Mustangs best rival Purple Eagles

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 8 January 2016 at 12:00 am

Rams nip Panthers

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jared Zinkievich goes in for a layup against Albion defender Brady Meakin during the Mustangs key win over the host Purple Eagles this evening.

Turning back a fourth quarter challenge, Medina bested rival Albion 56-41 this evening in a key Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball game before a boisterous near capacity crowd on the Purple Eagles hardwood.

The victory keeps Medina unbeaten in N-O action at 5-0 and a game ahead of Roy-Hart (4-1), which nipped Newfane 62-61. Albion slips to 3-2.

Medina built up as much as a 20 point lead late in the third period, saw Albion cut the deficit to nine with less than three minutes to go in the final quarter, but closed with a 6-0 run to claim the victory.

Albion’s Chase Hall goes in for a shot against Medina’s Johnny Salone.

Jalin Cooper scored a game high 19 points and Jared Zinkievich netted 11 to lead Medina as Tyler Ames added 8, Justin Morgan 7, Daryl Haynes 6 and Ronnie Koonce 5.

Tommy Mattison tallied 14 and Manwell Taylor 10 to spark Albion as Brady Meakin chipped in with 6, Chase Hall 4, Kory Reynolds and Jacob Buzard 3 and Tyler Rotoli 1.

Taking the lead for good Medina jumped out to a 15-8 first quarter lead as Haynes made three layups while Ames had a pair of rebound buckets, Morgan a three and Cooper a crowd pleasing slam dunk.

Mattison scored all 8 of Albion’s points in the opening stanza.

Medina’s Johnny Salone grabs a rebound over the Albion duo of Tyler Rotoli and Tommy Mattison.

Dominating on the boards, the Mustangs maintained a 7 point, 25-18, advantage at the half as Ames had a pair of rebound baskets and Cooper and Zinkievich one each in the second period.

Medina then extended the lead to as much as 20, 45-25, late in the third period off a big 20-7 scoring surge.

A three-point play by Zinkievich and a three by Morgan ignited that uprising which featured a burst of 10 straight points by Cooper on a layup, two free throws, two jumpers and another dunk.

The Mustangs matinained a 17 point, 45-28, advantage at the three-quarter mark.

Taylor tallied all 10 of Albion’s points in the third quarter.

A layup by Zinkievich kept Medina up by 15, 47-32, two minutes into the final period but Albion came battling back.

Clicking from long range, the Purple Eagles got three-point baskets from Buzard, Meakin and Mattison, to cut the deficit to 9, 50-41, with 2:42 remaining.

However, Albion could get no closer as two costly turnovers helped to stymie the Purple Eagles comeback bid.

Medina capitalized on the second of those turnovers to score on a basket by Koonce to go back up by 12, 53-41, with just 1:12 remaining. Koonce had two buckets and Cooper and Morgan each chipped in with a free throw during the Mustangs clinching game ending 6-0 run.

Medina next hosts Akron and Albion visits CSAT on Tuesday.

Albion’s Kory Reynolds drives between Medina defenders Johnny Salone and Tyler Ames.

Roy-Hart 62, Newfane 61
Roy-Hart stayed within a game of the league lead by nipping host Newfane 62-61 as Andy Xapsos scored 11 and Chris Anderson 8 in the fourth quarter to help lock up the Rams narrow victory.

Xapsos finished with a game high 30 points while Anderson had 13 and Ben Maynard 12. Maynard hit three big threes in the third quarter for the Rams which trailed by one, 54-53, at the three-quarter mark.

The loss drops Newfane to 2-3.

Wilson 74, Barker 52
Up by only six, 36-30, at the half, Wilson used a big 21-9 third period scoring surge to key a 74-52 win over visiting Barker.

Ryan Bradley scored 16, Connor Seeley 15 and Alex Fox 14 to lead the way for Wilson which improves to 3-2.

Mike Snell scored 16, Eddie Wasnock 14, Nate Luckman 9 and Jake Arnold 8 for Barker which is now 1-4.