By Rob Malsom
Herald Sports Writer
IN A RECENT column I discussed Lakeview High senior basketball standout Sheena Aden signing last week with Division II University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Aden made visits to St. Bonaventure and Bucknell but decided to take the full scholarship to UPJ.
Lakeview coach Steve Aden, his daughter and her teammates open the season Dec. 1 at the Grove City Kiser Classic.
Aden has 1,886 points and is set to become the 7th female in District 10 history to reach 2,000 career points. Conneaut Lake High’s Becky McMaster (2,170) is Crawford County’s career cage scoring leader.
ä Former New Castle assistant coach Ralph Blundo is an assistant under Larry Ondako with the Westminster College men’s basketball team this season.
Blundo was the top assistant under NeCaHi coach John Sarandrea for the past seven seasons. Prior to that he was the head coach at George Junior Republic.
Blundo played for Westminster in 1994 and ’95 after transferring from Monmouth. In 1993-94, Blundo and the Titans went 25-3 and advanced to the NAIA Division I tournament, losing to Drury (Mo.) 74-66 in the second round.
Current Titans David Richards and Dom Joseph played for New Castle, and Craig Hannon, whose father Bob is a sportscaster for WYTV in Youngstown, played high school hoops at Union.
ä Matt Jones, who was a standout basketball player at East High in Erie, has been named the team’s head coach. Jones, who graduated from East in 2000 and went on to play for Jerry Slocum at Gannon University, replaces Mike Pisano, who resigned.
ä Switching to high school football. It’s hard to imagine a more exciting game than Sharpsville’s 20-17 double-overtime win against Mercyhurst Prep last Friday.
Over in District 9, Bradford defeated Clearfield 37-30 in 2OT to win the D-9 Class AAA championship game on Friday at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium. It was the first D-9 title game to go to OT in 16 years.
The Owls took the lead on a 23-yard TD pass from Ben Walter to E.J. Moore, then the Bradford defense stopped Clearfield on four plays for the victory. Clearfield had a shot at winning the game in regulation, but a 37-yard field goal by Kyle Kline was blocked.
Bradford played Clearfield in Week 1 and mercy-ruled them, 56-35.
Clearfield has won the D-9 Class AAA crown the past two seasons. Bradford has won four since 2000.
That other D-9 title game to go to OT was in 1990 when Clarion-Limestone beat Clarion Area 21-14 in Class A.
ä Also in D-9, Curwensville (10-2) will face Coudersport (12-0) 5 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University for the Class A championship.
It is the first time in 93 seasons in District 9 that two teams have played each other three times in one season. Coudy, the defending Class A champs, beat Curwensville 20-12 in week one and 14-6 three weeks ago in the Allegheny Mountain League title tilt.
Coudy has won D-9 Class A titles in 1994, 2001 and last season.
ä Chuck Tanner’s son, Bruce, has been named major league advance scout for the Detroit Tigers. Bruce, 45, is a Neshannock Township resident.
Detroit is a haven for former Pittsburgh Pirates. Current Detroit manager Jim Leyland succeeded Bruce’s father as the Bucs’ skipper in 1986; former Buccos’ manager Lloyd McClendon is the hitting coach; former Pirates center fielder Andy Van Slyke is first base coach and his former teammate, shortstop Rafael Belliard, is the bench coach, and Gene Lamont, who also managed the Pirates, is third base coach.
Tanner was the Pirates’ bullpen coach for five seasons before McClendon and some of his staff got axed in 2005. Last season, he was the Bucs’ pitching coach for their Advanced Rookie League team in Williamsport.
Chuck Tanner is a scout for the Cleveland Indians.
