Hornet boys and girls catch fire on the court while temps plunge outside

While a lot of schools sat out last week or only played one game thanks to the blustery conditions blanketing much of northeast Ohio, the Malvern girls basketball team was able to fit in two games.

And while a roaring fire or a steaming mug of hot chocolate may keep the cold at bay, the Lady Hornets discovered that a couple of victories also does the trick as Malvern defeated Inter-Valley Conference North Division rivals Conotton Valley and Tuscarawas Central Catholic to move to .500 in the conference.

First up was a Jan. 28 visit to Bowerston to take on the Rockets. The Hornets did not mess around in quickly racing to a 14-4 lead as the first quarter ended. The second period slowed way down, yet Malvern was able to pad its lead by another four points, and took a 20-6 lead into halftime.

Conotton Valley picked up the pace in the second half, but Malvern’s lead was too much to overcome as the Hornets left with a 47-35 victory. Addy Mitchell and Ella Debo scored 15 points apiece for Malvern, while Bella Higgins and Delilah Williams each finished with 12 points to lead the Rockets (1-16, 0-13).

Staying on the road and in the conference, Malvern next visited the Saints Jan. 31 and while the outcome was the same, the tenor of the game was markedly different in the Hornets’ 47-33 win. TCC showed some fight in hanging with Malvern for the entire first half, and only trailed 22-19 heading into the third quarter.

That’s when the Hornets turned on their jets and ran away with the game, outscoring the Saints 25-14 in the second half. Debo finished with a game-high 15 points while Mitchell scored 11 for the Hornets (12-8, 6-6). TCC (3-17, 2-11) was paced by Nora Jackson, who scored 10 points.

Boys Basketball

Having only played the past three Fridays, the Hornets had to wait a full week to expunge their two-game losing streak and bust out of their slump.

Malvern finally got its chance Jan. 30 with a visit to IVC North rival East Canton, and in the battle of the Hornets, Malvern proved to have the bigger sting, winning 52-43. And while Malvern gets back in the win column, East Canton suffered its sixth consecutive defeat.

The game sure didn’t feel as if the Hornets would win by nine points as Malvern seized a 19-5 lead after one quarter. A blowout appeared to be in the cards, but East Canton hung tough, and by the end of the first half, had pared Malvern’s lead to eight. East Canton would get no closer as Malvern never lost its grip on the game.

Delonte Simmons paced Malvern (10-6, 7-2) with 22 points, while Tripp Tucci added 10 points. Meanwhile, East Canton (3-11, 2-6) was led by Jordy Harris, who scored 16 points.

Boys Wrestling

While the snow and cold weather kept a lot of grapplers off the mat this past week, the Hornets were able to get some wrestling in by competing at the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament Jan. 30-31 at Austintown Fitch High School.

Louisville won the team title with 291.0 points, well ahead of runner-up Fitch, which finished with 220.5, while Beaver Local came in a close third with 211.0. Malvern, which sent a contingent of six wrestlers, placed 27th with 13.5.

Despite the small party, the Hornets returned home with one placer: Bowen Irwin, who placed sixth at 113 lbs. Irwin, beginning in the championship bracket, kicked off the tournament by pinning Fitch’s Ryan Shannon at 4:29. Advancing to the quarterfinals, Irwin was taken down by eventual runner-up Paxton Laughlin of Louisville.

This sent Irwin to the consolation bracket, where he piled up two consecutive wins before squaring off against Garrettsville Garfield’s Camron Lewicki, where he suffered a loss by medical default. By virtue of his advancement in the bracket, Irwin qualified for the fifth-place match against Beaver Local’s Jeryck Boyd, but was ruled out due to a medical forfeit.