NILES - It came down to the wire in Niles, but in the end, it was the Red Dragons pulling away with the victory, 49-47, over Newton Falls.
The score was knotted at 39 heading into the fourth quarter, with Niles winning the last frame. Kymone Gamble and Ray Russ both hit 3s for the Red Dragons to seal the game.
Gamble led all scorers with 17 points while Russ added 10.
Newton Falls' had its chances to pull away, but a 9-of-21 performance from the free-throw line was the downfall. The Tigers were led by Chris Greathouse with 12 points - all made from beyond the arc.
PYMATUNING VALLEY 58, CONNEAUT 42: CONNEAUT - Pymatuning Valley used a 20-7 second quarter to cruise past Conneaut.
Tim Cross led the Lakers with 20 points. Austin Nowakowski scored 14 and Quintin Ratliff had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Christian Williams topped Conneaut with 18 points.
WINDHAM 72, RAVENNA 68: WINDHAM - The Bombers led 41-30 at halftime and held on to beat Ravenna.
Parker Rickey led Windham with 20 points. Stephen Kacenski and Cameron Pozsgai each had 15 and Tyler Pennington added 12.
Justice paced Ravenna with 37 points and 12 rebounds. Bennett put in 10 points.
BEAVER LOCAL 78, CHAMPION 56: LISBON - Beaver Local jumped to a 17-4 lead and never looked back, defeating Champion in a non-conference game.
Three players scored in double digits for Beaver Local. Leading the way was Troy Hudson with 22 points.
Champion was paced by Chris Miller, who scored 17 points and was a perfect 7 of 7 from the line. Tyler Bishop added 13.
BLOOMFIELD 48, SS. JOHN & PAUL 29: ASHTABULA - Bloomfield started slow, but put up 23 points in the second quarter, en route to an opening-night victory.
After trailing 4-2 after the first quarter, the Cardinals woke up, outscoring the Heralds 23-7 in the second quarter. From there, Bloomfield cruised, as it netted 33 points in the second half.
Ian Clarion and Isaiah Noce paced the Cardinals (1-0), both with 13 points. Noce added seven assists while Clarion had three assists.
MATHEWS 40, JACKSON-MILTON 36: VIENNA - A strong third quarter for Mathews was the difference as the Mustangs took down the Blue Jays on opening night.
The score was close, as Jackson-Milton led 20-18 at halftime. But Mathews won the third quarter, 16-9, en route to the victory.
Aaron Suchainek paced Mathews with 14 points. Andy Morgan added 10 as the Mustangs started the season at 1-0.
Jackson-MIlton was led by Brandon Mitchell with 11 points.
MAPLEWOOD 68, SOUTHINGTON 60: SOUTHINGTON - Maplewood and Southington kept it tight through three quarters, but the Rockets pulled away in the fourth, leading them to a non-conference victory over the Wildcats.
After three quarters, Maplewood led 46-45, before outscoring Southington, 22-15, in the fourth quarter.
On the night, Maplewood connected on seven 3s, including four by Luke Evan, who finished with 16 points. Maplewood was led by Kevin Jones with 20.
Southington was paced by Tommy Hall and Brendan Baugher, both with 13 points. Jacob Zolna added 12.
MINERAL RIDGE 71, LORDSTOWN 45: LORDSTOWN - Led by Corey Phillips' 20 points, Mineral Ridge easily defeated Lordstown in a non-conference matchup.
The Rams led 15-1 after the first quarter and never looked back. By halftime, Ridge led 32-12.
Along with Phillips, Zac Hagy had 14 points for Mineral Ridge and Brandon Perkins added 11.
Lordstown was led by Nick Johnson with 17 points and Jake Jones with 16.
STRUTHERS 57, CAMPBELL 47: STRUTHERS - The score was tied through the first quarter, but Struthers got a lead before halftime, then cruised to the victory over rival Campbell.
The scored was knotted at 8 before the Wildcats went on a 16-9 run before the half.
Tommy Kimbrough led all scorers with 14 points for Struthers. Campbell was paced by Jayle'll Shorter with 12 points.
