WINTERSVILLE — It was an emotional night for the Indian Creek boys’ basketball team as the team played its first home game since longtime head coach Joe Dunlevy suffered a medical issue during his team’s home game against Claymont Dec. 27.

Indian Creek returned to Coach D Court Tuesday night to take on Beaver Local. The Redskins battled for 32 minutes, however, the Beavers built an early advantage and did not look back en route to a 69-40 victory.

Owen Hill – the Beavers’ senior standout, tallied a game-high 28 points to lead the Red-and-White to the victory. Hill knocked down seven 3-pointers in the win.

The boys from Columbiana County built a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, and they pulled away from that point.

“Hill was Hill,” Indian Creek (1-9) interim head coach Tommy Winland said. “He’s a really good player. If you leave him open, he can knock down shots, and we left him open.”

“We shot the ball pretty well,” Beaver Local (9-2) head coach Nick Miller said. “We had a little lull there for about four minutes where nobody could score. We hit some shots, and our defense carried the load for us.”

The win enabled Beaver Local to sweep the season series from its Buckeye 8 rival. The Beavers defeated the Redskins, 55-44, Dec. 12 at home.

“I don’t think so,” Winland said asked if either team did anything different in Game 2 compared to Game 1. “They jumped on us. They put us in a hole. When we get down, we have to find a way to keep playing hard, keep battling, take shots and run our offense. Our kids played hard. We just have to find those little things that can change things.”

After taking a nine-point advantage at the end of the first, the visitors increased their advantage out to 35-16 at halftime. Then, the Beavers extended their advantage to 57-24 entering the fourth. The Redskins outscored Beaver Local, 16-12, in the fourth to cap the scoring in the game.

Nishon White netted a team-high 16 points to lead the way offensively for the Redskins, while, Dalton Nickell and Evan McGrew each collected eight.

“Our hearts and prayers are with Coach D,” Miller said. “He’s a great guy. I learned a lot from him during my coaching career. We’re praying for him and his family.”

For the Beavers, Luke Rettos tallied 17 points, Matt Anderson added 10 and Aidan Dray delivered eight. The victors connected on nine 3s in the win with Hill making seven and Dray recording two.

The game was the second one for Creek without their veteran coach.

“It’s rough,” Winland said. “The kids love that guy. The coaches love that guy. We would all run through a wall for him. We would do anything for him. We’re playing for him. We are doing what we would want us to do. It wasn’t pretty tonight, but we are going to get back in the gym and do what he would want us to do. We’re going to work hard and try to get better.”

Indian Creek is scheduled to play Brooke Friday night on the road inside the Brooke Wellness Center.

The Indian Creek School District posted a statement from the Dunlevy Family Monday on its Facebook page.

The public post says, “We know many of you are waiting on an update on Coach D. This journey continues to be a roller coaster, so we are sharing carefully as his needs change. He has been off a ventilator for 48 hours and continues to heal. We are cautiously optimistic. He has been able to reach, wave, and hold hands with his left hand, and he is resting often to allow his brain to heal. Thank you for the continued love, prayers and support.”

Beaver Local is slated to play Buckeye 8 rival Harrison Central Friday night at home.

Beaver Local 69, Indian Creek 40

Beaver Local 15 20 22 12 – 69

Indian Creek 6 10 8 16 – 40

BEAVER LOCAL (9-2): McKenzie 0 0-0 0, McElroy 0 0-0 0, Braslawsce 1 0-0 2, Dray 3 0-0 8, Moore 0 2-2 2, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Hill 11 1-2 28, Anderson 4 2-2 10, Rettos 8 1-2 17, Cowdery 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 28 6-8 69.

INDIAN CREEK (1-9): Mazar 1 1-2 3, Nickell 4 0-0 8, McGrew 4 0-0 8, Sims 0 0-0 0, Pietro 1 0-0 2, Lyons 0 0-0 0, Saffle 1 0-0 3, White 7 2-2 16. TOTALS: 18 3-4 40.

3-POINTERS: Beaver Local 9 (Hill 7, Dray 2); Indian Creek 1 (Saffle)