EC boys basketball

PHOTOS: Wolverines Down Riverside, Clinch Playoff Berth

Ellwood City avenged a January loss to rival Riverside Friday night, collecting a 56-41 victory and clinching a playoff berth. This time they had the services of junior big man Joseph Roth, but it was another Wolverine starter that propelled the visiting Wolverines to victory Will Nardone entered Friday’s contest averaging under five points per contest, but the sophomore erupted for 21 points including more made 3-pointers (five) than his season average in points. Nardone scored eight points in a pivotal third quarter that saw the visiting Wolverines stretch out what was a two point halftime advantage to a 43-27…


Wolverines Beat Beaver Falls, Eye Rematch Against Riverside

Ellwood City and Riverside will have a playoff berth on the line Friday when the two teams square off in their Riv-Ell rematch. This after Ellwood City used a 35-point scoring outburst by junior Joseph Roth to hold on and defeat Beaver Falls 57-51 Tuesday night at Lincoln High School. Ellwood City (14-7 Overall, 6-5 Section) and Riverside (8-13 Overall, 5-6 Section) will enter Friday’s match-up with 4th place in Section 1-3A and a playoff berth on the line.  The Wolverines will look to overcome an overtime defeat at the hands of the Panthers last month and will need the…


Riverside Rallies, Knocks Off Wolverines In Overtime

After trailing by as many as 20 points late in the third quarter, the visiting Riverside Panthers rallied to force overtime and pull away for a thrilling 50-47 victory over Ellwood City Tuesday night. Sophomore Drake Fox’s 3-pointers with under 15 seconds in regulation knotted the game. Ellwood City had led 35-15 with two and half minutes remining in the third quarter after holding a comfortable 22-12 advantage after a relatively low scoring first half. The Wolverines connected on five 3-pointers in the first half. Sound defense and timely shooting helped Riverside gain momentum against its deficit. The Panthers held…


Jumpin’ Joe! Roth Scores 42, Wolverines Rout Freedom

Junior Joseph Roth scored a season high 42 points Friday night as the Wolverines routed Freedom 73-39 at Lincoln High School. The big man help propel Ellwood City to an early 18-10 lead with eleven first quarter points. Roth settled in with 18 points at halftime as the Wolverine held a comfortable 32-20 advantage over the Bulldogs. A trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter was part of an impressive third quarter for Roth who accounted for 17 of the Wolverine 24 points in the quarter. Ellwood City’s lead stretched out to 56-25 after the third frame. Nate Williams (8…


Wolverines Knock Off Undefeated Warriors 71-67

The Ellwood City Wolverines boys basketball team went on the road Tuesday night and knocked off an undefeated Mohawk team in a battle of Class 3A Section 1 titans. Both teams entered the evening with nine wins, but Ellwood City used a fourth quarter rally, outscoring Mohawk 25-15, to find its way to its 10th victory of the season. Wolverine standout Joseph Roth scored 18 of his game-high 38 points in the final frame to help Ellwood City erase a six point deficit entering the 4th quarter. Roth connected on two three points in the final frame and made 8-9…


Wolverines Claim Mercer Christmas Tournament Championship

The Ellwood City Wolverines boys basketball team swept a mini, two-game tournament this week and claimed the Mercer Christmas Tournament championship. The Wolverines defeated tournament host Mercer 58-37 to wrap up its championship on Wednesday Joseph Roth led the Wolverines with 22 points (13 rebounds, six assists, three blocks) while junior Nate Williams joined him in double figures with 15 points (two 3-pointers) for Ellwood City who used a 22-point second quarter to race out to a 31-23 halftime advantage. An equally impressive 17-point final frame helped the Wolverines secure the victory. Will Nardone and Ryan Widmaier each connected on…


Roth Hits 1,000 Point Milestone, Wolverines Defeat Western Beaver

Joseph Roth joined rarefied air Thursday night. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound big man poured in 25 points, cresting a 1,000 career point milestone, in the Wolverines 56-45 victory over Western Beaver. Roth, who collected the 1,000th point with a bucket in the third quarter, now joins nine other Ellwood City players, including an other brother and former teammate Steve Antuono, on the list of 1,000 point scorers in Ellwood City Basketball history. On Thursday, Ellwood City kept a steady lead on the host Golden Beavers, leading 26-18 at halftime, and withstanding a 18-point fourth quarter outburst by the Beavers to hold on…


Three Games, Three Double-Doubles For Roth; Wolverines Start Season 3-0

Three games in, three double-doubles for Joseph Roth. The Ellwood City junior big man has led the young, upstart Wolverines to an early 3-0 regular season record after the Wolverines wrapped up the Laurel Tip-Off tournament by defeating the host Spartans 61-46 Monday night. Ellwood City will next host its regular season home opener on Friday against the Hopewell Vikings. The Wolverines tipped off their season Friday night with a 56-35 victory over Rochester at the Geneva College / Midland Tip-Off Classic. Elwood City raced out to an insurmountable 30-10 advantage in the second quarter on their way to easy…


Ellwood City Wolves Club Recognizes Boys Basketball Team

The Ellwood City Wolves Club 11 recognized the Ellwood City Wolverines Boys Basketball Team at their meeting on Wednesday May 11th. The team received recognition for being the first team in the history of the school for being the 2020-2021 WPIAL Champions and the 2021-2022 Section 3A Champions. The team also had two players scoring over 1,000 points in their high school careers. Receiving the certificate for the team was Coach Steve Antuono Sr. Steve Antuono Jr. is second on the Times all time scoring leaders list with 1,297 points and Alexander Roth is sixth on the Times all time…


Wolverines Connect On 14 3-Pointers, Cruise To 72-42 Opening Round Victory

Ellwood City came out firing from deep Monday night as they easily ousted visiting Summit Academy 72-42 in the opening round of the WPIAL Class-3A Playoffs Monday night. The Wolverines finished with 14 3-pointers in the contest, including five in a 23-point first quarter outburst. Ellwood City led by a dozen after the first quarter and never looked back. The sound victory was aided by great passing (25 assists), shooting (aforementioned 14 3-pointers), and balanced scoring (four players  with 10+ points). Senior Alexander Roth connected on five first half triples en route to a team-high 23 points (7 3-pointers, seven…