Weir wins OT thriller at Madonna
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WEIRTON -- City rivals Weir and Madonna staged another classic in the longstanding rivalry.
The Red Riders were trailing in the fourth quarter, and sophomore standout G. Cross came to the rescue as he drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Blue Dons were unable to regain the momentum in overtime as Weir outscored Madonna, 10-2, in the extra session to pull out a 67-59 victory Friday night inside the Dube Dome.
"We played with so much heart," Weir (5-5) head coach Anthony Santangelo said. "We had great senior leadership out on the court. Anthony Cross was a big voice for us in the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime."
The Blue Dons held the lead in the fourth, but they were unable to seal the deal.
"It was a great game," Madonna (5-5) head coach George Vargo said. "It was a great high school basketball game. Weir High's pressure defense caused us to lose our composure, and we did not utilize our timeouts. Their pressure defense caused us to lose our composure, and when you put those two things together it equals a in for Weir High.""
The Red Riders rose to the occasion late in the game to secure the victory.
"We played really hard," Santangelo said. "We were patient. We moved the ball. We attacked their zone, and we attacked their man.
"Tyler Kelly really stepped up tonight. We had some major dogs out on the court with Anthony Cross, Trenton Taflan and Damarr Turner. I am really pleased with how we played in those last seven minutes."
The Madonna kids left it all out on the floor, however, things just didn't go the Blue Dons way at the end of the night.
"Our kids played outstanding," Vargo said. "I am proud of them. I am happy. As a coach, you do get upset about the mistakes and the turnovers. The game is 32 minutes, and we played for 29:30. We lost our composure at the end.
"G hit that 3 at the buzzer. They had the momentum going into overtime. We did not get over them hitting that shot.
"I am proud of our kids. I am proud of Weir High. It was a good game. The Weirton community could not ask for anything more. Weir is happy they won, and we are disappointed we lost. Both teams played hard for 36 minutes. It was a good game."
G. Cross scored a game-high 22 points to lead the way for the victors, Turner tallied 14 and Anthony Cross and Tyler Kelly each collected nine points.
Three players produced double digits in points for Madonna. Matt Amaismeier scored a team-high 20 points, Santino Arlia delivered 13 points and Evan Bone netted 12 points.
"In the first half, they were able to get the ball down low to Bone," Santangelo said. "Our bigs got in foul trouble, and we had to rotate guys. They came out real strong in the third. We just could not shoot. We were very stagnant. They went into a 1-2-2."
The game got off to a fast start as the Red Riders took a 19-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Blue Dons battled back and pulled to within 32-31 at halftime.
"They knew what we do, and we they knew what we do," Vargo said. "G. Cross played an exceptional game for a sophomore. He hit 3s, and he had 22 points. He played a great game."
Madonna took the lead in the third as the hosts outscored the visitors, 15-9, to take a 46-41 lead into the fourth.
"The behavior of the crowd was great," Vargo said. "They were excited. The student bodies were great. I looked at our students, and I thought wouldn't be great to be 15, 16 or 17 years-old again and have that type of fun? It was that way for both schools. It was fun. The fans were cheering, and no one was vulgar and no one was ignorant."
Weir is scheduled to play Hancock County rival Oak Glen Tuesday night on the road.
"It is another county game," Santangelo said. "It is going to be a dogfight. The guys believe in each other whether they are on the bench or on the floor. They are learning to win as a team. They have come together."
Madonna is slated to play Beallsville Tuesday night on the road.
"Anthony did a nice job with his team," Vargo said. "They have been struggling a little bit. They have had some highs and lows. They beat us tonight.
"We have been snake bitten lately. We have been snake bitten in our last four games. We have lost two games at the buzzer, and we have lost two games in overtime. We just have to figure out how to learn to win these close games, and we will. There is a lot of season left."
Weir 67, Madonna 59 OT
Weir 19 13 9 16 10 – 67
Madonna 17 14 15 11 2 – 59
WEIR (5-5): Zagula 2 0-0 4, A. Cross 3 3-6 9, Taflan 1 0-0 2, G. Cross 7 2-2 22, Turner 3-6 14, Kelly 3 0-0 9, Wilharm 2 0-1 4, Maley 1 0-2 2, Jones 0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 24 9-19 67.
MADONNA (): L. Amaismeier 0 0-0 0, Mascio 2 2-2 7, DoBraska 0 0-0 0, Arlia 2 7-10 13, Dietrich 1 3-5 5, Muzzi 0 2-2 , M. Amaismeier 7 3-3 20, Bone 4 4-8 12. TOTALS: 16 22-30 59.
3-POINTERS: Weir 10 (G. Cross 6, Kelly 3, Turner); Madonna 5 (M. Amaismeier 3, Mascio, Arlia)