NON-CONFERENCE Sekora, Stanley lead N. Falls past struggling Irish, 70-41

The duo combined for 34 points for the Tigers.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- John Sekora hit four 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead visiting Newton Falls to a 70-41 win over Ursuline in boys basketball action Tuesday night.
Sekora teamed up well with point guard Jeff Stanley, as the duo combined for 34 points and 13 assists for Newton Falls (3-1).
Stanley, a 5-10 senior, scored 14 first-half points, dished out seven assists and had five steals as the Tigers took advantage of 21 Irish turnovers.
Breaking away
Newton Falls, which shot 29 of 54 from the field for the game, opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run to give the Tigers a 23-9 lead with six minutes left in the first half.
Leading 35-19 at halftime, Newton Falls opened the second half with an 8-0 run and expanded its lead to 35 points, 68-33, late in the final quarter.
"After a good first half, we came out with an opening run in the second half and that meant a lot," Tigers coach Roy Sembach said. "We preach defensive intensity and tonight we had plenty of it, and when you shoot well, like we did tonight, everything seems to go well."
The Tigers were nine of 16 from long range, and Sekora, who was 4-for-7, said, "I was on fire early and my teammates just kept hitting me with open passes."
Added Stanley, "I look to pass first and then if nobody is open I shoot."
Irish leaders
Senior guard Isaiah Poindexter led Ursuline (0-4) with 18 points, and 6-6 junior Brandon Braxton had 10 points along with 10 of his team's 37 rebounds.
The Irish had a 37-35 advantage on the boards, but shot 14-for-54 from the floor.
"I am very disappointed in the way we played," Irish coach Steve Leslie said. "You can't shoot the way we did tonight and expect to win, so right now there is a lot of work to do and a lot of room for improvement."