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Ravenna, Ohio – Senior guard Dylan Hanna scored 38 points, 16 of them in the first quarter, to propel the visiting Akron Springfield Spartans to a wire-to-wire 72-57 win over host Ravenna.
The Spartans got off and running in the first quarter, jumping out to a 16-0 lead before Ravenna got their first basket.
Despite the slow start, the short-handed Ravens would not go quietly. They turned things around in the second half, thanks to some key buckets by senior forwards Jorim McElrath and Eathan Cobbin, and sophomore guard Bryce Moneypenny.
After cutting as big as a 16 point deficit to 50-42 going into the fourth, the Ravens kept chipping away, little by little.
Dylan Hanna had two buckets to pad the lead to 54-42, but Ravenna would go on a 10-2 run, cutting that deficit to 56-52, thanks to some huge baskets by Cobbin.
But the Spartans held firm, going on a 16-5 run over the remaining stretch, and knocking down some clutch free throws, to pull away. Sophomore guard Trenton Stevens added 11 points, including said free throws.
“I can’t thank my teammates enough. They help put up the numbers. Huge shoutout to coach (Kyle Dack). First varsity head coaching win. I couldn’t be more grateful.” said Hanna.
“We had (Dylan Hanna) step up big. It seemed like he couldn’t miss in the first quarter. Our team fed off his performance.” said Akron Springfield first-year head coach Kyle Dack. “You learn a lot with each game and build off it.” he added.
Akron Springfield improves to 1-1 and hosts Crestwood Saturday evening in non-conference play.
In a losing effort, Ravenna senior forward Eathan Cobbin had 16 points, and senior Jorim McElrath had 13 before fouling out with 3:30 left. Sophomore guard Bryce Moneypenny added 11.
“The game was rough. We’re trying to get everyone to mesh together.” said Ravenna head coach Marlon Jones. “Unfortunately, we don’t have our full complement of players due to quarantine. But we have enough players that are able to play and handle the things that occurred during the game. But it’s tough.” he added.
Ravenna falls to 0-3 and travels to rival Kent Roosevelt on Tuesday, December 29th.
Sophomore guard Trenton Stevens not Spencer