Dover boys extend win streak as tournaments near

With just a handful of games left before teams find out their tournament routes, Dover’s boys basketball team is putting a little streak together.

The Tornadoes improved their overall record to 11-6 Jan. 30 with a 46-34 non-league win over Marion. Dieter Weber led all scores in the game with 14 points. Robbie Copple added 11.

The win was the third in a row for Dover, which was still sitting third in the Division III East District standings. That ranking and the Tornadoes’ win streak were going to be put to the test Feb. 3, with a trip to 14-1 Steubenville, which sits atop the Division II East District standings.

Dover headed into the week with a half-game lead over Ashland in the Ohio Cardinal Conference standings. The Tornadoes were sitting at 9-2.

Dover’s JV team also topped Madison, 33-20, while the freshman squad lost a heartbreaker 30-29.

In other boys action, New Philadelphia won for the fourth time in five games to improve to 12-5 overall. The Quakers are actually ahead of Dover in the East District standings, while trailing the Tornadoes by two spots in the OCC standings.

In the Inter-Valley Conference South Division, Claymont posted back-to-back wins over Ridgewood and Sandy Valley Jan. 30 and 31 to win for the sixth and seventh time in its last eight games. That kept the Mustangs in second place in the South, two games in the loss column behind first place Hiland, with the teams scheduled to meet Feb. 6.

In the north, Buckeye Trail improved to 9-1 in the league, a game in the loss column ahead of Malvern. Newcomerstown, which fell 65-59 to Buckeye Trail on Jan. 30, was all but eliminated with that defeat.

In other area action:

Girls basketball: Claymont’s girls kept their solid season going with a 58-32 non-league win over Cambridge on Jan. 28. Abby Johnson scored a career-high 23 points to lead the win, matching the school record for 3-pointers made in a game with six. Ava Edwards added 17 points. The Mustangs led 22-7 after one quarter and breezed through the rest of the evening. Claymont improved to 12-8 overall.

Tusky Valley and Hiland remained in a dead heat atop the IVC Southern Division, both with 10-1 records in the conference. The teams split their regular-season game and will look to win out and hope for a slip by the other one to gain an outright championship.

In the North, Strasburg-Franklin moved to 11-0 in the league to clinch at least a share of the championship. Newcomerstown is second at 8-3 and would need a lot of help to get a share of the title.

Dover’s girls basketball squad fell 41-27 to Louisville on Jan. 31. On Jan. 28 the Tornadoes lost a tough one at West Holmes, 43-38. The JV and freshman squads both won, though. The JV cruised to an easy 46-29 victory with the freshmen prevailing 17-12.

In Ohio Cardinal Conference middle school tournament play, Dover’s eighth-grade girls team defeated Lexington 57-10, while Dover’s seventh-grade squad fell to Wooster 31-17.

Ashland has wrapped up the OCC girls championship. At 12-0 in the league, the Arrows have a three-game lead over Madison with two to play.

Tournament draws for Divisions III-VII will be held on Feb. 8, with Divisions I-II to be determined Feb. 15.