LOCAL

LOCAL
West Branch wins 7th
BELOIT -- Shane Young had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead West Branch High to a 52-41 victory over Akron Springfield Saturday night.
Nate Greenawalt added 16 points, while Adam Martig also had seven rebounds for the Warriors (7-13, 6-8 Northeastern Buckeye Conference), who won despite a 3-for-16 performance at the foul line.
Joey Palfy scored 13 points and Mathew Lupinetti had 10 for Akron Springfield (0-20, 0-14).
Shenango advancesin WPIAL playoffs
WEXFORD, Pa. -- The Shenango High boys basketball team jumped out to a 35-8 halftime lead Saturday and cruised to a 58-50 victory over North Catholic in a WPIAL AA quarterfinal at North Allegheny High School.
Wednesday, Shenango will play Aliquippa in the AA semifinal match.
Matt Norge and Neal Goff led the Wildcats (19-6) with 13 points apiece. Steve McNees scored 11 and Terry Grossetti 10.
Zack Kostorick and Chaz McKnight led North Catholic (19-6) with 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Candace Bates scores 21 in Ohio victory
ATHENS -- Candace Bates, a senior guard for the Ohio University women's basketball team from Poland High, had 21 points as the Bobcats knocked off Western Michigan 74-72 Saturday. WMU was ranked third in the MAC heading into the game.
Bates was 9-for-15 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from behind the arc, and had one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal.
Boardman girlsdistrict champs
HUBBARD -- Boardman High School's girls bowling team rolled 2622 to capture the 2003-2004 district championship at Bell-Wick Bowl last Saturday.
The Spartans, led by Julie Neiman's 290 game, were the top qualifier, followed by Struthers with 2602, Austintown Fitch with 2546, Nordonia with 2404, Ursuline with 2390 and Warren Harding with 2314.
Chaney had two individuals advance from its non-qualifying team: Monica Miller with 397 and Keyonia Johnson with 395.
With 2259, the Cowboys were the seventh-place team in the 16-team field and failed to advance as did Lakeview (2144), North Ridgeville (2181), Niles (2098), Champion (2091), Hudson (2058), Lorain Southview (1906), Lorain Catholic (1854), Lorain Admiral King (1793) and Firelands (1767).
Boardman, Struthers, Fitch, Nordonia, Ursuline and Harding advance to the regional on Feb. 28 at Midway Lanes in Akron. Regional action begins at 10 a.m.
Rising Stargame canceled
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Angelo Ginocchi and Ralph Blundo Sr., the co-founders and event directors of the Rising Star Basketball Classic, announced that the high school boys all-star game will no longer will be played.
The game, featuring some of the top senior players from Pennsylvania and Ohio, was played at the New Castle High Field House.
"The new rule the NCAA came out with several years ago forbidding college coaches to attend these kind of events made it tougher for us to attract the caliber of players we were used to getting," Ginocchi said. "A lot of effort was needed yearly to put on such an event and we just ran out of energy.
"We feel there was much success in the community over the nine years we have had this event, with a positive impact made on the local and state scholastic basketball scene," he added.
This year's game was scheduled to be played at Westminster College.
Boardman tryouts
BOARDMAN -- All 11 and 12-year old boys and 11-12-year old girls who are not already on a major division team must register to play with Boardman Community Baseball prior to tryouts on March 6 at Boardman Center Middle School gym. Players are asked to bring a glove. Bats will not be permitted in the gym.
Times are: 12-year old boys, 9 a.m.; boys, age 11, 10 a.m.; 12-year old girls, noon, and 11-year old girls, 1 p.m.
For more information contact respective player agents, girls major division: John Calo (330-758-1476) or boys major division, John Vicarel (330-758-8295).
All youth ages 5-10 will be assigned directly to their respective age teams.
Boys ages 13-17 will have tryouts March 12 at 7 p.m. at Sluggers for all registered players not already assigned to a team.
Girls ages 13-14 tryouts will be announced at a later date.
For more information contact, girls Tri-T division, Rick Schafer (330-788-6112), boys ages 13-14 Pony division, Dom Triveri (330-965-0476), and boys ages 15-17 Colt division, Jason Triveri (330-629-6360).
REGION
Browns win flipfor No. 7 pick
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cleveland Browns won a coin flip with the Atlanta Falcons for the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft.
By losing the toss Saturday, the Falcons will get the eighth pick in the April 24 draft.
Cleveland ended last season 5-11, the same record as Atlanta, Washington, Detroit, Jacksonville and Houston. Various tiebreakers gave the No. 5 pick to the Redskins and No. 6 to the Lions.
Jacksonville will select ninth and Houston 10th.
It's the second time in three years that Cleveland has won a coin flip to move ahead of Atlanta. In 2002, Cleveland won a coin toss with Atlanta for the 16th pick, which they used to select running back William Green.
Vindicator staff/wire reports