In a varsity only match, Bellefontaine swept West Liberty-Salem Friday afternoon at T-P Lanes.

In the boys match, the Chiefs won 2376 to 2126.

Roman Miller paced BHS with a 378 series.

Mark Salmons fired a 196, Andy Newman tossed a 189, Ethan Lucas recorded a 186, and T.J. Garman added a 182.

For the Tigers, Steven Klingler had a 236 and a 216 for a 452 series.

Brock Bahan added a 201.

The Lady Chiefs defeated the Lady Tigers 2016 to 1825.

Jessi Moore fired a 370 series and Caiti McLaughlin added a 332 series.

For the Lady Tigers, Morgan Miller tossed a 175 and Codi McNutt recorded a 171.

High school boys basketball season opened around Ohio last night and several local teams hit the court.

As featured on 1390 WBLL, Bellefontaine used a dominant second half to defeat visiting West Liberty-Salem 68-45.

Andy Daulton poured in 13 first-half points to help the Tigers grab a 35-32 halftime lead.

The Chiefs outscored WLS 36-10 over the final two quarters.

BHS had five players in double figures.

The Chiefs will visit Sidney tonight on WBLL.

Jackson Center beat host Indian Lake 47-32.

The Tigers ran out to a 27-15 halftime lead.

Sophomore Andy Hoying dropped in a game-high 13 points. Senior Aaron Klopfenstein added 10.

For the Lakers, Ross Jenkins scored 9 points and senior Justin Castle added 7.

Fairbanks edged visiting Triad 53-49.

Tyson Funderburgh led the Cardinals with 16.

Sidney outscored host Miamisburg 89-74.

Senior Zach Michael poured in 28 points. He was 5-for-5 from behind the arc.

Houston edged host Fairlawn 54-49 in the Jets first game in their new gymnasium.

Lehman handled host Minster 61-43.

In Boys cross country, Most Improved went to Zane Esch, Most valuable runner went to Colin Wilson, Captain’s Awards went to Matt Vogel and Kelby Wallace with Vogel also receiving the Scholar Athlete Award. Hustle Awards were awarded to Aaron Scott and Alex Adams. Ben Grooms was awarded a four-year participation award and four-year letter plaque.

In girl’s cross country, Most Improved went to Madeline Cohn, Most valuable went to Shawnda Henault, Hustle Awards were given to Meghan Vogel and Savanna Shipp, Captains awards were given to Amanda Williams and Shelby Siegenthaler. Scholar Athlete Award went to Shelby Siegenthaler. Williams was also awarded a four-year letter winner’s plaque along with a four-year participation plaque.

In volleyball, Tina Caporaso was awarded the JV Hustle Award. Kayla Paterson received the Scholar Athlete Award. Team Offensive Award went to Paige Parker and Team Defensive Award went to Tyler Eckurd. The Dedication to Improvement award went to Kayla Peterson. The Varsity Hustle award went to Paige Parker. Four-year participation plaques were awarded to Paige Parker, Olivia Marceau and Tyler Eckurd. Parker also received four-year letter winner’s plaque.

In boy’s golf, Scholar athlete award went to Ben Rutan, lowest putting average was awarded to Ryan Meister; lowest scoring average went to Ben Rutan, T.R. Nisonger was awarded the Gentleman’s Award and the Dedication to Improvement awards went to Chris White and Landon Hormann. Nisonger was also awarded his four-year participation plaque.

In girl’s soccer, Offensive MVP went to Alyssa Neff, Defensive MVP went to Alexa Hormann, Hustle Awards went to Hannah Ropp and Sarah Iman, Katie Scott received the Scholar Athlete Award and the Tiger Award went to Kate Detwiler. Four-year participation plaques and four-year letter plaques went to Hannah Hartsel, Dana Holycross and Hormann.

In boy’s soccer, Most improved went to Brad Stengel, Defensive MVP went to Austin Mayse, Offensive MVP went to Jacob Shank, Hustle award went to Nathan Marceau and Corey Lianez. The scholar athlete award went to Ross Lowry.

In football, Tyler Cordell was awarded the scholar athlete, Offensive MVP went to Zac Culley, Defensive MVP went to Collin Link, Special Teams MVP went to Jeff Dill, Varsity Hustle award went to Corey Thompson and JV Hustle award went to Riley Sims. Four-year participation plaques went to Jake Anderson, Josh Cassell, Logan Conklin, Zac Culley, Collin Link, Jarred Merrick, Tyler Shishler, Corey Thompson, Austin Wilson and Zach Woodruff. Four-year letter plaque went to Collin Link.

In Cheerleading, Scholar athlete, Hustle, and the All-Around Cheer award went to Abbey Jenkins. Erin Snapp received a Captain’s Award. Four-year letter winners and four-year participation awards went to Alex Smith and Erin Snapp.

A few local girls basketball teams hit the court Thursday night.

In varsity, Riverside fell to visiting Houston 61-47 in non-league action.

The Wildcats started fast and led by 11 at the half (38-27).

For the Pirates, senior Amelia Carter had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Abby Heaberlin recorded 9 points and Erica Snapp added 7 points.

Jaclyn Willoughby led Houston with 20.

Riverside is 0-2.

Jr. High finals:

Indian Lake swept host Benjamin Logan.

The 7th grade Lakers won 18-16 in overtime.

Sydney Miller scored a game-high 11.

For Benjamin Logan, Jessica Sosby had 10 points and Jessica Current added 4 points.

In 8th grade, Indian Lake defeated Benjamin Logan 27-20.

Sydney Bollinger paced the Lakers with 8 points.

Ashley Franks sparked the offense, too.

For the Raiders, Alex Thompson fired in 8 points and Jackie Melvin added 6.

Indian Lake will visit Jackson Center Saturday morning.

Benjamin Logan travels to Fairlawn next Wednesday.

West Liberty-Salem’s 7th grade Lady Tigers pushed their record to 2-0 by defeating the South Vienna Jets 16-13.

Kylie Hormann had seven points and two rebounds to lead the Tigers, Mia Walters added five steals, and Ashley Holleron had four points and eight rebounds.

The Lady Tigers 8th grade team lost to South Vienna 25-21.

For the Tigers, Taylor Day had eight points and two assists, April Kelley tallied six rebounds, and Abby Siegenthaler had five points and a pair of assists.

WLS is 0-2.

Benjamin Logan’s varsity boys and girls bowling teams split their match with Bellefontaine Thursday night.

The Raiders varsity girls team defeated Bellefontaine 2375 to1965. Allissa Allford led the Raiders, bowling a 216 and a 191 for a 407 series, Kierstan Valentine rolled a 185 and a 160 for a 345 series, and Brittney Poling knocked over 176 and 157 pins, respectively for a 333 series. Bailey Beach bowled a 161 and Taylor Burk tossed a 156 to round out the scoring for Benjamin Logan.

For Bellefontaine, Caiti McLaughlin had a 343 series, Jessi Moore fired a 189, and Amber Devine added a 168.

Benjamin Logan’s varsity boys team fell to Bellefontaine 2370 to 2151. Colt Stover paced the Raiders, rolling a 169 and a 200 for a 369 series, Brad Keeran fired a 179 and a 161 for a 340 series, and Matt Johnson bowled a 167.

For the Chiefs, Roman Miller had a 383 series, Mark Salmons recorded a 359 series, and Andy Newman fired a 213.

Both Raiders JV squads defeated Bellefontaine Thursday. The boys won their match 1926 to 1712 and the girls team defeated the Chieftains 1732 to 1494.

Leading Benjamin Logan’s boys JV squad were Eric Elson and Roger Skeen. Elson bowled a 156 and a 188 for a 344 series and Skeen rolled a 153.

Josh Jackson led the Chiefs with a 157.

Allison Baker tallied a 161 to lead the winning effort for the girls JV team. Caitie Fields and Hali Brewer each bowled a 153 for the Raiders.

Morgan Henry paced the Chiefs with a 134.

In varsity boys, Indian Lake defeated West Liberty-Salem Wednesday 2183 to 2123. High scores for WLS were Brock Bahan with a 192 and a 170 for a 362 series and Ryan Tilson with a 168.

In varsity girls, Indian Lake defeated West Liberty-Salem Wednesday 1956 to 1855. High scores for WLS were Cheyenne McNutt with a 172 and Codi McNutt with a 167.

The Tigers next match is Friday against Bellefontaine at T-P Lanes.

The Urbana University men’s and women’s basketball teams earned wins on their home court last night.

The Blue Knights women’s basketball team won their first home game of the season, and posted their second straight victory, a 76-65 win over the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters. Urbana improves to 2-5 with the win. LMU drops to 2-3.

The teams shot the lights out in the first half, racing out to a 40-40 tie after one half. Urbana shot 51.5% from the field, while LMU knocked down 44.4% of their attempts.

The Blue Knights picked up their defensive intensity in the second half, holding the Railsplitters to just 25 points on 25% shooting. A Sarah Branham 3-point play gave Urbana a double-digit lead with about 6 minutes to play and the Blue Knights coasted to an 11-point victory.

Leading the charge for the Blue Knights were four players in double figures. Junior Ashley Falknor led the way with team highs in points (15) and rebounds (13), notching her first double-double of the season. Senior co-captain Jalyssa Jackson (pictured) flirted with a triple-double, notching 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Haley Ducey finished with 13 points, and Unique Lane chipped in 11. Freshman Andrea Vogel played well off the bench, collecting 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots.

The Lady Blue Knights will host one more home game before the holidays. On Saturday, Urbana welcomes Clarion University (2-1) to town for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

Down 20 points with 18 minutes to play, the Urbana University men’s basketball somehow found a way to win against Mercyhurst College. The Blue Knights suffered through the worst half of their dream season, shooting a paltry 16% from the field and posting just 18 points before halftime. Mercyhurst’s lead grew to 20 points on a Christian Cornelius jumper with 18:30 remaining, but the Blue Knights refused to fold.

Reigning Blue Knight Student-Athlete of the Week Clint Nicholson (pictured) scored 8 straight points in a span of 50 seconds to cut the deficit to 12 and spark the home crowd. Nicholson totaled 19 points during the 2nd half rally as Urbana outscored the Lakers 52-29 down the stretch.

But with 10:40 to play, Urbana still trailed by 17 points. Leading the rally this time was senior co-captain T.R. Ellis with 4 straight points. Ellis also provided a dagger with just over 2 minutes remaining. His 18-foot off-balanced jumper gave the Blue Knights their first lead of the game at 62-61. The final 2 minutes featured 5 lead changes and 3 ties. Nicholson broke the final tie of the game with a long-range 3-pointer to give the Blue Knights a 70-67 lead. Mercyhurst was called for 2 second half technical fouls and a late intentional foul, but the Blue Knights missed their final 4 free throws with a chance to ice the game. The Lakers rebounded the final missed foul shot and heaved an off-target half-court shot at the buzzer to fall by 3.

Nicholson led all scorers with 21 points. Urbana’s Robert Wilson recorded his 2nd straight double-double, scoring 16 points to go with 13 rebounds. Ellis added 14 points, and Charlton Conner tallied 13.

The Blue Knights shot 47.2% in the 2nd half, after hitting just 16% of their first half shots. They were 6-of-13 from downtown in the 2nd half.

Urbana improves to 6-2 on the season, already matching last season’s win total. Last year at this time, Mercyhurst defeated the Blue Knights by 14 in Erie, improving to 9-0 in 2008. Urbana sat at 1-12 after that loss. Since that game, Urbana is 11-11.  Mercyhurst is 10-13. The Lakers’ record falls to 3-2 this season.

Urbana hosts one more home game before the holidays. On Saturday, the Blue Knights welcome Gannon University (1-2). Game time will be around four p.m. Urbana already defeated Gannon 73-43 earlier this season, knocking them out of the national rankings. Representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps’ “Toys for Tots” program will once again be on hand to collect donations. A donation of $10 or an unwrapped gift valued at $10 or more will admit one for both games.

In high school girls basketball, Benjamin Logan handled visiting Kenton 60-31 Wednesday night.

Sarah Yoder led the Raiders with 17 points.

Sophomore Brooke Richard added 12.

Benjamin Logan (1-2) will visit Graham Saturday night. The JV game will start at six o’clock.

Indian Lake’s varsity girls basketball team improved its record to 2-0 with a 45-31 victory at Jackson Center (0-2) Tuesday night.

Sadie Oyer led the Lakers, netting 14 points and Cori Blackburn added 13 points to help propel the double-digit victory.

The Lakers open up league play Saturday night when they travel to Greenon.

The Lakers junior varsity won, too, 41-27 over Jackson Center. Claire Maier led the way for Indian Lake with 10 points and Ashley Collins added nine.

The West Liberty-Salem varsity girls basketball team hosted the Graham Falcons Tuesday night.

Graham trailed by one after three quarters, but controlled the fourth quarter and rallied for a 43-36 win.

The Falcons were led by Darcie Zirkle with 17 points. The Tigers were led by Becka Peterson with 10 points.

The JV Lady Tigers had a better night, outscoring the Falcons 32-25. Kelsey Helms led the team with 14 points.

WLS travels to Lima Bath Saturday afternoon with JV starting at 1 p.m.

The Benjamin Logan boys and girls varsity and junior varsity bowling teams had a big night against Indian Lake, sweeping the Lakers in all four games at T.P. Lanes.

The Raiders varsity girls team defeated Indian Lake 2231-1871. Trinity Jackson led the Raiders, rolling a 192 and 157, for a 349 series. Taylor Burk bowled a 150 and 184 for a 334 series. Allissa Allford rolled a 190 and Kierstan Valentine rounded out the Raiders scoring with a 179.

The Benjamin Logan JV girls team defeated Indian Lake by a final count of 1920-1330. Tabby Laird paced the Raiders, bowling a 185 and Colleen Huey added a 179 in the win.

The Raiders varsity boys team defeated Indian Lake by a final tally of 2255-2110. Brad Keeran bowled a 193 to lead Benjamin Logan, Kris Korns rolled a 180, and Colt Stover bowled a 177 for the Raiders.

The Benjamin Logan JV boys team defeated the Lakers 1688-1604. Roger Skeen bowled a 150 to pace the Raiders.

Buckeye Hilliker swimmers were extremely successful at the Columbus Academy Invitational recently. The competition includes hundreds of swimmers from Central Ohio.

Jessica Miller, 13/14 age group, Skyler Tavenner, 11/12 age group, Shelby Starkey and Macy Arn, 8 and under, all took home 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in more than one event.

Swimmers who improved at least one of their personal best times were Hannah Suman, Sarah Starkey, Samantha Starkey, Jared Salyer, and Haylee Pequignot.

The Buckeye Hilliker swim team is coached by Russ Jurg, Jolene Thompson, and Brett Kuhn.

The Urbana University men’s and women’s basketball teams posted close road wins Monday night.

The Lady Blue Knights luck finally changed last night at Slippery Rock University. UU picked up their first win of the season, ending a 5-game skid with a 56-48 win over The Rock.

Urbana overcame a double-digit halftime deficit and a poor shooting night (39.7%) thanks to a stifling second half defense. The Blue Knights held The Rock to just 19 second half points. Over a five-minute stretch, Urbana outscored Slippery Rock 8-0 to assume their first lead of the second half.

The Blue Knights were led by Unique Lane’s 13 points and 9 rebounds. Senior co-captain Jalyssa Jackson filled up the stat sheet, racking up 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Chelsea Quinlan added 9 points, including 4 straight points to seal the victory in the final 2 minutes.

The Blue Knights return home on Wednesday night to host the Rail Splitters from Lincoln Memorial University. Game time is set for 6:00.

The Blue Knights men’s basketball team got back on track last night at Saginaw Valley State University. Urbana University upended the undefeated Cardinals 82-77 in overtime.

The Blue Knights controlled most of the game. A Clint Nicholson lay-in ended a 7-7 tie and came in the midst of a 9-0 Urbana run with 16 minutes remaining in the first half. The Blue Knights never trailed over the next 32 minutes, but a 12-0 Cardinal run returned the lead to the home team with 4 minutes to play.

The game’s final moments was a frenzy of back-and-forth lead changes as both teams fought for an advantage. After 4 lead changes and 3 ties, regulation ended with the teams knotted at 67.

Senior co-captain T.R. Ellis carried the Blue Knights to victory in the extra period, knocking down a three in the first 10 seconds and sealing the victory with a couple of late free throws. Ellis finished with a team-high 21 points, on 6-of-11 shooting from behind the arc. Urbana’s Robert Wilson collected a double-double, scoring 13 points to go with his game-high 16 rebounds. Guard Charlton Conner chipped in 19 points and 6 assists, and Nicholson added 14 points.

The Blue Knights shot an impressive 14-for-32 (44%) from behind the arc, led by Ellis’ 6 treys. The Cardinals knocked down just 9 of their 29 attempts (31%) from long range.

Urbana improves to 5-2 on the season, matching their best start since 1996 when the team advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.

SVSU slips to 3-1. The Cardinals welcome the D-II defending national champs from the University of Findlay on Thursday night.

The Blue Knights return home on Wednesday night to host the Lakers from Mercyhurst College. Urbana is 2-0 at home this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00, immediately following the women’s game. It's "Toys for Tots" Night at Urbana.  Representatives from the Marine Corps’ Toys from Tots will be in attendance, collecting donations and unwrapped gifts.  A donation of $10 or an unwrapped gift valued at $10 or more will admit one for both games.

West Liberty-Salem’s seventh grade Tigers defeated the Miami View Trojans 21-17 in their season opener Monday night. For the Lady Tigers, Ashley Holleron had six points and six rebounds, Rachel Ritter had five points and Mia Walters added two assists. 

The Tigers will play South Vienna on Thursday night at home.

West Liberty-Salem’s eighth grade Lady Tigers dropped a tough opener to the Trojans, 27-20.  After carrying the lead for three and a half quarters, the Tigers were plagued by foul trouble in the final stanza. For the Tigers, April Kelley had five points and nine rebounds and Taylor Day notched eight points and three steals. 

The Tigers hope to bounce back against South Vienna on Thursday.

Bellefontaine varsity boys basketball coach Henry Stolly (pictured) was the featured speaker at Monday’s Bellefontaine Rotary Club meeting.

Stolly is entering his third campaign as the Chiefs head coach.

Last year’s team went 13-10 and advanced to the sectional title game.

During his speech, Stolly said every student athlete in the program should strive to bring pride to the school and the community.

Stolly wants basketball to help teach values and character for each player. He expects his players to have attributes like character, sacrifice, work ethic, enthusiasm, and loyalty.

He said several players made strides through the summer and fall.

Bellefontaine opens the season this weekend. The Chiefs will host West Liberty-Salem on Friday and then visit Sidney on Saturday.

You can hear BHS home and away on 1390 WBLL and streamed live on peakofohio.com.

In men’s college basketball, Urbana University’s three-game winning streak came to an end Saturday night at Ashland University. The Eagles held off the charging Blue Knights 91-86 in front of their home crowd in Kates Gymnasium.

Ashland built a 23-point first half lead on the strength of 51.5% shooting and a 23-4 run. The Eagles still held a 17-point lead with 6:44 remaining when the Blue Knights began their late surge. Urbana outscored Ashland 20-6 over the next 6 minutes. A Charlton Conner 3-pointer cut the Eagle lead to 3 with 43 seconds to play, but Ashland sank 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Blue Knights.

Conner scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Blue Knights. Freshman guard Robert Wilson poured in 18 points, and Sean McCants had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Senior co-captain T.R. Ellis added 10 points and a game-high 5 steals in the loss.

Urbana drops to 4-2, while Ashland improves to 2-1.

The Blue Knights travel to another GLIAC school tonight, taking on the Cardinals from Saginaw Valley State University.  Tip-off is set for 7:00.

The Urbana University women’s basketball team overcame a 14-point second half deficit Saturday afternoon at St. Joseph’s College, only to fall 77-75 in the final second.

The Blue Knights led by 7 early, but the Pumas started the 2nd half on an 11-1 run to grow their lead to 14. Urbana clawed all the way back, tying the game at 75 on a Haley Ducey free throw with 11 seconds remaining. The Pumas called timeout to set up a final play, scoring on a Natalie Appelhans lay-up as time expired for the 2-point win.

The loss drops Urbana to 0-5, while St. Joe’s earned their first victory of the season and improve to 1-3. The Blue Knights defeated the Pumas by 12 at home last season.

The Blue Knights were led by Gail Hartings and Jalyssa Jackson’s 13 points. Ducey added 10, and Ashley Falknor dished out 9 assists in the loss.

Urbana gets another crack at its first win tonight at Slippery Rock University. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00.

State semi-finals in all six divisions were completed this past weekend:

DIVISION I

Cleveland Glenville downed Massillon Washington 31-17.

Hilliard Davidson slipped past Cincinnati Elder 24-20.

DIVISION II

Maple Heights edged Mentor Lake Catholic 21-17.

Cincinnati Winton Woods trounced Columbus Marion-Franklin 69-35.

DIVISION III

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney rolled over Steubenville 45-7.

Columbus St. Francis DeSales outdid Cincinnati Wyoming 24-7.

DIVISION IV

Chagrin Falls nipped Ottawa-Glandorf 20-14.

Kettering Archbishop Alter pounded Coshocton 31-6.

DIVISION V

Youngstown Ursuline drilled Ridgewood 48-6.

Coldwater advanced over Patrick Henry 35-24.

DIVISION VI

Norwalk St. Paul dominated Grove City Christian 52-7.

Delphos St. John’s outlasted Marion Local 13-7 in overtime.

The Indian Lake Lady Lakers opened their season with a successful outing, defeating host West Liberty-Salem 46-31.

Sadie Oyer led the Lakers with 19 points. Cori Blackburn chipped in with 11.

For the Lady Tigers, Becka Peterson scored 13 and Christine Park had 11.

The Lady Tigers are now 1-1.

In the JV contest, the Tigers trimmed the Lakers 37-35.

Melanie Ward led the Tigers with 10.

Claire Maier paced the Lakers with 12.

Both squads will be back in play on Tuesday. The Tigers host Graham, while the Lakers travel to Jackson Center.

Other area scores:

Mount Gilead knocked off Ridgemont 59-42.

Waynesfield-Goshen ran past McComb 66-51.

Ada shut down Hardin Northern 44-30.

Benjamin Logan fell at North Union 59-50.

Sarah Yoder led the Raiders with 16 points and Brooke Richard added 11.

The Raiders (0-2) will host Kenton on Wednesday.

Minster stifled Jackson Center 33-18.