Thursday, March 24, 2005
The Canfield senior led Mahoning past Trumbull in the boys game.
WARREN -- With five minutes remaining and the Trumbull County all-stars trailing by 15 points, Warren Harding senior Mario Manningham sat in front of the scorer's table and told his teammates, "We're coming back. We're going to win."
He entered the game, took a pass on the wing, drilled a 3-pointer and said, "See? We're coming back. I told you."
It was a pretty dramatic start ... with a not-so-dramatic finish.
"It got a little close at the end," said Canfield senior Jordan Ferns. "I wanted to win [the game] more than to win MVP."
Unfortunately for Manningham, he did both.
Ferns set records for most points in a game (27), most points in a half (25) and most 3-pointers (five) as the Mahoning County all-stars held off Trumbull County 134-119 in the fourth Frank Bubba Memorial Classic at Warren Harding High School.
"I was just feeling it," said Ferns, who had 25 points in the first half. "It was a lot of fun."
Strong showing
Fitch's Tyran Eargle added 22 points and Ursuline's Terrill Vidale had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Mahoning, which shattered the record for most points by one team (the previous high was 116) and both teams (226).
"We just had great players," said Sebring coach Brian Clark, who coached Mahoning. "They're great kids and they work hard all year. This is just a fun time."
Of course, the big difference was coaching, right?
"No," Clark said, laughing. "Jordan Ferns was on fire. He had a heckuva night."
Dominique Crosby, who earned MVP honors in Tuesday's Al Beach Classic, had 12 points and 10 assists, while Mathews' Matt Weymer -- who played with Mahoning -- had 16 points.
Trumbull got within 11 with two minutes remaining, but the victory was never really in doubt.
"It got a little sloppy, but it was fun," Ferns said. "It felt more like a pickup game."
McDonald's James Beedle had 19 points to earn MVP honors for Trumbull. Other players in double figures were Harding's Bruce Allen (19), Champion's Jake Gross (14), Manningham (13) and Badger's Norm Yannucci (12).
Liberty junior Ed Kershaw edged Harding's Terrin Brown in the dunk contest to win his second title in as many nights. Kershaw also won the title at the Al Beach Classic.
Lakeview's Ed Mackiewicz beat Poland's Jim Shurilla in the 3-point shootout.
Girls
Girard girls coach Andy Saxon coached the Trumbull County all-stars to a 22-point loss in the Al Beach Classic, so he must have spent Tuesday night tossing and turning, right?
"Yes, I was," he said, laughing. "I told the team that if we lost tonight, I was going to quit coaching."
No need to worry. Mathews teammates Melanie Roscoe (the game's MVP) and Tara Ford each scored 13 as Trumbull won 78-61 in the early game.
"I'm 2-0 now coaching in this game," Saxon said. "I'm retiring."
Mooney's Amber Bodrick earned Mahoning MVP after she tied the record for most points with 23.
She also had 17 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Mahoning got outrebounded 83-43.
Strong inside
"We just happened to have a lot of good post players," said Roscoe, who also had 12 rebounds. "All the girls were so talented and we complemented each other so well. I learned a lot and I built a lot of friendships."
Roscoe was on such a roll, she was asked if she was going to compete in the dunk contest.
"I wish," she said, laughing. "Maybe next year."
Roscoe will play basketball at Ursuline College near Cleveland next year.
(Ursuline, by the way, is an all-girls college.)
Poland's Alex Rokicki won the 3-point contest, but it took her four rounds to do it. She won a second round shootoff with Lakeview's Chelsea Butler, then needed two more rounds to beat Lakeview's Jennifer Baker in the final.
The game was held in honor of former Harding boys basketball coach Frank Bubba, who died of pneumonia three years ago due to complications from cystic fibrosis.