Wolverines lose lead late to start season

The Wolverines Boys Basketball team tipped off their season Friday night at the Geneva College Tip-Off Tournament. The Wolverines unfortunately came out on the wrong end, as the Hickory Hornets were able to finish off a 7-1 run in the last 3:04 of the game to defeat the Wolverines 42-41.

Ellwood City started the game sluggish from the field, falling behind early 13-9. A Big second quarter run that included the first points of the night for Joseph Roth and a great defensive quarter by the Wolverines as a team forcing 4 turnovers helped propel EC in front at half 23-18.

Second half saw more of the same from the first half, as EC was outscored by the Hornets 10-7, but featured both teams playing great defense around the rim.

Fourth quarter action featured the Wolverines at the line for the most part while Hornets offense, specifically from the three point line started to heat up. The Wolverines had a 40-35 lead with 3:04 left in the game, but could not hold on to seal the victory, as Hickory finished the game on a 7-1 run to pick up the first victory of the season 42-41.

Ellwood City took only 27 shots on the evening, going a solid 15-27. On the flip side, Hickory took more shots, finishing 17-45, but was able to make 5 three-pointers that made the difference. Hickory finished 3-4 from the free throw line, but EC went 11-14 to keep the game close. The biggest factor of the night was turnovers - Ellwood City 21 - Hickory 9. The Hornest forced 15 second half turnovers by EC, with 6 of those turnovers coming in the last 3:04 of the game.

Joseph Roth led the charge for the Wolverines, finishing with 23 points and 13 rebounds, picking up the first double-double of the year. Upcoming forward Aaron Lake tallied 12 points for the Wolverines while Chris Smiley and Colton Crizer finished with the remaining 6 points. Crizer added 4 assists on the night while Roth finished the game with 3 blocks.

Ellwood City falls to 0-1 (0-0) on the early season and will look to bounce back against another D-10 foe, this time with the likes of the Slippery Rock Rockets on Tuesday night. The game will be held at Slippery Rock (JV - 6:00 PM / VAR - 7:30 PM). Live Video stream coverage will be presented by ECS!