Clippers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive: The Road Ahead

Columbiana’s Avery Young defends Southern’s Braxton Sloan. (Photos by Ron Firth)

COLUMBIANA — In a thrilling basketball matchup on Tuesday night, the Columbiana Clippers took control against the Southern Indians, winning 67-59 in Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference play.

Hunter Davanzo was a standout, racking up 15 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and securing four steals. Seth Struharik led the scoring with 25 points, where he excelled at the free-throw line, sinking 14 out of 17 attempts. Cooper Brown added another 17 points and blocked three shots.

With this victory, the Clippers improve their record to 14-2 overall and 9-1 in the league, trailing only Valley Christian. Southern now stands at 6-9, with a 4-5 league record.

The game saw dramatic shifts in momentum. After trailing 43-34, Columbiana fought back, buoyed by a strong second half where they made 16 out of 20 free throws, including an impressive 12 out of 13 from Struharik alone.

After tying the game at 48-48 after three quarters, Brown ignited the Clippers’ offense with a dunk followed by a three-pointer, putting them ahead 53-51. Davanzo then executed a three-point play, extending the lead to 56-51 with a little over six minutes remaining. He contributed seven points in the final quarter, showcasing his clutch performance.

On the other side, Southern’s Braxton Sloan finished strong with 24 points despite a slow start, collecting eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Landen Heffner and Noah Chase both chipped in with 15 points each, while Chase also grabbed eight rebounds. Jacob McCurdy helped on defense with five rebounds and three blocks.

Columbiana came out strong, racing to an 18-6 lead in the first six minutes. Struharik was pivotal, scoring eight points early on, while Brown added a crucial four-point play. However, Southern fought back in the second quarter, scoring 24 points, with Sloan netting 13 of those. The Indians shot well, making nine of their 15 shots in that quarter to take a 35-32 lead into halftime.

In junior varsity action, Columbiana also claimed victory, defeating Southern 30-21. Trey Snyder and Liam McElwain each contributed 12 points for the Clippers, while Aiden Davis scored nine for the Indians.

Both teams will be back on the court for league play on Friday, with Columbiana set to host Lisbon and Southern traveling to Wellsville.

Final Score:

Southern: 11-24-13-11–59

Columbiana: 19-13-16-19–67

Southern Scoring: Landen Heffner 6-1-15, Richie Sloan 1-0-3, Jacob McCurdy 1-0-2, Braxton Sloan 8-7-24, Noah Chase 6-2-15.

Columbiana Scoring: Seth Struharik 5-14-25, Cooper Brown 7-1-17, Hunter Davanzo 7-1-15, Reese Roush 1-0-3.

Three-point Goals: Southern 5 (Heffner 2, R. Sloan, B. Sloan, Chase), Columbiana 4 (Brown 2, Struharik, Roush).