Minerva boys take down Carrollton with big third quarter

The Lions may have only played one game last week, but it was a doozy – the grudge match against Eastern Buckeye Conference rival Carrollton. At stake was a chance to split the season series against the defending co-champions and avenge a 60-51 home loss earlier in the season.

Mission accomplished as Minerva defeated the Warriors 61-48, thanks to a big third quarter that witnessed the Lions stretch a six-point halftime lead to double digits, which proved too much for shorthanded Carrollton to overcome.

Minerva came out firing in the first quarter and as the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the period, led the Warriors 15-9. Carrollton picked up the pace, however, despite the loss of leading rebounder and top scoring option Jayven Johnson to injury. This allowed the Warriors to stay with the Lions as the teams battled to a draw in the second period.

Minerva was just too much in the pivotal third quarter as Rowen Hoffee led the Lions on a 19-12 run for a 13-point lead. Carrollton attempted to answer in the closing period and managed to slash the deficit to six early in the fourth quarter. Minerva again pulled away to close out the game.

Hoffee led the Lions (9-9, 4-5) with 20 points, while Owen Shick added 16, including four three-pointers, and Braydon Wood finished with 11. For Carrollton, Marcus Brook came up big with a double-double, scoring 21 points and hauling in 11 boards. Tayvian Johnson added eight points, and Hunter Allison chipped in with seven.

Girls Basketball

Talk about a busy week. While the boys’ team only had one game to play, the Lions had three, including a back-to-back affair. At least the week ended well for Minerva, which, following losses to Carrollton and Canton South, righted the ship with a convincing victory over Beaver Local.

First up was a Feb. 3 contest at home versus main EBC foe Carrollton in which the Warriors claimed a 37-27 win. The two teams are in different orbits right now, as the Warriors are in the upper echelon of the conference, but you can throw records out when these squads tangle.

The Lions hung with Carrollton for the most part; the score was even tied 17-17 at the half. Entering the final quarter, the Lions trailed by just two points, but they would be held scoreless for the entire eight-minute period, dashing any hopes of an upset.

Ireland Kirkpatrick led Minerva (2-8) with eight points, while Ivey Rettig scored seven. Kamryn Shaw did most of the damage for the Warriors (13-7, 8-2), scoring 14 points, and Ivy Bishop added 11.

The Lions didn’t have much time to lick their wounds as they hit the road the next day for a non-conference game against Canton South. Minerva started strong but faded quickly, falling 43-25 to the Wildcats.

The Lions actually held a 10-8 lead following the first period, but Canton South soon erased that, outscoring Minerva 35-15 over the final three quarters to take firm command of the game and cruise to victory.

Kirkpatrick and Willa Shick each scored six points for the Lions. Ava Nolen scored 11 points to lead the Wildcats (7-12).

Last on the docket for Minerva was a nonconference home game against Beaver Local Feb. 7, and the Lions ended their two-game slump with a 52-31 victory. Minerva held a narrow 13-10 lead after the first quarter before blowing the game open, outscoring the Beavers 29-9 in the second and third quarters.

Rachel Benedict led the scoring with 15 points, while Rettig scored 13 and Peyton Beaumariage added 10 for the Lions (4-16). Ally Wright led Beaver Local (8-13) with 15 points.