Medina Today

Buckeye Boys win a pair, lose one

The Buckeye boys basketball team is sitting at a 3-2 record to start the season after tournament wins over International Prep at Grover and Wilson, followed by a conference loss to Valley Forge.

On Dec. 17, Valley Forge came to town and won a nail-biter, 68-66. Buckeye led the assist column 16-8, but were outrebounded 32-29. The Bucks also shot the ball well at 50% including 47% from beyond the arc. They also shot 88% from the line.

However, defense was the name of the game, with Valley Forge putting up 12 steals compared to four for the Bucks, and three blocks compared to one for Buckeye.

On Dec. 10, Buckeye won a tight battle with International Prep at Grover 66-59 at the Wilson Tip-Off Tournament’s opening game, thanks to a strong fourth quarter in which the Bucks outscored IPAG 23-15. 

The Bucks held a 12-8 advantage after the first quarter, but IPAG stayed within striking distance by playing the Bucks an even 17-17 in the second quarter to put the score at 29-25 at halftime. After three quarters, IPAGW took a 44-43 lead, after the visitors outscored the Bucks 19-14. The Bucks attended to business and finished out the game in strong fashion for a solid win.

In the second game of the tournament on Dec. 11, Buckeye had a dominant performance in beating Wilson by 30 points, 69-39.

Buckeye came out on fire outscoring Wilson 27-11, but Wilson bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring Buckeye 18-14. However, the second half was all Bucks, who cruised to the victory, outscoring Wilson 28-10 in the half.

Buckeye led in virtually every category with 28 rebounds compared to 19 for Wilson; 14 assists to four; 18 steals to six; and 47% shooting compared to 43% for Wilson.

Buckeye girls win first on the season

The Buckeye girls have struggled out of the gate this season, going 1-5, but last week the team was able to capture its first win by defeating Parma 57-46 on Dec. 15.

Buckeye never trailed in the win, and the first half was dominated by the Bucks, who outscored Parma 27-14. It was more evenly matched in the second half, and Parma put in a strong fourth-quarter effort, outscoring the Bucks 16-13, but Buckeye managed to hold on for a key home-conference win.

The Buckeyes held Parma to only 34% shooting and 29% from beyond the arc. Parma missed all eight of its free throws, contributing to the final result.

Earlier in the week on Dec. 13, Buckeye lost a close one to Lakewood at home, 44-39. Lakewood had 14 steals in the game compared to nine for the Bucks. Lakewood also had one assist compared to only five for Buckeye. The Bucks outshot Lakewood 40% to 32%, and outrebounded them 33 to 31.