LOCAL

LOCAL
Game change
YOUNGSTOWN -- The winner's bracket game of the Rayen freshman basketball tournament has been changed from today to Thursday. Rayen will play Wilson at 4 p.m., while Warren Harding will play Mooney at 5:30. Both games are at The Rayen School. Saturday's games are at 3:30 p.m. and 5 with the championship to follow at 6:30.
YRRC Distance Classic
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Road Runners Club will hold its 17th annual Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon and 5K in Mill Creek Park at 8:45 p.m. on March 5.
Race applications can be picked up at Second Sole in Boardman or they can be downloaded at members.aol.com/ytownrrc. Early registration for the half marathon is $20 and race day registration is $25. For the 5K early registration is $13 and $15 on race day. For details, call 330-758-8708.
Youth hockey
BOARDMAN -- Two Mahoning Valley Phantoms youth hockey teams advanced to championship games in the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League playoffs.
The Jr. Phantoms Squirt team, seeded fourth, defeated the top-seed Columbus Jr. Blue Jackets, 6-2, in the A3 semifinals at the Mentor Civic Center. Nick Giecek recorded a hat trick and two assists to lead the Phantoms. Matt Lacko added a goal and three assists; Jake Kelleck contributed a goal and an assist, and Nick Camarato also scored.
Jake Carner, Logan Clarke, Bryce Allen and Mark Passarello all contributed one assist. Goaltender Kenny Shoup made 16 saves.
The Squirt team will face the third-seeded Mentor Cardinals in the championship game Saturday at 5:35 p.m. at Iceland USA in Strongsville.
The Jr. Phantoms Bantam team, the No. 1 seed, defeated the fourth-seeded Strongsville Mustangs, 5-3, in the AA semifinals at Iceland USA.
John Vanadale scored twice and added an assist, while Ryan Rinko and Adam Hogan both registered a goal and an assist. Scott McKee also scored for the Phantoms (12-3-1).
Ryan Taylor contributed two assists and C.J. Westlake added one. Jesse Koewacich stopped 18 shots to get the win in goal. The Phantoms Bantams will play the North Olmsted Eagles in the championship Sunday at 5:45 p.m.
Warren run
WARREN -- The third annual O'Donold's Rose and Thistle St. Patrick's Day 5K Run will be held March 11 at O'Donold's Irish Pub, 2774 Youngstown Road, Warren.
The race will open the St. Patrick's Day Weekend at O'Donold's and will benefit the Children's Rehabilitation Center.
Two events are on tap: the 5K Race begins at 1 p.m. and the 1.5-Mile Fun Run/Walk will start at 1:30. Both events will follow courses that begin on Central Parkway across from O'Donold's, and loop through the residential neighborhoods on Warren's East Side. Cash awards will be presented to the top three male and female finishers in the 5K Race. Other awards will be presented to the top three male and female finishers in each of the following age groups: 14 and under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50 and over.
Registration forms are available at the YMCA or Second Sole, or on-line at www.gopherarun.com under the race calendar section.
Richardson namedplayer of week
PAINESVILLE -- For the second week in a row, Reggie Richardson, a senior guard for the Lake Erie College basketball team, has been named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Player of the Week.
Richardson, a graduate of Wilson High and a first-team All-AMCC selection, helped the Storm to an 83-82 win over Pitt-Greensburg last Saturday in the championship game of the AMCC Tournament held at Lake Erie. He scored 22 points, including a three-point goal to tie the game with 14 seconds left, and the Storm went on to win in overtime on Chad Hunt's tip-in goal in the waning seconds. Richardson also had eight assists and five rebounds.
The win gave Lake Erie its first AMCC tournament championship and qualified for Storm for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time.
Lake Erie (21-6) will play at Wittenberg (25-3) in Springfield Friday at 8 p.m. Wittenberg advanced with a 71-69 win over Wooster last Saturday to win the North Coast Athletic Conference tourney title.
In the other first-round game Friday at Wittenberg, Carnegie Mellon (20-5) will meet Baldwin-Wallace (24-4) at 6.
REGION
Hiram basketball
HIRAM -- Steve Fleming, one of the more accomplished players in Hiram College basketball history, is returning to his alma mater as coach.
A 1994 Hiram graduate, Fleming was team captain and most valuable player his junior and senior seasons. He won first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and first team All-Academic Ohio Athletic Conference honors both years and was named the most inspirational player in the OAC as a junior.
Fleming set school records for assists, steals, career free throw percentage and most games played. He was also a recipient of the Donald Campbell Award, which is presented to the college's top male athlete. A former assistant at Hiram, Gannon and Tiffin, Fleming was head coached at Tiffin and most recently on the staff of the National Basketball Academy in Beachwood.
Vindicator staff/wire reports