TAC BOYS Brookfield beaten by Newton Falls

The Tigers have won 13 straight games over Brookfield.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BROOKFIELD -- You have to go back to Feb. 7, 1997 to find the last time the Brookfield High boys basketball team held the upper hand on Newton Falls.
That streak is still alive.
Erik Medallis and Chad Rankin came off the bench to combine for 33 points as Newton Falls posted a 61-58 overtime victory over their Trumbull Athletic Conference foe on Tuesday.
The Tigers (6-4, 2-2) have won 13 straight over Brookfield (8-2, 2-2).
Contribution
"Erik played like a seasoned veteran tonight, hitting some big shots at critical times in the game," Newton Falls coach Roy Sembach said. "In addition to his offense, he played excellent defense, as well.
"Chad is a bull inside, hitting two huge free throws for us while adding a couple of critical put-backs late in the game," Sembach said. "Our entire bench contributed tonight to this win."
Andrew Grunder hit all six of his points in the first quarter for the Tigers, but Brookfield's Sam King, who had a game-high 24 points, scored eight in the opening quarter as the Warriors built a 13-10 lead.
Senior Kirby Spahlinger's two 3-pointers in the second period -- his only two buckets of the game -- ignited an 18-7 run by the Tigers as Newton Falls built a 28-20 halftime lead.
"Both teams played hard tonight and we were just a possession or two away from winning the game," Brookfield coach Chris Fahndrich said. "Our kids played their hearts out, always scrapping for the ball.
"Defensively, they are a bigger team and it showed tonight," he added. "We're hurting right now, but our kids are resilient and they will bounce back."
One point apart
Mike Quaglia scored six of his 15 points in the third quarter, igniting a 15-11 run by the Warriors, as they cut the Tiger lead to 39-35 after three periods.
An 11-2 run by Newton Falls made it 44-35 in favor of the Tigers, but the Warriors added a 10-2 run of their own to cut the Tiger margin to 46-45.
After a 3-point goal by Medallis from NBA range at 1:11 made it 53-50 in favor of Newton Falls, the Warriors' King answered with a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to knot the score at 53 apiece, forcing the overtime.
A Medallis bucket and a Cooper layup made it 57-53 in favor of the Tigers, but a 12-foot jumper at 1:38 by King cut the Tiger margin to 57-55.
The Tiger lead increased to 59-55 on two Rankin free throws with 44 seconds remaining, but a 3-point goal by King cut the margin to 59-58.
Cooper, who struggled early in the game, hit two free throws with 21 seconds remaining to ice the victory for the Tigers.
The Tigers outrebounded the Warriors, 32-18, while Rankin's game-high 11 rebounds gave him the only double-double of the game.