wpial basketball

Ellwood City Basketball Teams Look To Build On Buzz; Boys Vie For WPIAL Repeat

A buzz was injected into the Ellwood City basketball program last year as the boys team rode the wave of a cinderella WPIAL Playoff run and captured the school’s first ever WPIAL Basketball Championship in March. Add to that a new girls head coach. Dena Noble is returning to the court, and there is plenty to be excited about for this upcoming season. “Last year was a blessing and a lot of hard work,” says boys head coach Steve Antuono. “It’s a different journey this year, with a lot of familiar faces.” The boys will feature three returning senior starters—Steve…


MARCH MADNESS: Ellwood City Ousts South Allegheny, Claims First Ever WPIAL Title

Led by the trio of juniors Alexander Roth and Steve Antuono, and freshman Joseph Roth, the Wolverines knocked off top seeded South Allegheny 53-50 Monday night to earn the WPIAL Class-3A Championship at North Allegheny. The championship is the first WPIAL championship for the basketball program after earning its first championship game berth since 1986.  This year’s run was special as the team won five games en route to the championship including victories over the #1, #2, #3 and #6 seeds along the way. Alexander Roth led the Wolverines with a game-high 19 points (2 3-pointers) while brother Joseph Roth…


Wire-To-Wire Winners, Ellwood City Advances to WPIAL Championship

Ellwood City led wire-to-wire, avenging two regular season losses, and upended 2-seed Neshannock 60-51 Thursday night to advance to the WPIAL Class-3A Championship game. Alexander Roth scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, including nine – all free throws – in the final frame to help the Wolverines escape the de-facto road game at Neshannock. Alexander’s brother Joseph buoyed the offense early, scoring 16 first half points as Ellwood City built a 34-31 halftime lead that would see leads swoon from double-digits to single possessions throughout. Both teams stroked the long ball early, combining for 13 first…


Roth Brothers Shine, Ellwood City Advances Past Shady Side Academy

Things are going swimmingly for brothers Alexander and Joseph Roth. The Splash Brothers combined for 54 points to help Ellwood City prevail over 3-seed Shady Side Academy 81-73 in overtime Monday night at Fox Chapel High School. The victory advances 11-seed Ellwood City to the WPIAL semifinals for first time since 1986. Just over 48 hours after collecting gold in #WPIAL swimming championships, Alexander (24 points, 5 3-pointers) and Joseph (30 points, 14-20 FTs) put their mark on the game late, accounting for all 30 of the Wolverine fourth quarter points and ten points in overtime. In contrast to Thursday’s…


Wolverines Advance To WPIAL Quarterfinals With Upset Victory Over Avonworth

Steve Antuono, Alexander Roth, and Joseph Roth provided a balanced scoring attack and Ellwood City used a strong performance in the fourth quarter to earn its 58-53 victory over Avonworth Thursday night at North Allegheny HS. The victory advanced the 11-seeded Wolverines (11-4 overall) into the quarterfinals of the Class-3A Playoffs. Alexander Roth scored 10 first half points as part of his team-high 16 point effort (4 3-pointers), Joseph Roth scored 13 points, and Antuono finished with 12 points (2 3-pointers, 4-4 free throws). Milo Sesti and Dan Ditri each connected on three pointers for Ellwood City who held a…


PHOTOS: Ellwood City Sweeps Riverside In Doubleheader

The Ellwood City Wolverines girls and boys basketball teams each defeated the Panthers and swept the rivalry doubleheader Tuesday night at Riverside High School. The girls ran away with a 42-12 victory in the first game while the boys used a strong second half to collect its 80-53 victory in the second game of the evening. For the girls, the cousin duo of Junior Kyla Servick and Freshman Claire Noble combined for 30 points. Noble earned her first double-double of her high school career,  scoring 17 points, including two 3-pointers, and pulling down 11 rebounds. Servick poured in 13 points…


Antuono Scores 32, Wolverines Power Past Mohawk

Steve Antuono scored a game high 32 points to lead the Ellwood City Wolverines to its 78-45 romp over Mohawk Friday night. The junior connected on six 3-pointers, including four in the second half, to pace the Wolverines offensive attack.  Antuono scored 11 points in the fast paced first quarter which saw Ellwood City take an early 24-8 advantage. Second quarter contributions by senior Sam DiCaprio (8 points) and freshman Joey Roth (6 points) helped the offensive attack in putting Ellwood City comfortably ahead 45-30 at halftime. Roth finished with 20 points and DiCaprio finished with 13 points, both joining…


Roth Scores 31, Ellwood City Defeats Rochester

Freshman Joseph Roth scored 31 points and Ellwood City used an impressive fourth quarter to pull away for a 61-50 non-section victory over Rochester Tuesday night. Ellwood City outscored the visiting Rams 19-3 in the fourth quarter after trailing by five points entering the final frame. Roth enjoyed an steady performance throughout the game, scoring six points in each of the first two quarters, eight points in the third quarter, and tallied 11 points in the final frame.  For Roth, it is his third consecutive 20+ point scoring effort for Ellwood City. Steve Antuono added 14 points (2 3-pointers) and…


Lady Wolverines Surge In Second Quarter, Race Past Riverside

The Ellwood City Lady Wolverines used a 21-1 second quarter surge to race past the visiting Riverside Panthers 45-11 Monday Night at Lincoln High School. After exchanging scores early in the first quarter, Ellwood City posted their impressive run in the second quarter taking an 8-6 advantage to a comfortable 29-7 halftime lead.  Great defense translated to multiple fast break points and layups for the Lady Wolverines. The Wolverines kept on the pressure through the second half in defeating its rival in the first of two RivEll Cup contests this year.  Ellwood City held Riverside scoreless in the final quarter….


Wolverines Cruise To Road Victory Over Mohawk

Ellwood City jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 71-44 section victory on the road Tuesday night over Mohawk. Alexander Roth and Steve Antuono each scored seven first quarter points for the Wolverines who jumped out to a commanding 27-6 lead. The Wolverines showcased a balanced team and individual scoring attack. Three players finished with 18 or more points in the contest for Ellwood City and after a face paced first quarter, the Wolverines finished with no less than 14 points in each of the final three quarters in its victory. Joey Roth stepped in and contributed…