The Stow Bulldogs lost to Barberton on Saturday, despite gutsy play under the basket by Mike Levandowski, Jake Nassau, and Ryan Yurkschatt. Jacob North led all scorers for Barberton with 19 points, as the Magics were balanced in that department, with Darryl Duncan scoring 12, Garrick Sims canning 11 and Jason Giovanini hitting for 9. The first three shots of the game went in, and all were 3-pointers as Barberton went ahead 6-3, but the Magics surged to a 24-11 lead, before Aaron Stefanov could hit for a 3. Nassau was keeping the Bulldogs in the game with hard work on the boards and good defense. The period ended with Barberton up 24-14. Stow's outside shooting got cold at the end of the period, and the chill continued into the second. After falling behind 31-19, Levandowski got physical and began to score underneath. Levandowski cut the lead to 31-23, then Nick Vitt got a big steal and fed Kyle Myatt for a lay-up and the lead was down to 4 points. Vitt kept looking for Levandowski, and the big guy delivered with a reverse lay-up and a conventional one to cut the lead to 34-31 at half.
Levo kept his hot hand to start the third, taking a Nassau pass to the bucket, followed by a nice banker for 2. Stefanov followed with a 3, and the game was tied at 38. Gritty defense by the Magics led to a pair of steals, and another turnover gave Sims a slam dunk for a 46-38 lead. The Dawgs got sloppy and coupled with the cold shooting, things got tough. Meanwhile, Nassau and Yurkschatt kept sweeping the boards. Yurkschatt got a nice rebound and found Kevin Podnar for the end-to-end and the Barberton lead was 46-42 after three periods. Giovanini hit two 3s to start the fourth and Stow kept firing and missing, leading to a 56-44 Magic lead. Levandowski tried to spark the Dawgs one final time with a steal and a pass to Williams for a lay-in, but Stow couldn't get closer. 62-52 Barberton.
Levandowski was on top of his game, finishing the night with 17 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Nassau owned the boards, hauling down 10 rebounds, while Yurkschatt added 6 and 4 points. Williams had 11 and also contributed on the boards with 4 RBs. Stefanov added 10 points and a pair of thefts. Myatt finished with 6 points. Vitt had 11 assists on the night and three steals. Stow falls to 3-4, while Barberton improves to 6-0.
The Bulldog junior varsity team took an impressive victory from the Magics, 46-34. Stow ran off to a 13-0 lead and held Barberton to a 3-pointer by Todd Sabol at the 2 minute mark of the first quarter. Stow led 17-3 at the end of the period. The JayVees took care of the ball, despite the Magics pressure and hand-slapping defense. They also broke the press consistently. But the Magics clawed their way back to 22-15 at the half. Stow ran out to a 30-19 lead, then Anthony Brassel scored 10 straight Magic points to start the third period. Stow led 37-28 after three periods. Kyle Scelza hit a pair of 3s in the fourth to pull Stow away, and David O'Neal worked the boards hard, as the Pups pulled away at 46-34. Mike Garrison put an exclamation mark on the game with a big shot block with 1:10 remaining, literally snatching the ball out of mid-air, to finish off the win. It was his fourth blocked shot of the game, and he also had a steal. Scelza had 19 points to lead all scorers, with Garrison pitching in 10, O'Neal adding 7, and Mike Greenwell pitching in 6. Garrison had 8 rebounds, with Greenwell and O'Neal adding 7 each. David Walker had 4 assists, and a steal. Tyler Racheter had 3 rebounds and an assist.
Stow now turns back to NOC River Division play, as they travel to Hudson on February 6th. Jayvees and Freshmen play at 6:00 pm, with varsity action beginning at 7:30 pm.
12/29/08 Stow vs Davis Eye Holiday Classic - Championship (W, 86-73)
Bulldogs Overwhelm Rough Riders To Win Davis Eye Center Championship
The Stow Bulldogs won their own Holiday tournament for the first time in its 5-year history by beating Kent Roosevelt 86-73 Monday night. If you haven't noticed yet, this isn't the Bulldogs you've seen the last few years. Those teams played a more patient, low scoring offense. This team scored 76 and 86 in their 2 tournament games, hitting 14 3-pointers Saturday and the same on Monday. Roosevelt entered the contest as the Defending Champions, and had back their two studs Denerio Bryant and Andre Paulk. But Stow countered with their own 1-2 punch of Aaron Stefanov and Blake Williams, as the two juniors combined for 62 points Monday to lead the Dawgs to victory.
Stow got off to a fast 5-0 start, and Stefanov hit his first 3 for an 8-4 lead. Floor General Nick Vitt hit a pair of buckets and a free throw for a 13-4 lead. Stefanov hit three straight 3s to surge his team to a 22-11 lead, but Roosevelt kept in the contest with free throw shooting. Stow ended up 22-16 after the first period. Early second period turnovers started to haunt Stow, but Vitt found Williams running for a lay-up for a 26-18 lead. Bryant got a hot hand for the Rough Riders, pulling his team back to within 4, but Mike Levandowski made a quick lay-up and added a free throw, then Vitt went end-to-end for a 33-24 lead. Marcus Wright became Kent's go-to guy down low, and Wright responded, keeping the Riders within reach. Stefanov hit Williams with a pass that led to a 3, and then Stefanov hit his fifth 3 for a 40-32 Stow halftime lead. Stefanov had 15, Williams 9, while Wright led Kent with 13, and Paulk was held to just 6. The defensive effort of the Dawgs on Paulk was outstanding, and was a team effort, as Coach Dave Close sent numerous fresh bodies to face the Roosevelt star.
Stow started fast again in the second half, with Vitt hitting Levandowski again for a lay-up and Stefanov hitting 3-pointers #6 and #7 for a 52-40 lead. Stow capped off a 10-point run and led 58-40. Williams answered Bryant's 3 with his own, then Stefanov nailed #8 for a 64-45 Stow lead. Stow completely shut down Paulk in the third period, one in which they would score 28 points for a 68-49 lead. The Kent defense turned it up a notch in the final stanza and Stow had a few careless turnovers as the Riders crept back to within 10 points at 74-64, but Stefanov capped off his 3-point night with his ninth, tying a school record, as he put Stow back out front 77-64. That was about all that was left of Roosevelt's rally.
Stefanov finished with 33 points to lead all scorers, while Williams added 29 points. This one wasn't all about shooting. The Bulldogs did a nice job rebounding against the big and beefy Riders. Ryan Yurkschatt had 9 rebounds for Stow, and played tremendous defense on Kent's Wright after his fast start. Jake Nassau was constantly draped over Paulk, limiting his offensive output and adding 6 rebounds of his own. Stefanov and Williams each grabbed 5 rebounds. Kevin Podnar was also part of the defensive group guarding Paulk, and ended with 4 rebounds himself. Vitt had perhaps his best game as a Dawg, scoring 11 points, driving the lane for most of them, grabbing 5 rebounds himself, pilfering 3 steals and adding 18 - yes 18 - assists. Vitt's passing prowess led to many open shots and fast breaks for the Bulldogs. Paulk did score 24 points, but most came in the waning moments of the game. Wright added 19 for Roosevelt, while Bryant had 20.
The unofficial stowhighathletics.com All Tournament team included Sam McCrimon of Shaw and Nick Gardner of Kenston. The remaining All-tourney players are Roosevelt's Andre Paulk, and Stow's Nick Vitt. Aaron Stefanov and Blake Williams were named co-Most Valuable Players for the tournament.
In junior varsity action, Roosevelt won a 49-45 thriller from Stow. Kent went ahead 14-11 after the first period, but Stow got back in the game in the second period. Stow took a 15-14 lead, and Cody Nickson hit a 3-pointer that tied the game at 18, but Zachary Brett got a hot hand for Roosevelt, while Stow committed a ton of turnovers, and the half ended 24-20 Kent. Kyle Scelza tied the game with a 3-pointer in the third, but then turnovers and poor decisions led to Stow's demise. A fourth quarter technical on Stow sealed the deal, as well as the lack of rebounds for the Pups. Brett led all scorers with 20 points for Kent, while Scelza led Stow with 14. Ryan Anderson played big underneath for the Riders, scoring 11, while Nickson pitched in 10 himself for Stow. Brett was named to the stowhighathletics.com All JV Tounrament team. Joining him on the All Tourney squad were Shakeel Howard of Roosevelt and Stow's Scelza. Joe Sirna from Kenston was the MVP, while Shaw's Gerald Fletcher rounded out the All-Tourney squad.
The Bulldogs begin 2009 with an old rivalry game, as the Barberton Magics come to town this Saturday, January 3rd, for a 7:30 pm contest. Junior Varsity action begins at 6:00.
12/29/08 Stow vs Davis Eye Holiday Classic - Consolation (NA)
Shaw Takes Consolation Game In Davis Eye Center Holiday Classic
The Shaw Cardinals bounced back from losing their semi-final game in the Davis Eye Center Holiday Classic by taking home the Consolation prize Monday, defeating Kenston 54-48. The win evens Shaw's record at 4-4, while Kenston falls to 3-4 on the season. Shaw's outstanding shooter Sam McCrimon got in early foul trouble, picking up his second 4 minutes into the game and his third with almost 6 minutes to play in the first half. But David Goodwater took over the lead role and did quite nicely. Goodwater ended the night as the leading scorer with 23 points. Shaw led 17-8 after the first period and ended the half up 29-19, as both teams got cold from the floor late in the half. Jack Rolf kept Kenston close with a steal and a lay-up, but Goodwater answered for the half-time lead. The Bombers' Cal Cumpstone got things started with 2 3s at the start of the second half to pull his team within 6 points, and Kenston would inch within 2 points at 33-31, but Goodwater hit a 3-pointer to answer, and then Shaw held on for the win. McCrimon ended the day with 14 points. Nich Gardner led Kenston with 12 points, while Scott Cardwell tossed in 10. Kenston's Gardner and Shaw's McCrimon were named to the Unoffical stowhighathletics.com All-Tournament team.
In junior varsity action, Kenston made it 21 in a row with their win over Shaw. Both teams came out cold, but Shaw's Darius Scott hit two quick shots for a Cardinal lead. Kenston's Andrew Goldsword hit a pair of 3s for a Bomber surge that ended with a 12-4 first quarter lead. Shaw continued to be frigid from the floor, as Pat Cozzens hit a 3 for a 17-7 lead for Kenston. The half ended 20-12 Kenston. Shaw got it back to 20-18 early in the third period, but couldn't get closer. Joe Sirna led Kenston with 13 points, with Frank Simcic scoring 8. Gerald Fletcher led all scorers with 14 for Shaw, while Scott added 10. Sirna was selected as the Most Valuable junior varsity player by the unofficial stowhighathletics.com panel. Fletcher was named to the squad for Shaw.
