Two wins in less than 24 hours sure makes the smiles come out, and the mood for the Winter Formal a lot brighter. Stow completed their weekend sweep by knocking off the Copley Indians at Coply gym 59-48 Saturday afternoon. Both teams played on Friday night, so it was interesting to watch the fatigue level of both clubs. The game got a slow start, but Ryan Yurkschatt grabbed a rebound and made a nice assist to Aaron Stefanov for a basket and Stow's first lead at 6-4. Stefanov was as hot as he was Friday night, getting a put-back for a pair and then hitting a big trey for an 11-5 lead. Stow led 14-10 after one quarter. Blake Williams found his shooting touch again as the second period began, hitting a big 3-pointer, followed by a Stefanov trey, and then Williams connected again from well outside the arc for a 25-12 lead. Stow turnovers allowed Copley to cut the lead to 30-22 at the half. Stefanov had 15 points at the break, while Jordan Burke led Copley with 9 points. Mike Garrison policed the boards with 7 first-half rebounds.
Burke hit two quick baskets for the Indians to start the third period, but Yurkschatt made a nice move under the basket for a pair, and made the old fashioned 3-point play with a free-throw, followed by another Williams' 3-pointer and Stow added a cushion once again. Schatt made another nice spin move in the paint, switching hands midway through for a nifty bucket as Stow ran out to a 43-29 lead, and they never looked back. Stefanov had 26 points on Friday, and added 19 more on Saturday at Copley. Williams had 15 points, while Yurkschatt capped off a nice night with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Garrison finished the afternoon with 9 points and posted 10 rebounds to add to his 18 from Friday night. Kevin Podnar pulled down 6 boards, had 2 steals, a blocked shot and a pair of assists. David Walker ran the floor and had 5 assists and a blocked shot. Stow is now 8-5 on the season.
FINALLY! The Junior Varsity team finished one off, winning in overtime 38-36. It was their second OT game in 24 hours. The Pups looked good early on, running off to a 9-4 lead, and Kevin Sokira capped it off with a 3-pointer and Stow led 14-6. Sokira made a nice lay-up off a Lucas Hunt pass for a 20-10 lead, then fatugue seemed to set in, as Copley clawed their way back to tie the game at 23 at the half. Copley took the lead early in the third period, but Kyle Brown tied it at 27, then Blake Podnar made a nice inside move for a basket and a 29-28 lead. Hunt hit the first bucket of the final stanza for a 3 and Stow led 32-28, and Mike Waggoner hit a pair of free throws for a 36-34 lead, but Copley would tie it and send the game to overtime. The overtime period saw both teams play controlled offense, but Nick Levitski came up with a huge steal with less than a minute remaining, and Blake Podnar was fouled late in the game. Podnar hit both free throws and the Pups had the win. Hunt finished with 10 points, Waggoner added 9 and Sokira and Podnar had 5 a piece. Tyler Jones pulled down 5 rebounds for Stow, while Levitski had 5 asssits and a pair of steals.
Stow comes home this Friday for another NOC cross-divisional game with North Royalton. Junior Varsity begins play at 6:00 pm, followed by the varsity contest at approximately 7:30 pm.
