Dec 14, 2024
TALLYING IT UP — Big Red’s Santino Haney changes Big Red’s win tally following its win over Toronto. – Aaron Petchal
STEUBENVILLE — Two of the winningest boys’ basketball programs in Ohio history met on the hardwood Friday night as Jefferson County rivals Big Red and Toronto met inside the Crimson Center.
Big Red and the Red Knights entered the game with nearly 2,600 wins between them.
In the end, the boys from Steubenville raced out to an early lead and did not look back as the Red-and-Black recorded a milestone victory as Big Red defeated Toronto, 82-32, via at home. The running clock came into play early in the third.
“We got off to a good start,” Big Red (2-1) head coach Mike Haney said. “You want to get off to a fast start, and we were able to do that. We scored right off the tip, and we were able to get into our pressure defense. We were able to create five or six turnovers in the first quarter.
“We were able to hit some shots tonight. We struggled doing that in our first game and halfway through our second one. When your shots fall, it helps your defense. You play with more energy when your shots fall.”
The Red Knights were undermanned against Big Red.
“Big Red is a very, very good program,” Toronto (3-1) head coach Sean Tucker said. “They are a really good team. They get after it.
“You want to play teams like Big Red. Not a lot of teams around here will play them. We are a small school, and we stepped up and played them.
“We were a man down. We were without one of our starters. We’re dealing with an injury.”
The victory was No. 1,500 for Big Red. The program began in 1906.
Haney is in his 17th season as head coach at Big Red.
“It is a great accomplishment,” Haney said. “We are somewhere in the top 10 in the state in wins. These kids have been in the program since the seventh grade. They have worked really hard. It is a great accomplishment. The kids have worked really hard and so have my assistant coaches.
“The kids get along well. There is great camaraderie. You could see the guys on the bench cheering for their teammates. They cheer for the freshmen and the JVs.
Toronto has a chance for a milestone victory of its own this season as the boys from the Gem City are just 12 wins away from reaching the 1,100 win plateau.
The boys in white took a 24-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the hosts extended their advantage to 53-19 halftime.
“We had seen them play,” Haney said. “We scouted them. They play zone. They play man. They play multiple defenses. We had to prepare for everything.”
Big Red led 73-24 entering the fourth.
“They shoot the ball really well,” Tucker said. “I am extremely proud of the effort our kids gave. They played hard for the full 32 minutes. They did not give up at all.”
Four players produced double digits in points for the victors. Individually, Aiden Davis delivered a game-high 21 points to lead the way. Also, Santino Haney contributed 14 points, Will Taylor tallied 13 and Tre’von Wiggins netted 11.
Big Red made 12 3-pointers on their way to the win.
“When a team shoots 60 percent from beyond the arc, it makes it very difficult,” Tucker said. “We have to limit our turnovers. We have to be strong with the ball. These kids should be extremely proud of themselves and how they represented the school.”
Big Red shot 46 percent from beyond the arc as they went 12-of-26 from long distance.
“Our first game, we were 4-for-29 from 3, and that’s 13 percent or something like that,” Coach Haney said. “We shot 54 percent from 2 tonight. We shared the basketball. We were able to drive and kick. We had a lot of assists tonight.
“We share the basketball. We get up-and-down a lot. Everybody gets their shots. We share the basketball. We play defense. You play with a lot of energy when you share the basketball.”
Brady Fair finished with a team-high 13 points to lead the way for the boys in red, while Austin Buchanan collected eight.
“Coach Tucker and I talk,” Coach Haney said. “He is a great coach. They were shorthanded tonight. They had a kid out hurt. They were without Landon Grimes. They’re dealing with some sickness.
“Brady Fair did a great job. He had 12 free throws in the first half. We couldn’t keep him off the foul line. He kept getting to the bucket.
“They have a young team this season. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tucker. Not a lot of schools around here will play us, but he does.”
Both teams are scheduled to play Tuesday at home. Big Red is slated to play St. Thomas Aquinas, while Toronto is set to take on Bridgeport inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.
“I told those guys in the locker room that this game is a learning point,” Tucker said. “We knew that coming in. We found out this morning we were going to be a man down. We had to have some kids step up, and they did. We could not score. We had an off night. They shot the ball well. In our first three games, we shot the ball better than our opponents. That wasn’t the case tonight.
“Our kids didn’t give up. They continued to fight. It’s a long season. We learned a lot tonight.
“I have a lot of respect for Mike. He’s like a brother to me. He does a fantastic job. We have had a lot of battles.
“I am really proud of our kids for playing hard for the full 32 minutes. In a game like that, you can look up at the scoreboard and just give up, but our kids did not do that. They did not give up. They kept playing.”
Big Red 82, Toronto 32
Toronto 12 7 5 8 – 32
Big Red 24 29 20 9 – 82
TORONTO (3-1): Filby 1-2 3, Joynson 1 0-0 2, Buchanan 3 0-0 8, Fair 2 9-12 13, Close 0 0-0 0, Henry 3 0-0 6, Rebich 0 0-0 0, Dickinson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 10 10-14 32.
BIG RED (2-1): Hinton 1 0-0 2, Davis 8 0-0 21, Haney 5 3-3 14, Wiggins 4 2-2 11, Bowers 2 0-0 6, Adams 2 1-2 5, Taylor 6 0-0 13, Boni 1 0-0 2, Simon 2 0-0 6, Rea 0 0-0 0, Moore 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 32 6-7 82.
3-POINTERS: Toronto 2 (Buchanan 2); Big Red 12 (Davis 5, Bowers 2, Simon 2, Haney, Wiggins, Taylor)
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