Area teams advance, see seasons end in district tournament action

New Philadelphia advanced to the Division III East Southeast District 1 championship game March 4 with a 42-28 win over Zanesville Feb. 28. The third-seeded Quakers were set to face No. 4 seed Marietta at Ohio University’s Convocation Center. Jackson Martini led New Philadelphia with 16 points and seven rebounds against Zanesville.

Dover fell in its East/Southeast District 2 opener, 63-59, to top-seeded Steubenville. The No. 3 Tornadoes got 16 points and 11 rebounds from their leading scorer. Dover led at halftime but could not hold on over the final two quarters as Steubenville extended its winning streak to 17 games.

Division IV

Sixth-seeded Indian Valley was awaiting its first postseason game and learned it would face No. 2 seed Cambridge in a March 3 district semifinal at Tri-Valley. The winner advances to the 7 p.m. March 6 district final against either No. 3 John Glenn or No. 7 Claymont at a site to be determined.

Claymont defeated No. 10 Philo 44-37 on Feb. 27. Domanick Jolliff led the Mustangs with eight points and seven rebounds.

Division V

No. 16 seed Sandy Valley fell 70-57 to No. 2 West Muskingum on Feb. 28 in Zanesville in East 1 District play.

In the Division V East 2 bracket, No. 7 Tusky Valley defeated No. 13 Buckeye Local 63-41 on Feb. 28 to advance to a March 5 district semifinal at Cambridge against No. 1 St. Clairsville. The winner would earn a berth in the 7 p.m. March 7 district final at a site to be determined. Cole Kuykendall scored 21 points to lead Tusky Valley, and Brody May added 17.

Division VI

Seventh-seeded Newcomerstown’s season ended Feb. 27 with a 67-43 loss at No. 4 Caldwell. The Trojans could not overcome a 28-point performance from Caldwell’s Dylan Schott. Newcomerstown finished 11-12.

Division VII

Strasburg-Franklin, the No. 5 seed in the East 1 District, opened tournament play with a 43-39 win over Bishop Rosecrans on Feb. 27, snapping the Bishops’ nine-game winning streak. The Tigers were set to face No. 4 Malvern on March 3 for a spot in the 7 p.m. March 6 district championship game against either No. 1 Frontier or No. 3 Hannibal River at a site to be determined.

No. 9 Tusky Central Catholic’s season ended Feb. 24 with a 67-40 loss to Malvern. The Saints, who finished 4-19, were led by Dylan Dumermuth with 11 points and Ellis Jackson with eight.

Girls basketball

Division IV

Indian Valley advanced to the East 1 District championship game but fell 48-19 to No. 2 Indian Creek at Harrison Central on Feb. 28. The Braves were outscored 33-5 in the middle two quarters. Cassie Miceli led Indian Valley with 11 points.

Indian Valley reached the district final with a 33-31 upset of No. 3 Philo on Feb. 25. Halley Klasnerer scored 14 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Bayli McConnell added 10 points, all but two coming in the second half. A potential game-winning 3-point attempt by Philo fell short. The Braves finished 8-17.

Division V

Tusky Valley advanced to the Division V Sweet 16 by winning the East 1 District championship Feb. 28 with a 59-22 victory over No. 2 seed Edison at Minerva. Elli Wallick scored 20 points and had eight assists to lead the Trojans. Aleah Wozniak scored 15 points, all on 3-pointers, going 5-for-9 from long range. Brennen Reichman added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Three days earlier, Tusky Valley defeated No. 11 Buckeye Local 68-14. Reichman recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds. Wallick scored 17 points and added six assists, and Sydney Miler had nine points and five rebounds.

Division VII

Strasburg-Franklin advanced to the Division VII Sweet 16 after winning the East 1 District title with a 51-31 victory over No. 2 seed Caldwell on Feb. 28. The Tigers defeated No. 5 Steubenville Central Catholic 58-21 three days earlier and won their four sectional and district games by an average margin of 64-18.

Strasburg-Franklin’s previous district championship came in 1978, ending a 47-year drought. The Tigers were set to face Fisher Catholic at Logan High School in a regional semifinal. Sofia Secrest led the Tigers with 18 points in the district final.