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Eagles sky high in opener
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CLIPPERS CLIPPED: Youngstown Christian’s Caleb Yanno (3) blocks a shot by Columbiana’s Zach Chaplow (32) during Tuesday’s game at Youngstown Christian High School. The Eagles defeated the Clippers, 93-71.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL | Tuesday’s games
Youngstown Christian scored 60 points in the second half against Columbiana.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
Vindicator correspondent
YOUNGSTOWN — Returning four starters from last year’s Division IV regional final team and picking up transfers from Canfield and Poland, there are a lot of expectations for the Youngstown Christian boys basketball team.
The Eagles (1-0) opened the 2009-10 season on a high note by scoring 60 points in Tuesday’s second half to break open a tight 33-32 halftime lead to defeat Columbiana, 93-71.
Casey Carroll, son of head coach Dolph Carroll who played the last three years at Canfield, scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Eagles.
Three other starters scored in double figures. They were led by returning starters Anthony Walker (15 points) and John Pecchia (14 points). Louis Fatimus, a transfer from Poland, added 11 points.
“It’s the first game and it wasn’t very pretty in the first half,” Dolph Carroll said. “Columbiana is a good team. They are a tough opener because they throw so much at you.
“We made some adjustments at halftime and the kids did a much better job.”
Pecchia and Carroll, who sat most of the second quarter with two fouls in a first half that was fast and furious and sloppy at times, led the assault in the second half.
“It was tough to sit there and watch most of the second quarter,” Pecchia said. “We just had to step up our defensive intensity in the third quarter and once we did we got some easy baskets on our fast break.”
The Eagles were able to finally take advantage of their height advantage with Carroll and Walker as the Clippers were plagued with fouls in the third quarter.
“We went down low with Anthony [Walker] and then went a little high-low with him and Casey,” Carroll said. “Those two are going to be pretty formidable the rest of the year.”
Walker scored six points in the third quarter while Carroll added 13 points as Youngstown Christian opened up a 66-52 lead after three quarters.
“Both teams played hard all night,” Columbiana coach Eric Whitmer said. “They were able to handle their situational foul trouble better than we did and their pressure hurt us a little more than it had in the past years.
“Youngstown has a nice team but we think we have a growing team and we feel like we are only going to get better.”
The Clippers (0-1) gave YCS everything they could handle in the first half with a tenacious defense of its own and scored many easy baskets off of transition.
Logan Goist scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half while Luke Barker and Nick Good also had hot hands for the Clippers.
Tyler Denmeade scored 14 points while Barker and Good chipped in with seven each.
YCS’s pressure limited Columbiana’s shooting percentage to 40.5 percent (25-62 and forced the Clippers into 27 turnovers.
“Both teams play that pressure defense,” Carroll said. “That’s what we’ve done since I’ve been here so it’s no secret.”
YCS also showed that they have several ways to beat opponents and numerous weapons.
The Eagles outrebounded Columbiana 51-36 and had nine players break into the scoring column.