Malvern boys split final games entering tournament play

The Malvern girls basketball team entered the OHSAA Division VII East 1 District sectional tournament hoping to earn a win and set up a district semifinal matchup with top-seeded Strasburg-Franklin.

Instead, fifth-seeded Steubenville Catholic Central ended the Lady Hornets’ season with a 66-50 victory Feb. 21.

The final score did not reflect how close the game was through three quarters. The teams were tied at the end of the first and second quarters, and the score was 27-27 entering the third. Steubenville Catholic Central carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Crusaders pulled away in the final period, scoring 22 points while holding sixth-seeded Malvern to 10. The result contrasted with Dec. 22, when Malvern defeated Steubenville Catholic Central 56-54.

Whitney Smith led Malvern (14-9) with 17 points. Ella Debo added 15, and Addy Mitchell scored 11. Mara Delaney scored 19 points and Shya Garcia added 17 for the Crusaders (12-11).

Boys basketball

Malvern secured the No. 4 seed in the Division VII East 1 District tournament and closed the regular season with two games.

The Hornets defeated Harrison Central 68-50 on Feb. 17 in a nonconference matchup. Malvern led 14-8 after one quarter and extended the advantage to 35-17 at halftime after outscoring the Huskies 21-9 in the second period.

Grady Barkley led Malvern with 13 points. Cameron Good scored 12, Jaxon Jones added 11 and Delonte Simmons finished with 10. Bryce Kamarec scored 16 points and Lance Smith added 11 for Harrison Central (6-15).

Malvern wrapped up the regular season Feb. 20 against Inter-Valley Conference North Division rival Strasburg-Franklin. The Tigers led 27-20 at halftime and carried an eight-point advantage into the fourth quarter.

Malvern scored 21 points in the final period after totaling 31 through the first three quarters, but the rally fell short in a 55-52 loss.

Simmons led Malvern (13-9, 9-3) with 19 points, and Luke Thomas added 10. Ryan Becker scored 17 points for the Tigers (12-10, 6-6).