Chester routs South Hills

NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — Eric Sampson hit a double and two singles and Dave Smith had two singles in leading the Chester Oldtimers past Pittsburgh South Hills, 8-1, Sunday at Oak Glen High School.

Smith also picked up the win on the mound as Chester improved to 6-1.

Chester will play Poland at 3 p.m. July 13 at Oak Glen High School.

Parent/Child scramble set

COLUMBIANA — The annual Parent/Child Father/Son nine-hole scramble will be held July 12 at Valley Golf Club.

Cost is $45 per two-person team, all inclusive. To enter or for more infomation, call the pro shop at (330) 482-9464.

Leetonia discussing football program

LEETONIA — The Leetonia School District is hosting a meeting today to discuss the football program.

Faced with rumors regarding the future of the football program, Leetonia administrators met with other Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference schools in December seeking scheduling relief. When that went nowhere, school officials said the Bears were committed to playing a full schedule this fall.

That appears to be in doubt as the Bears have, at the most, 18 high school players at the moment. Today’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the home stands of the football stadium to hear from parents, student-athletes and community members and outline steps school officials are taking to address concerns.

WNBA expanding to Cleveland

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030.

Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”

All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.

“It’s such a natural fit that when you already have this basketball-related infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful, combinations of personnel that you find to be successful,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cavaliers. “Extending that into the WNBA, is just a natural next progression, especially if you have a desire to grow like we do.”

Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.

“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition. Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plans will bring new energy, investment and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.”

Detroit sports stars Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff will have minority ownership stakes in the team.

The Cleveland and Detroit ownership groups said the Rockers and Shock — the names of the previous teams — would be considered but they’d do their due diligence before deciding on what the franchises will be called.

“Rockers will be a part of the mix for sure, but we are at this point, we’re not going to commit to a brand identity because we want to really get into it with our fans, do some research, be very thorough and thoughtful in that process,” Barlage said.

Nation’s top player returns to Ohio

GENEVA — Saniyah Hall, the nation’s No. 1-ranked girls basketball player in the Class of 2026, is returning home to Ohio.

The 6-foot-2 guard announced last week she is transferring from Montverde (Florida) Academy to SPIRE Academy in Northeast Ohio.

Hall has received offers from all of the top college basketball teams in the country, but has not yet committed.

Hall averaged a team-high 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks a game last season in leading Montverde to a 26-2 record. The Eagles lost to IMG Academy, 70-68, in the Chipotle High School Nationals championship game.

Hall played her freshmen and sophomore seasons at Laurel High School in Shaker Heights. She was a two-time finalist for Ohio Ms. Basketball at Laurel.

She led Laurel to the 2024 Ohio Division II state championship game, including a 51-39 win over West Branch in the district final.

Hall joins a SPIRE Academy team that went 7-13 last season, but recently added Ariyana Cradle from Westerville South.

Hall will join the USA Basketball for the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup at the Czech Republic from July 12-20.