Wilson stops Rayen 67-59 in sectional

Niles topped Hubbard 69-57 in another Division II game at Boardman.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Woodrow Wilson High basketball coach Mark Cherol said senior guard Justin Maxwell and junior forward William Johnson have been his main players all season.
The 6-foot-2 Maxwell and 6-1 Johnson backed up their coach's assertion Tuesday in the Redmen's 67-59 victory over The Rayen School in a Division II sectional tournament game.
Leading the way
Maxwell scored 28 points and Johnson added 21 for Wilson (10-10), which advanced to play Canfield Friday night.
In the first game, Niles pulled away from Hubbard to post a 69-57 victory.
"We beat Rayen twice in the Steel Valley Conference and they came in here trying to salvage their season and they fought hard and were aggressive," said Cherol.
The Redmen had 15 turnovers during the contest and Cherol said, "Our kids didn't take care of the ball very well. Every time we would pull ahead, we had some miscues and right back came Rayen."
The Tigers led 14-12 after the first quarter before the Redmen held a 30-28 lead at the break.
Johnson and Maxwell each scored eight points as Wilson pushed its lead to 48-42 going into the final eight minutes.
Rayen (3-18) got within three points late in the fourth quarter.
Foul line the difference
The Redmen went to the foul line 17 times in the fourth quarter and made 11, including two by Maxwell with 14 seconds remaining to decide the outcome.
Besides his 21 points, Johnson pulled down 14 of the Redmen's 30 rebounds and he had a blocked shot and four assists.
Maxwell connected on 10-of-17 field goals, which included three 3-pointers, and he tossed in 5-of-6 free throws. Scott Montell, 5-11 junior forward, added 10 points. He grabbed 11 rebounds and had four assists.
The Tigers were 26-of-56 from the field and 6-of-10 on free throws. They also had 15 turnovers.
Sophomore Jamale Roland led the Tigers with 13 points, while seniors Justin Queener and Matt Gordon chipped in with 12 points apiece. Roland and Queener each grabbed five rebounds.
Niles-Hubbard
Frank Rosile scored 11 of his 23 points in the first half as he helped the Eagles (6-15) to leads of 18-12 and 28-27. He also connected on four 3-pointers during the contest.
The Red Dragons (13-8) pulled ahead with a 14-11 spurt in the third quarter to give them a 41-39 advantage.
Niles went to the foul line 21 times in the final eight minutes and made 11 free throws. The Red Dragons tossed in 15-of-25 foul shots, compared with 9-of 21 for the Eagles.
Other Niles scorers
Andrew Cleary, who was 4-of-5 shooting including three 3-pointers, added 17 points, and Bill Frech added 15 and he grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Red Dragons outrebounded Hubbard, 37-35, with Corey Hitt grabbing 10.
Marc Kanetsky, who connected on four 3-pointers for the Eagles, finished with 16 points.
miller@vindy.com