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Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, OH)

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1/7/06

BOYS BASKETBALL

<H1 class=red>Lighty leads way for VASJ

</H1>

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Jack McDermott

Plain Dealer Reporter

Through three quarters of Friday night's North Coast League showdown between host St. Peter Chanel and Villa Angela-St. Joseph, it was 42-42.
David Lighty, VASJ's 6-5 senior and leading scorer at 20.7 points per game, had 13 points.

Then the Vikings' sleeping giant awoke.


Lighty scored 15 of VASJ's 17 points in the final 5:22 to finish with a game-high 28 and lead the Vikings to a 65-57 victory.

With 2:12 remaining and the score 54-54, Lighty drove the lane, scored and was fouled. He connected on the free throw, giving VASJ (6-2) a 57-54 advantage.

Seconds later, after Chanel failed to score, Lighty was intentionally fouled by Chanel's Jahmil Rippy. Lighty made his two free throws, and VASJ regained possession. Seconds later, Lighty drove to the hoop again, scored and the Vikings were in charge, 61-54, with 1:19 to go.

"This was definitely my best quarter of basketball this year," Lighty said. "I think if there was any doubt coming in, tonight we proved that we're a good team, and this was a very big win for us."

Chanel coach Bernie Tarr said: "That intentional foul call was the definite turning point for us. We were faced with a situation where we needed to foul someone, and I made the call, but Lighty definitely wasn't the someone I wanted to have fouled.

"Frankly, I was surprised that the official would have called the foul intentional - it wasn't like there was any bad blood between the two teams, or any of the players. Giving him two free throws and then possession of the basketball definitely was the beginning of the end for us."

Reserve senior John White led the Firebirds (3-4) with 18 points, including 13 in the second half. Two free throws by White closed out Chanel's scoring with 52 seconds remaining.

Senior Darryl Rushton, a 6-5 senior, gave added support to the Vikings attack, finishing with 19 points, including 12 in the second half.

"We did a good job on the boards late in the game," VASJ coach Dave Wojciechowski said. "We didn't get many good looks at the basket in the first half, but things opened up once we got rolling.

"This has been a very big week for us, and we've learned a great deal about one another in the past several days. I thing tonight we took some serious steps, and I finally see positive signs that we starting to trust and believe in one another.

"The fourth quarter was a real character test for us."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 800-767-2821
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1/11/06

Vikings pull out win at Elyria Catholic

ELYRIA - Whew.

There was a collective, and unexpected sigh of relief Tuesday night in Viking Village, but Villa Angela-St. Joseph will take the scare and the win all the same.

Elyria Catholic held its own Tuesday night against North Coast League foe and state-ranked VASJ, but the Vikings scratched out a 61-56 victory.
The Panthers claimed a lead at halftime and also cut an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to two with 1:33 left to play, but fell short of upsetting the seventh-ranked team in the first Division III state poll.

Senior forward Darryl Rushton, who led the Vikings with 16 points, hit a field goal to put his team up, 49-38, with a little over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter before the Panthers came clawing back.

Kyle Arroyo hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 5 minutes to help turn the momentum toward Elyria Catholic.

Corbin Schlather's field goal and an Arroyo triple cut the lead to five with 3:25 left to play, but the basket was answered by another Rushton field goal.

Schlather then further tightened the action with a three-point play that was followed by an Andrew Kirsch lay-up off a steal, and the Panthers were within two at 53-51 with 2:06 left.

Kirsch nailed a baseline jumper to cut the deficit to 55-53 with 1:33 left, but VASJ put the game on ice in the final 90 seconds.

VASJ (7-2, 5-0 NCL) used ball control and precise free throw shooting to seal the win. The Vikings shot 10-of-11 from the free throw line in the decisive quarter.

"I give credit to Elyria Catholic," said VASJ coach Dave Wojciechowski, whose team played its sixth away game in a row and has three more on the road before its next home game. "We had them down 10 or 12, but we didn't go after them enough and let them back in it.

"We got the pants scared off of us tonight, but we'll take the win all the same."

VASJ star David Lighty, who is heading to Ohio State, was held to 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting. The Panthers contained him, but not the rest of the Vikings. Beside Rushton's 16, Maurice Haynes and Ashen Ward added 10 each.

"(VASJ) is well-coached," said Elyria Catholic coach Alan Januzzi, whose team slipped to 6-4, 3-1 in the NCL. "They're unselfish. They have a lot of good athletes that can score. They hit their free throws down the stretch.

Good teams are going to do what they need to do to win the game."

The Panthers battled to a tie after the first quarter and even claimed a 21-20 halftime lead when Brandon Williams splashed a 3-pointer with six seconds left in the second quarter.

Williams led all scorers with 18 points, including five 3-pointers. Kirsch was next with 16. Arroyo added 12.

"I told the players before the game to make them beat us," Januzzi said. "I told them, 'Let's not go out and lose this game ... make them win the game'. We made them come in here and beat us. I couldn't ask for anything more from our guys."

Staff Writer Bill Tilton contributed to this story.
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1/13/06


2.
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Dunbar hoop: UD and WSU are hurting. That's why we say the Wolverines are Dayton's best show. Coach Pete Pullen's favorite sons play Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center at 4:30 p.m. Monday. Even better, it's a matchup of Dunbar's Daequan Cook and VASJ's David Lighty, two members of OSU's heralded incoming class of '06.
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1/17/06

Matta has a right to smile

COLUMBUS - Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta was smiling in the fourth row behind the scorer's table in Value City Arena on Monday afternoon.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph coach Dave Wojciechowski was not, and for good reason.
A day after watching his Buckeyes lose a double-overtime thriller to Michigan State, Matta needed some good news. Especially after watching his team play solid defense, but managing just 59 points in 50 minutes of play.
The performance of Dayton Dunbar's Daequan Cook against the Vikings was nothing short of spectacular in a 101-53 rout of VASJ.
What was billed as a showdown of Buckeye basketball recruits - Cook and the Vikings' David Lighty, the top two senior recruits in Ohio - very quickly became a one-man show. Cook and Dunbar proved to be too good on this day for Lighty and his VASJ teammates.
It took Cook a few minutes to get his game in gear, missing his first two shots. But after connecting on a baseline shot for his first field goal a little over three minutes in, it quickly became a one-man show.
The 6-foot-4 swingman tormented the Vikings with a dazzling display of creativity to find countless openings for his own shot and to get his teammates involved. The results were 41 points on 17 of 29 shooting, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals against just one turnover.
Cook also showed he might not be just the top senior prospect in the state. While many consider North College Hill junior O.J. Mayo the best prospect in Ohio, regardless of class, Cook made a strong case for himself Monday afternoon against the reigning Mr. Basketball award winner.
"Cook is tremendous," said Wojciechowski. "He's going to be a tremendous prospect. He was unstoppable today."
Lighty, who scored 10 points on 3 of 12 shooting, and the Vikings kept it close for most of the first quarter until Cook took over, scoring nine points in the final three minutes.
From there it was a rout.
So forgive Lighty if he seemed relieved he'll play with Cook next season, not against him.
"After that performance, you've got to love (Cook). I think it will be a while before I talk to him again," Lighty said jokingly.
Cook's abilities were on full display throughout:
n In the first quarter, Cook faked out a defender on the baseline and buried a 15-foot fadeaway shot.
n In the second, he stole a pass and slammed home the first of his three dunks. In the closing seconds of the half, he buried a 3-pointer to make it 48-21 at half.
n In the third, Cook faked a drive to the inside, before deciding to take it inside following a cross-over dribble that resulted in a thunderous dunk.
n In the fourth, Cook missed on a through-the-legs windmill dunk, but grabbed his own rebound and dropped it in.
"I just came out here today a little harder to give the fans a taste of what to expect next year," Cook said. "But the game was less fortunate for Dave. I just wanted to put on a show."
It's no wonder Matta was in the fourth row smiling like he had just won the lottery.
With Cook, Lighty and Greg Oden, the nation's consensus No. 1 recruit, en route to Columbus next fall for what is considered the core of one of the nation's top incoming classes, Matta might have done just that.
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1/29/06

BOYS BASKETBALL

<H1 class=red>Aerni lobs, Roe slams, Eagles win

</H1>

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Eddie Dwyer

Plain Dealer Reporter

St. Edward's Delvon Roe and Jeff Aerni said it is a play they repeat over and over -- before practice, after practice and, as Aerni said, even in gym class.

"Yeah, we practice it, and it almost never works," said a smiling Roe. "Maybe one in a million."

Make that two.

Roe, getting a solid back-screen pick from senior guard Reid Anderson, caught a picture-perfect lob pass from Aerni and slammed home two points with six seconds remaining, helping the Eagles to a dramatic, 74-71 overtime victory over Villa Angela-St. Joseph Saturday night in front of a standing-room-only crowd at VASJ's Viking Village.

St. Edward, which ran the final 2:49 down to 12 seconds before setting up the telling play, improved to 11-4. The Eagles, who also got a free throw from Aerni with 1.9 seconds left, entered the game ranked sixth in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 poll.

VASJ, which got a 44-point performance from Ohio State recruit David Lighty, slipped to 9-4. The Vikings are ranked fifth in the area.

"Reid set a nice pick on Lighty, and I knew there was no way Delvon wasn't going to catch it," said Aerni, a 6-0 senior who was one of five Eagles to finish in double figures. "Two months ago, we wouldn't have won this game. But we have really come together."

St. Edward needed every bit of its balanced scoring to offset Lighty's effort as the 6-5 senior came up just five points shy of tying his single-game career record. Scoring on an assortment of strong drives and tough perimeter shots, he led the Vikings to a nine-point lead in the third quarter.

He scored 22 points in each half.

St. Edward, with the 6-8 Roe playing with four fouls down the stretch, and displaying the savvy one doesn't associate with a sophomore, battled back.

With Roe, Aerni, Anderson, junior forward Kyle Hubbard and junior guard Nne Lewis leading the way, the Eagles led, 68-66, after Roe scored on a move down the lane with 1:17 to go in regulation. Roe's basket followed a five-point run by Lighty, including a 3-pointer that tied the score at 66 with 2:36 left in the fourth quarter.

After two free throws by Vikings senior guard Erich Leden forced overtime, Lighty tied the game at 71 by splitting one of two free throws. St. Edward had taken a 71-70 lead on a 3-pointer by Lewis, one of 11 by the Eagles.

"Just something about that play told me it was going to work tonight," said St. Edward coach Eric Flannery. "We work on end-of-game, end-of-quarter situations, and that is one of them. It needed to be a perfect pass, and it was."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-5169
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21.jpg


Delvon Roe of St. Ed's makes the winning basket against Villa Angela-St. Joseph in overtime, at VASJ, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. St. Ed's won in overtime, 74-71.



22.jpg


Jeff Aerni (5) of St. Ed's can't get to the ball as David Lighty of Villa Angela-St. Joseph, rear, watches during the third quarter, at VASJ, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. St. Ed's won in overtime, 74-71.



23.jpg


Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School center Maurice Haynes, center, is hemmed in by St. Ed's defenders Kyle Hubbard (15), right, and Delvon Roe, left, during the second quarter, at VASJ, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. St. Ed's won in overtime, 74-71.



24.jpg


Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School guard David Lighty (35) drives to the basket as St. Ed defender Kyle Hubbard (15) blocks, during the first quarter, at VASJ, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. St. Ed's won in overtime, 74-71.
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2/8/06

HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP

<H1 class=red>Rippy lifts Chanel to win over VASJ

</H1>

Wednesday, February 08, 2006



From staff reports

The St. Peter Chanel Firebirds, with four players finishing in double figures, stunned Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 78-74, Tuesday night in a North Coast League boys basketball game at Viking Village.

Ranked 20th in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 poll, Chanel improved to 9-5. VASJ, The Plain Dealer's sixth-ranked team, is now 12-4.

The Firebirds hit 10 of 12 3-pointers to take a 52-42 lead by halftime. Nick Russo had three of those 3-pointers. Brendan Coyne scored 11 of Chanel's 30 second-quarter points and all-district guard Jahmil Rippy led all Firebirds with 18 points.

VASJ, which got 24 points from senior forward Darryl Rushton and 19 from All-Ohio senior guard David Lighty, took the lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Chanel came back and ended up sealing the victory on a free throw by 6-11 center Joe Latas, his only point of the game.
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NewsHerald

2/8/06

VASJ can't pull out a win in late going as it has against Chanel in past; Vikings lose first NCL game

When it comes to games against Chanel, the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter has usually been go-time for Villa Angela-St. Joseph.

When the clock has struck 2:00 in the fourth quarter, the game has always been the Vikings to own.

There are exceptions to every rule, however, and Tuesday night was that exception for the Vikings.

VASJ had one of those Murphy's Law finishes at the Viking Village and lost its first North Coast League game since joining the conference last year with a 78-74 defeat to the Firebirds.

"We've had three games against them where we played right with them for 29 minutes or so," Chanel coach Bernie Tarr said. "And their guy, No. 35, you know who he is, has always stepped up and took the game away from us. We did not want to let him do that again."

The Firebirds (9-5) did a yeoman's job against Ohio State signee David Lighty, holding him to 19 points. But none came in the fourth quarter as John White, Alfred Wilson and Steve Martin took turns hounding Lighty around the court.

But it was a lot more than that trio's defense that hurt VASJ. A nightmarish final 90 seconds hurt even more.

After taking its first lead of the game, 69-67, early in the fourth quarter, VASJ was clinging to a 74-71 lead with 1:35 to go and the ball out of bounds in front of its own bench. But a communication error on the inbounds pass resulted in an Eric Zeleny coast-to-coast layup to cut the gap to 74-73.

On the next trip down the court, the Vikings were called for a five-second violation. The ensuing trip resulted in another turnover when Lighty drove to the hoop and lost the ball amid contact from White, which resulted in a layup for Jahmil Rippy and a 75-74 Chanel lead.

Three possessions, three turnovers and one lost lead.

"Who knows if it was a foul or not?" said VASJ coach Dave Wocjiechowski. "But what do you do?"

The Vikings (12-4) got a good look from 10 feet out from Lighty with 15 seconds to go, but it was off the mark and Zeleny rebounded the ball. He hit two free throws to make it 77-74, but VASJ still had a chance - until misfortune struck again in the form of Erich Leden slipping and falling while setting up for a 3-pointer that could have tied the game.

Six-foot-11 Joe Latas, who spent most of the night on the bench in foul trouble, clinched the game when he split two free throws in the last five seconds.

"We just didn't have a very good final two minutes," Wojciechowski said. "We had some turnovers there that hurt. But we battled back. We just didn't do the job down the stretch."

Chanel held a 52-42 halftime lead, thanks to a blistering performance from the 3-point arc in the first half. The Firebirds were 10 of 17 from 3-point land in the half.

"But we said at halftime that wasn't going to happen again," said Tarr, "so we tried to get it inside more in the third quarter."

The Vikings stepped up their defensive pressure, but also began turning the ball over. Nine third-quarter turnovers helped the Firebirds forge a 62-49 lead before VASJ mounted a comeback with the help of two Lighty 3-pointers and another from Ashen Ward, which made it 67-62 going into the fourth.

A 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by a Darryl Rushton slash to the hoop, gave the Vikings their first lead of the game. They kept that lead until the disastrous run in the final two minutes.

"We told them they'd make a run, and they did," Tarr said. "They're the defending North Coast League champs and defending district champs. And they beat us both times to get those. So we knew they'd make a run. We just got it done this time."

Rippy (18 points) and Zeleny (13) led a quartet of Firebirds in double figures. Lighty, Rushton (24) and Ward (16) hit double digits for the Vikings.
"It was one of those times when things just didn't go our way," Wojciechowski said. "But we came back from (13 down) to take the lead, and that takes guts. That's what we're going to build on."
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