Malvern girls split contrasting wins; Hornets boys extend streak

Talk about night and day.

The Malvern girls basketball team had two games on its docket during Christmas week, and you’d be hard-pressed to find two games more diametrically opposed.

In the first games, the Hornets stormed back on the road against the Steubenville Catholic Central Crusaders Dec. 22 to earn a narrow 56-54 nonconference victory. Then several days later, Malvern cruised at home to a lopsided 59-35 shellacking of Inter-Valley Conference North Division foe Tuscarawas Central Catholic.

Against the Crusaders, the Hornets led by two after the first quarter, but had no answer for the Crusaders in the second period as Catholic Central outscored Malvern 17-8 to take a 28-21 lead into the break. The Crusaders even added to their cushion, so as the contest entered its final quarter, the Hornets trailed by eight points.

Which, apparently, is just where Ella Debo and company wanted their opponents. Malvern exploded for 23 points in the final period after scoring 33 in the first three to snatch the victory away from the home team.

Debo led the Hornets with 20 points while Addy Mitchell and Whitney Smith each contributed 15 points. Mary Rohde paced the Crusaders (4-5) with 16 points.

After the holiday, Malvern got back to work, this time hosting the Saints Dec. 27. Hungry to keep their three-game winning streak going, the Hornets left nothing to chance as they raced to an 18-7 first-quarter lead. Malvern put the pedal to the metal in claiming a 34-16 advantage at halftime that effectively removed any suspense concerning the outcome.

Smith was on fire from long distance as she drained three treys and scored 19 points. Debo added 15 and Mitchell chipped in 12 for the Hornets (6-4, 3-3). Ellen Norris and Melody Johnson each scored 11 points to lead Tuscarawas Central Catholic (1-7, 1-4).

Boys Basketball

Next man up.

Malvern’s bench may have quite a few new faces compared to seasons past, but one thing is sure, the team’s commitment to continuity and excellence is steadfast. And on any given night, any Hornet can step up and lead the charge.

In winning its seventh consecutive game, this time it was Tripp Tucci’s turn to lead the Hornets’ attack in their Dec. 23 63-44 road win over IVC North foe Conotton Valley. The 6-foot-4 senior, who is the lone letter winner from last year’s squad, poured in 18 points as Malvern rang up its 62nd consecutive victory in the IVC North.

Tucci, who nailed two treys, was joined by Grady Barkley, who connected on three from beyond the arc, as Malvern held an 8-2 edge in three-pointers. This sharp shooting enabled the Hornets to open up a comfortable 34-24 lead over the Rockets at the break. True, Conotton Valley managed to stay even in the third period, but Malvern finished with a 14-5 flourish in the closing quarter to put this one out of reach.

In addition to Tucci’s 18 points, Barkley added 16, and Jaxon Jones contributed 10. Malvern (7-1, 5-0) held a 30-20 edge in rebounding as Jones and Luke Thomas nabbed seven apiece. Gavin Haney scored 13 points for the Rockets (4-4, 2-4).

Wrestling

The Hornets took part in the Waterloo D3 Classic, hosted by Waterloo High School Dec. 19-20 and left with several grapplers earning hardware.

Overall, Malvern placed 13th with 212.5 points. Tuslaw was crowned team champion with 459 points while Southeast earned runner-up honors with 385.

Placing for the Hornets in the 113 lb. gold bracket were Parker Babiczuk and Autumn Perry, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Wrestling at 120, Bowen Irwin finished fifth in the gold bracket after defeating Southeast’s Vincer Kelly by pin, while Dalton Pennington (126) also earned a fifth-place finish after a 16-1 technical fall of Sandy Valley’s Crowe Jace in the gold bracket.

In the silver brackets, Landyn Heropulos (157) tasted victory after pinning Southeast’s Shaimon Mishra in 1:46. Jacob Rubin also grabbed gold with a 10-7 sudden victory over Waterloo’s Zac Mignano.

Wrestling at 150, Darin Wade placed fourth following a narrow 7-5 loss to Canton South’s Avery Robinson, while Elijah Heropulos’ 5-3 decision over Canton South’s Ahmad Robinson was good for fifth place at 190. Reese Cole (126) placed sixth after dropping the fifth-place match to Crestview’s Lucas Persing.