27 points apiece. Unfortunately for the Lions, the Dukes outscored them 11-2 over the final eight minutes for a 38-29 victory.

Kirkpatrick led the Lions (0-6, 0-3) with 12 points, while Addison Wittensolder scored 17 points for Marlington (2-4, 1-2).