---- — The Bible tells us that we are measured by how we measure others. Which is why West Middlesex High boys basketball team is measuring itself against its caliber of competition.

Beaver was the barometer Friday night, and the Big Reds raced to their most impressive win thus far this season, 97-74, over the WPIAL Class AAA visitors.

Jeremy Jancso jump-started West Middlesex in the 1st frame with 10 of his game- and career-high 31 points. Sinking 6 straight freebies at the outset, Jansco shot a sizzling 17 for 20 from the free-throw line, while West Middlesex went 32 for 38 collectively (84.2 percent).

The Runnin’ Reds have raced to an average of 92.2 points per game during their last 7 outings, including 107 in a rout of Rocky Grove.

“It’s, for sure, a commitment. We play hard, and it comes out in defense and hustling and rebounding, and that’s what we need to do to take care of good teams,” related state-caliber high-jumper Jancso.

Joining Jansco in leading West Middlesex’s win were Jerrod Palmer, who pumped in 25 points on 9-for-12 marksmanship that included a handful of treys; Matt Dogan, who donated a 23-point, 9-rebound, 6-assist line, and Trey Staunch, who scored a dozen without missing a shot and snared 7 caroms.

Dogan has deposited 1,964 career points, according to Herald archives, as he pursues Kyle Randalll’s Mercer County mark (2,022).

State-ranked Class AA West Middlesex (15-3) went 30 for 47 from the field (63.8 percent), led by Palmer, Jancso (7 for 11) and Staunch (6 for 6).

“We talked about coming out and jumping on them early, and Jerrod Palmer and Jeremy Jansco got us going. I thought it was a great team effort (Friday) night, and we’re heading in the right direction at the right time,” summarized Middlesex mentor Chad Mild.

“This is a good test and we wanted to see where we’re at right now,” Mild continued, “We played well (Friday) night, but we have to continue to play well because the big game is Tuesday against Lakeview (District 10 Region 2-AA).”

West Middlesex’s wire-to-wire win (27-15, 50-36, 70-57 at the conclusion of each quarter) baffled 3rd-year Beaver bench boss Andrew Podbielski. Though Middlesex made 22 miscues, the Big Reds responded every time the Bobcats brokered a bounce-back.

“Defensively this wasn’t a real pretty game ... we didn’t have a good night defensively. We couldn’t stop Dogan and number five (Palmer) shot the lights out, he killed us. It’s a credit to them, they made the shots.

“Last year we were in the WPIAL Final Four in triple-A and Sweet Sixteen in the state tournament, so we’ve had success, and this team could be as good as that one, if not better. We’ve got a lot of potential,” Podbielski added.

Bolstering Beaver (15-3) were 6-foot-5 post Aaron Barlow, who bucketed a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double, 6-2 swingman Corey Nesmith, who notched 15 points and a half-dozen caroms, and guards Austin Logan and Anthony DiNuzzo, who evenly divided 2 dozen points. DiNuzzo dished out 3 assists and Logan lent 5. But Beaver shot only 24 for 59 (40.6) and turned over the ball 20 times.

“I’m proud of our guys offensively. We battled, but some things just didn’t go our way,” Podbielski said. “I think our guys played well. We scored the ball well; just didn’t get enough stops.”

But it was all West Middlesex, which won its 11th consecutive contest.

“It was a good win for them, and they really came out ready to play,” Podbielski praised regarding the Reds. “They put on an offensive clinic for sure, and they made some tough shots — a lot were contested. They rebounded, they hustled and they made a lot of plays.

“ ... They’re certainly talented, they’re very big, they’re very strong and they’re very tough,” Podbielski praised. “We’re gonna keep moving forward. I knew coming in what we were gonna get up here (Friday) night ... I knew we were gonna get a tough game. I knew it was gonna be physical and a hostile environment.

“We definitely wanted to play a game like this, with that kind of intensity and atmosphere,” Podbielski added.

“I think we’re coming together as a group,” Mild mused. “We opened up with Beaver Falls, then we had a tough Perry (Traditional Academy) game, then we went to Poland. We had some tough games early and people were questioning us, ‘How well do they attack a zone? ‘Do we do this well, do we do that well?’

“Well, I think we’re starting to answer some questions, and I think we’re starting to believe in ourselves right now,” Mild added.

Note: Mild addressed the situation concerning his senior starting guard Roman Klaric, who recently was charged by Sharpsville police with disorderly conduct and underage drinking. Klaric sat out a game earlier this week at Mercer, but started against Beaver and dished out a team-high half-dozen assists: “We don’t have a position on it right now because there’s no (school district) policy in place,” Mild said. “It was addressed with us in private, and I think he knows he made a mistake. But there’s also a due-process to the issue; you’re innocent until you’re proven guilty. ... Our kids know what we’re about and our community knows what we’re about and our administrators know what we’re about. Sometimes kids get caught in situations that they shouldn’t, and everybody’s learned from the situation.” — By Ed Farrell, Herald assistant sports editor.

BOYS BASKETBALL

ä Hickory 71, Grove City 49 — At “The Eagles Nest” in Grove City, the Hornets (10-1, 14-3) maintained their lead in Region 5-AAA by outscoring GC 21-15 in the 3rd quarter and 20-5 in the 4th.

Vinnie Mastrian rifled in 21 points to lead Hickory while Anthony Cannone registered 17 points, 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Also, Donté Green had 12 points and Matt Votino added 11 markers.

Matt Thrasher led Grove City (2-10, 4-13) with 15 points and Danny Torok bucketed 14.

ä Farrell 57, Franklin 49 — At Franklin, the red-hot Steelers of coach Roland Shannonhouse notched their 4th straight Region 5-AAA victory to stay in the hunt for a playoff bid.

The Steelers (8-4, 11-7) held off a 4th-quarter rally by the Knights. Leading the way for Farrell were Tyrone Archie with 12 points, Jason Page and Ike Jones 11 apiece, and Jamel Brown 10.

For Franklin (9-3, 11-7) that played without 6-8 inside star Noah Jones (flu), Clayton Maxon had 14 points.

ä Sharon 73, Oil City 65 — At Oil City, the visiting Tigers of coach Jason Rankin notched the key Region 5-AAA victory to maintain pace in the playoff hunt.

Sharon moved to 7-4 in league play and 9-7 overall, breaking away in a close game in the 4th period. The Tigers got off to a slow start, falling behind 13-8 after one period. They also trailed in the 3rd period by as much as 6 points, before righting the ship.

Mark Henry pumped in 22 points and Khalil Hopson 17 to power the winners.

Oil City (4-7, 9-8) was led by Devon Geibe’s 24 points, while Logan Way added 15 and Andrew Williams and Evan Carll 12 each.

ä Meadville 66, George Junior Republic 49 — At “The House of Thrills” in Meadville, Donté Hollingsworth rifled in 25 points as the host Bulldogs (8-4, 12-5) beat the Tigers (3-9, 5-11) in a Region 5-AAA clash.

Also for Meadville, Zak Price buried 4 treys en route to 15 points while Jason Clune added 11 markers.

Quamere Boggs fired in 17 points to pace GJR, Ron Pearson tallied a dozen and Malik Gibson contributed 10 markers.

ä Lakeview 66, Wilmington 40 — At Stoneboro, the Sailors of coach Gary Burke continued their impressive march toward the playoffs with the Region 2-AA triumph.

Lakeview led 21-14 after one period and 36-24 at halftime. The Sailors extended the margin to  55-35 at the 4th quarter turn.

Casey Greggs pumped in 19 points and had 7 rebounds and 9 assists for Lakeview (8-1, 16-2). Dalton Boggs added 14 points, 8 assists and 4 steals, while Brandon Rice also tallied 14 points and Coty Gander 10.

For Wilmington (2-6, 5-12), Jordan Smith scored 14 points,while Nate Anthony added 12.

ä Reynolds 47, Greenville 36 — At Greenville, coach Dan Kilgore’s Raiders improved to 4-5 in Region 2-AA and 12-7 overall with the 11-point win over the Trojans (1-7, 4-13).

Garrett Frable scored a game-high 18 points to lead Reynolds, which is vying for 3rd place in the region — behind West Middlesex and Lakeview — in quest of the District 10 playoffs.

Luke Houpt scored 14 to pace Greenville while Tyler Fattman added 11 markers.

ä Kennedy Catholic 77, VisionQuest 40 — In Hermitage, the home-standing Golden Eagles notched the easy Region 1-A victory.

The Eagles of coach Rick Mancino moved to 6-0 in league action and 12-4 overall, while VQ fell to 3-2 in the region and 6-12.

Chris James and Arlen Brewer had big nights for the victors. James hammered in a career-high 25 markers, while Brewer was close behind with 22. Mac Hartman chipped in with 16 points.

ä Mercer 66, Sharpsville 60 — At Sharpsville, the Mustangs pulled off an upset in a Region 2-AA clash that hampers the Blue Devils’ playoff hopes. The Mustangs rallied from behind in the final frame, outscoring the home team 21-13 for the victory.

The Mustangs (3-6, 6-11) were powered by Logan Clarke with 28 points, while Vik Rymniak added 13. Both were clutch at the charity stripe, with Clarke nailing 10 of 11 and Rymniak 9 of 10. Mercer had a huge margin at the foul line, canning 23 of 31, while Sharpsville made 3 of 5 attempts.

For Sharpsville (4-5, 10-7), Tyler Luchey hit 15 points, Taylor Lenzi 12 and Kyle Kennedy 11. 

ä Rocky Grove 65, Jamestown 35 — At “The Fish Tank” in Jamestown, the Muskies (1-5, 1-15) were outscored 23-6 in the 3rd quarter and 20-12 in the 4th and dropped the Region 1-A contest to the Orioles (4-2, 6-12).

Casey Young fired in 23 points to lead Rocky Grove while Austin Morrison had 12 and Colton Schneider bucketed 10.

Alex Boylan was the leading point-getter for Jamestown with 13.

ä Commodore Perry 47, Calvary Baptist 43 — At Sheakleyville, the host Panthers broke away from a 24-24 deadlock at halftime for the non-region victory.

Commodore Perry (3-15) was led by Brandon Stringert with 16 points. Hoefler had 16 in the losing effort.

WRESTLING

ä Hickory 42, Sharon 28 — At Hermitage Wednesday, the Hornets took advantage of four forfeits en route to winning the backyard battle.

Shane Beatty (160) and Joey Hines (182) scored falls for the victors, while Jarray Norris (126), Jason Clark (132) and Mike Bonner (145) notched pins for the Tigers.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

Youngstown State Univ. Invitiational

For Hickory, shot-putter Luke Lewis finished 1st with a toss of 57-0 3/4. Also, Sophia Fustos stood 7th (35-5 1/4) and Austin Aikins annexed a 10th-place berth (44-11 1/4).

In the weight throw, Calen Blaire finished 4th (37-2) and Brinna Colbert copped 9th (27-8). Colbert put the shot 29-5è to end 11th, also.

BOYS BOWLING

ä McDonald 2332, Brookfield 1969 — At Bell-Wick Lanes in Hubbard, Joe Woodley (437), Richie Oblisky (388) and Dillian Simmins (385) led the way for McDonald.

Bradley Bridge (404), Adam Brooks (324) and Joey Grandon (293) were the top rollers for the Warriors.

GIRLS BOWLING

ä McDonald 1770, Brookfield 1635 — At Bell-Wick Lanes, Breanna Burk (335), Brooke Miller (308) and Courtney Colburn (283) fired the top scores for McDonald.

Kourtney Husnick (282), Heather Stanish (274) and Nicole Johnston (260) were the top rollers for Brookfield.



BOYS BASKETBALL

BEAVER AREA    15    21    21    17    74

W.MIDDLESEX    27    23    20    27    97

  BEAVER AREA — Rowse 2-0-0-5, Logan 4-2-2-12, Barlow 10-6-8-26, Nesmith 5-5-8-15, DiNuzzo 3-3-4-12, Hardin 0-4-4-4, Saal 0-0-2-0, Reese 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: DiNuzzo 3, Logan 2, Rowse 1. Totals: 24-20-28-74.

  WEST MIDDLESEX — M.Dogan 6-11-13-23, Palmer 9-2-2-25, Staunch 6-0-0-12, Jancso 7-17-20-31, Klaric 0-0-0-0, C.Porterfield 1-1-2-3, Ginther 1-1-1-3, J.Porterfield 0-0-0-0, Williams 0-0-0-0, R.Dogan 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Palmer 5. Totals: 30-32-38-97.

  JV — West Middlesex, 72-48. Isaac Williams 24 points, Josh Porterfield 16, Ryan Dogan 13 points for West Middlesex; Dylan Goff.

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ROCKY GROVE    14    8    23    20    65

JAMESTOWN    10    7    6    12    35

ROCKY GROVE — Young 7-2-4-23, C. Monaco 0-3-4-3, White 1-0-0-3, Streczywilk 1-1-2-3, Kirwin 0-0-2-0, Gannoe 0-2-2-2, Morrison 4-3-5-12, Schneider 5-0-1-10, Sharp 1-0-0-2, J. Monaco 1-0-0-3, Rembold 2-0-0-4. 3-pt. goals: Young 7, White 1, Morrison 1, J. Monaco 1. Totals: 22-11-20-65.

JAMESTOWN — Moss 1-0-0-2, Adams 3-0-1-6, Kilgore 1-0-0-3, Potter 0-1-2-1, Boylan 6-1-6-13, Livingston 1-4-4-7, Depree 1-0-0-3. 3-pt. goals: Kilgore 1, Livingston 1, Depree 1. Totals: 13-2-6-13-35.

JV — No game.

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HICKORY    17    13    21    20    71

GROVE CITY    14    15    15    5    49

HICKORY — Votino 2-5-6-11, N. Mastrian 1-0-0-3, V. Mastrian 9-0-0-21, Sonoga 1-2-4-5, Nardone 1-0-0-2, Cannone 6-2-3-17, Green 5-1-1-12. 3-pt. goals: Cannone 3, Votino 2, N. Mastrian 1, Sonoga 1, Green 1. Totals: 25-10-14-71.

GROVE CITY — Torok 5-2-3-14, Thrasher 7-0-0-15, Reznor 2-4-6-9, Graham 4-0-0-9, Polkabla 1-0-0-2. 3-pt. goals: Torok 2, Thrasher 1, Reznor 1, Graham 1. Totals: 19-6-9-49.

JV — Hickory, 48-38. Nick Tantuo 12 for Hickory.

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REYNOLDS    13    14    13    7    47

GREENVILLE    9    5    14    8    36

REYNOLDS — Woods 3-0-0-9, Torok 1-1-2-3, Frable 7-4-6-18, McConnell 2-3-7-7, Beck 1-0-0-2, Gursky 1-0-0-2, Reimold 2-0-0-6. 3-pt. goals: Woods 3, Reimold 2. Totals: 17-8-15-47.

GREENVILLE — Fattman 4-2-4-11, Houpt 4-3-4-14, M. Jones 1-2-4-4, Ferguson 1-1-1-3, Emmett 2-0-0-4. 3-pt. goals: Houpt 3, Fattman 1. Totals: 10-8-13-36.

JV — Greenville, 47-32. Ben Reiser 14 for Greenville.

———

WILMINGTON    14    10    11    5    40

LAKEVIEW    21    15    19    11    66

WILMINGTON — Hilliard 1-2-2-4, Fagan 1-0-0-3, Anthony 5-2-4-12, J. Smith 5-1-2-14, R. Brumbaugh 2-1-2-5, Taylor 0-0-0-0, T. Brumbaugh 0-0-0-0, D. Smith 0-0-0-0, Martini 0-0-1-0, Blose 1-0-0-2. Onestak 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Smith 3, Fagan 1. Totals: 15-6-11-40

LAKEVIEW — Partridge 0-0-0-0, VanDusen 3-0-2-8, Fowler 0-0-0-0, Greggs 8-0-0-19, Doddo 0-0-0-0, Moore 0-0-0-0, Drozynski 0-0-0-0, A. Rice 0-1-2-1, Boggs 6-2-4-14, B. Rice 6-2-4-14, Gander 5-0-0-10. Greggs 3, VanDusen 2. Totals: 28-5-12-66.

JV — Wilmington 46-44.

———

SHARON    8    27    20    18    73

OIL CITY    13    20    20    12    65

SHARON — Hawkins 2-3-5-7, Crawford 1-4-6-6, Henry 8-4-5-22, Hopson 5-5-6-17, Robinson 0-0-0-0, Jennings 2-0-0-5, Porterfield 1-0-0-3, Austin 2-0-1-6, Stovall 3-1-2-7, Lampkins 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Henry 2, Hopson 2, Porterfield 1, Jennings 1, Austin 2. Totals: 24-17-25-73

OIL CITY — Serbati 0-0-0-0, Way 6--3-4-15, French 1-0-0-2, Williams 5-0-0-12,   Carll 3-6-7-12, Devon Geib 6-2-6-6-24, Flaherty 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Williams 2, Geib 2. Totals: 19-4- 15- 17

JV — Sharon, 60-51. For Sharon, Aubrey Jennings 19, Jason Austin 14. 

———

VISIONQUEST    10    9    11    10    40

KENNEDY    18    27    23    9    77

VISIONQUEST — Boomer 1-0-0-2, Adams 1-1-2-3, Hunter 2-0-1-4, Robinson 0-0-0-0, Bigelow 0-1-6-1, Rigney 2-0-1-4, McClennan 10-2-3-22, Amin 2-0-0-4, Harris 0-0-0-0, Gonzalez 0-0-0-0. Totals: 18-4-13-40.

KENNEDY CATHOLIC — Brewer 8-2-3-22, Zachar 0-0-2-0, Donofrio 0-1-2-1, Feeney 0-0-0-0, Hurton 1-0-0-2, James 11-0-0-25, Weldon 0-0-2-0, Crow 1-0-0-2, Cianci 3-0-0-7, Wassil 1-0-2-2, Hartman 6-4-8-16, Campbell 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Brewer 4, James 3, Cianci 1. Totals: 31-7-19-77.

JV — Kennedy, 60-48. Jake Leipheimer 17, Andre Campbell 11 for Kennedy Catholic; Robinson 18 for VC.

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MERCER    20    17    8    21    66

SHARPSVILLE    12    23    12    13    60

MERCER — Clarke 8-10-11-28, Guiler 3-0-0-7, Fowler 0-1-2-1, Miller 3-2-4-8, Brest 3-1-4-7, Rymniak 2-9-10-13, Scheidhauer 1-0-0-2. 3-pt. goals: Clarke 2, Guiler 1. Totals: 20-23-31-66.

SHARPSVILLE — Luchey 7-0-0-15, Kennedy 5-0-1-11, Bulick 1-0-0-2, Barringer 4-0-0-8, Smith 1-0-0-2, Mockabee 4-1-2-10, Lenzi 4-2-2-12. 3-pt. goals: Lenzi 2, Luchey 1, Kennedy 1, Mockabee 1. Totals: 25-3-5-60.

JV — Sharpsville, 45-44. Taran Roesch 21 for Sharpsville. Jonathan Scheidhauer 15 for Mercer.

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FARRELL    21    10    14    12    57

FRANKLIN    14    11    7    17    49

FARRELL — Hyman 1-0-0-2, Jones 5-1-5-11, Coleman 2-0-0-5, Miller 3-0-0-6, Page 3-3-8-11, Brown 4-2-6-10, Archie 4-4-7-12. 3-pt. goals: Page 2, Coleman 1,  Totals: 22-10-26-57.

FRANKLIN — Rutherford 1-3-4-5, Ritchie 3-0-0-7, Mooney 4-1-2-9, Kahle 1-0-0-3, Maxon 3-6-8-14, Mook 1-0-0-3, Drain 2-3-5-8. 3-pt. goals: Maxon 2, Ritchie 1, Kahl 1, Mook 1, Drain 1. Totals: 15-13-19-49.

JV — Farrell, 63-49. Terrance Holloway 21, TeQuan Pratt 20, Dwayne Burns 16 for Farrrell; Dutch 22 for Franklin.

———

GEO. JUNIOR    5    14    11    19    49

MEADVILLE    16    19    12    19    66

GEORGE JUNIOR REPUBLIC — Boggs 6-4-6-17, McKinley 1-0-0-2, Curtis 1-0-0-2, Pearson 2-7-10-12, Toney 1-2-2-4, Oliver 1-0-0-2, Gibson 4-2-2-10. 3-pt. goals: Boggs 1, Pearson 1. Totals: 16-15-20-49.

MEADVILLE — McClure 1-0-0-2, Gregor 1-0-1-2, Hollingsworth 12-0-1-25, Anderson 1-1-2-3, Price 4-3-5-15, T. Clune 4-0-0-8, J. Clune 4-3-3-11. 3-pt. goals: Price 4, Hollingsworth 1. Totals: 27-7-12-66.

JV — GJR, 60-48. Terrance Curtis 17, Tyheed Cooper 17 for GJR.

———

CALV. BAPTIST        24        43   

COMM. PERRY        24        47   

CALVARY BAPTIST CHRISTIAN ACADEMY — Hoefler 16, D. Orndorf 2, Van Norman 6, Hough 5, McCrillis 8, Opp 2, C. Orndorf 4. 3-pt. goals: Hoefler 2, C. Orndorf 1.

COMMODORE PERRY — Peterson 2, B. Stringert 16, Small 3, Britton 8, P. Stringert 9, Mastisko 2, Hildebran 3, McCracken 2, Eddy 2. 3-pt. goals: B. Stringert 2, P. Stringert 2, Small 1, Hildebran 1.

JV — CP, 49-40.



WRESTLING

HICKORY 42, SHARON 28

106 — Colton Pellis (H) forfeit; 113 — Cody Buchanan (S) major dec. Justin Walter, 14-3; 120 — Austin Alfreno (S) dec. Stanford Dessaw, 12-8; 126 — Jarray Norris (S) pinned Dylan Fox, 1:14; 132 — Jason Clark (S) pinned Kyle Boyd, 3:45; 138 — Noah Bianco (H) dec. Andrew Campbell, 5-4 (OT); 145 — Mike Bonner (S) pinned Tom Berkinyi, 0:41; 152 — Cory Buchanan (S) dec. John Sims, 13-6; 160 — Shane Beatty (H) pinned Isiah Chavez, 3:41; 170 — Robbie Thomas (H) forfeit; 182 — Joey Hines (H) pinned Beau Dignall, 3:01; 195 — Dom Lenzi (H) forfeit; 220 — Jared Miley (H) forfeit; 285 — Brad Garman (H) dec. Anthony Leak, 2-0.