Joseph Roth stuffed the stat sheet as the Wolverines defeated Beaver Falls 66-41 Friday night at Lincoln High School.

The senior big man finished with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Roth scored 18 first half points as Ellwood City led by three points at halftime.

Colton Crizer finished with 17 points (three 3 pointers) including a last second 3-pointer to beat the 3rd quarter buzzer that gave Ellwood City a 42-35 advantage.

The Wolverines used a strong 4th quarter performance – outscoring the visiting Tiger 24-6 – to help secure the section victory.

Crizer finished with three 3-pointers and scored 15 of his points in the second half for Ellwood City.  Roth added two blocks and a steal in the contest.

Aaron Lake finished with nine points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Wolverines while Nate Williams enjoy an all-around performance with six points, five rebounds and five assists.

Ellwood City (7-6 Overall, 3-2 Section 3A-1) next travel to face rival Riverside on Tuesday evening.  The Panthers (6-9 Overall) knocked off Freedom 42-23 on the road Friday night.

WEEKLY SPORTS ROUND-UP:

ELLWOOD CITY GIRLS BASKETBALL SPLIT SECTION CONTESTS:

Kayla Jones scored 25 points but a sluggish second quarter doomed the Lady Wolverines as they fell to section leading Beaver Falls 62-57 on the road Thursday.

Ellwood City held a 22-13 advantage after the first frame but were outscored by 20 points (26-6) in the second frame and could not recover from the halftime deficit.

Jones knocked home five 3-pointers for Ellwood City and was joined in double-figures by Claire Noble (13 points) and Caitlin Kreitzer (10 points).

On Monday, Ellwood City collected a 65-46 victory over Mohawk behind a balanced scoring attack from Noble, Jones, and Elsie Sturgeon.

Noble finished with a team-high 20 points (four 3-pointers) while Jones (18 points) and Sturgeon (19 points) also contributed for Ellwood City. The Wolverines led 32-20 at halftime en route to the section victory.

The Lady Wolverines (9-5 Overall) host two home games next week, first against Laurel on Monday and then hosting Union on Thursday.

Postgame interview with @ThadTDSturgeon and Kayla Jones who goes for 18 on the evening! pic.twitter.com/5FBNTnjs8O

— Ellwood City Wolverines Sports (@EC_Wolverines) January 9, 2024

EC WRESTLING COLLECTS VICTORY OVER NORTH CATHOLIC

The Ellwood City Wrestling Team defeated North Catholic 36-24 on Wednesday.

Logan Shriver, Gavin McClure, and Gabe Lilly earned victories by fall for the Wolverines. Derek Allen and Colton Gullo earned victories by decision.

The team posted an 8th place finish (98.0 points) last weekend in the Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament at Freedom Area HS. Gabe Lilly worked into the Championship match in the 145-pound class, falling to Matthew Danna of Quaker Valley in the finals. Logan Shriver (114 lb) earned a third place finish. West Allegheny (241.0 points) captured the team championship.

Ellwood City next heads to the Burgesttstown Invitational this weekend before hosting Knoch Area on Wednesday, January 17th.

LADY PANTHERS FALL TO NESHANNOCK, LAUREL

The Riverside Girls Basketball Team dropped two section contests this week. On Monday the team was defeated 45-11 by Neshannock. Emma Stockman scored a team-high six points in defeat. Thursday, the Lady Panthers fell 41-29 to Laurel. Gabriella Finch scored 11 points while DeLana Fox scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Lady Panthers (2-7 Overall) next host Mohawk on Monday.