Minerva Lions run into buzz saw in week of tough tests

This was not a particularly good week to be a Lion.

First, the Minerva boys basketball team faced a meat-grinder schedule, taking on the top three teams in the Eastern Buckeye Conference in three straight games. To add insult to injury, Minerva then drew a tough Smithville team with little rest for a Saturday matchup.

The result: The Lions are in the midst of their first sustained losing streak, now at four games.

Minerva ended the previous week with a loss to Alliance, a co-defending EBC champion and the current second-place team. The Lions then hosted the other co-defending champion, Carrollton, on Jan. 13 to open the week. Despite storming back from a nearly 20-point halftime deficit to cut the Warriors’ lead to seven, Minerva fell 60-51 to its rival.

With the losing streak at two, the Lions then traveled to West Branch to face the current EBC leaders on Jan. 16. Minerva again played valiantly, forcing overtime, but ultimately fell 55-51 to the Warriors.

West Branch raced to a 7-0 lead, but the Lions fought back and, in a low-scoring affair, trailed 19-18 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Warriors went on another run, eventually stretching the lead to double digits at 31-21.

Minerva battled back to tie the game in the fourth quarter. With 17 seconds left in regulation, West Branch committed a turnover, giving the Lions a chance at a game-winning shot. Minerva, however, never got a shot off, sending the contest to overtime.

In overtime, the score stayed tight. West Branch repeatedly pushed the lead to four, only for Minerva to cut it to two at the free-throw line. Ultimately, West Branch’s free-throw shooting made the difference, as the Warriors were perfect in the closing moments to seal the win.

Rowen Hoffee led Minerva (2-4) with 16 points, while Braydon Wood added 10. West Branch (7-5, 6-0) was paced by Jeremiah Thomas, who went 10-for-10 from the line and scored 28 points.

After those grueling games, one might have expected a respite, but the Lions were back in action the next day in a nonconference home game against Smithville. The Smithies, ranked 13th in Ohio in Division VI, entered atop the Wayne County Athletic League at 8-0.

Minerva hung tough and trailed by three at the break, 39-36, but slowed down in the second half and fell behind, eventually losing 71-56.

Owen Shick scored 17 points to lead Minerva (6-8). Skylar Lab added nine, and Hoffee contributed eight. Brennan Piatt scored 22 points and Jax Riggenbach added 20 for Smithville (12-2).

Girls basketball

Like their male counterparts, the Lady Lions entered the past week in a losing skid. On Jan. 12, however, Minerva did not play that way — at least for three quarters.

Facing favored East Canton in a nonconference matchup, the host Lions put together a strong first half to build a 29-18 lead. East Canton clawed back to a single-digit deficit but still trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter.

That’s when the Wizards pulled off their magic trick, outscoring Minerva 21-8 over the final eight minutes to come away with a 50-46 win. Peyton Beaumariage led Minerva with 11 points, and Ivey Rettig added 10. Kynsie Pero scored 22 points and Chelsea Barnett finished with 18 to lead East Canton (10-5).

Two days later, Minerva stayed home to host Salem in an EBC matchup. The setting was the only similarity, as the Quakers took an 18-10 halftime lead and extended it each quarter in a 41-22 win.

Rachel Benedict scored eight points and Ireland Kirkpatrick added seven to lead Minerva (2-13, 1-6). Shae Burkhart finished with 15 points for Salem (10-5, 4-3).

Wrestling

Minerva’s wrestlers attended the 2026 Top Gun Wrestling Tournament, hosted by Alliance High School on Jan. 16-17, and performed admirably, placing 17th with 79.5 points. On the girls side, the Lady Lions did even better, placing 10th with 59 points.

At 110 pounds, Bailey Hilliard placed third after pinning Riverside’s Lizette Rodriguez. Ellie Kuttie finished fourth at 115.

For the boys, Jason Sivy (150) placed fifth after earning a 4-0 decision over Tuslaw’s Nate Eberhardt. Also at 150, Cameron Rogowski placed eighth, as did Lincoln Wallace (157) and Timothy Kirkpatrick (190).