Heartland’s next test on Friday

BARBERTON — The Heartland Christian basketball team is making history as the first Columbiana County boys team to capture a district title since Columbiana in 2008.

The Lions can add a regional title with one more win. Heartland (22-4) will play Jeromesville Hillsdale (19-7) in a Division VII regional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday at Barberton High School.

It is a rematch of last year’s district championship game that saw the Falcons overpower the Lions in the second half for a 73-54 win.

Hillsdale’s top player is sophomore point guard Lowen Ferguson, who set school records for most three-pointers in a season and career during Tuesday’s 67-45 win over Tiffin Calvert.

The starting lineup includes two standouts from the Hillsdale football team that was Division VII state runners-up the past two seasons — first-team All-Ohio quarterback Kael Lewis and second-team All-Ohio receiver Hayden McFadden, also a state track qualifier in the 200-meter dash and long jump.

This is Heartland’s first trip to the regional tournament. The only other time Hillsdale reached the regional final was in 1990.

Tickets for Friday’s game are $12 for adults and $5 for students.

Columbiana County Classic MVPs

LISBON — The 39th Columbiana County Classic featuring the top basketball players in the county was held Sunday by the Columbiana County Basketball Coaches Association.

Boys MVPs were Lisbon’s AJ Ramgeet and Columbiana’s Cooper Brown in the senior game; Salem’s Ty Manion and Columbiana’s Senator Johnson in the underclassmen game; and Beaver Local’s Holden Rogers and East Palestine’s Brody Jurjavcic in the junior high game.

Girls MVPs were Crestview’s Addison Rhodes and Salem’s Maddy Andres in the senior game; Southern’s Katie Kellogg and Salem’s Abby Knickerbocker in the underclassmen game; and Crestview’s Abby MacKay and Beaver Local’s Lily Johnson in the junior high game.

Kirtland stings Grand Valley

CANTON — The Kirtland boys basketball team is a win away from a second straight state semifinal berth.

The Hornets got 31 points from Lucas Renfro as they defeated Orwell Grand Valley, 79-58, Tuesday in a Division VI regional semifinal at the Canton Fieldhouse.

The matchup of the two Salem district champions was no contest as Kirtland build a 43-24 halftime lead.

Backing Renfro for the Hornets were Jake LaVerde with 14 points, Ben DiFranco 10 and Sammy Ridgeway eight.

Solomon Schultz had 24 points for Grand Valley, which finished 21-5 with its first district title.

Kirtland (23-3) advances to play Richmond Heights (17-7) in the regional final at 7 p.m. Friday at the Canton Fieldhouse.

Richmond Heights — which won three straight Division VI state titles from 2022-24 — beat Willoughby Andrews Osborne, 68-58, in Tuesday’s nightcap.

Andrews Osborne (12-11) won the Gilmour district title as an 18th seed.

Orlando’s Bane welcomes Cavaliers

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane had a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 17.4 seconds to cap a 35-point night and help the Orlando Magic hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-122 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.

Paolo Banchero added 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Magic. Tristan da Silva scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter.

James Harden had 30 points and eights assists for Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell added 25 points, hitting a 3-pointer that brought the Cavaliers within two after Orlando led by 13 midway through the fourth quarter.

Bane countered with a 3-pointer as he was falling out of bounds with 17.4 seconds left, then added two free throws with eight seconds remaining.

Three 3-pointers by Keon Ellis, who finished with 20 points, keyed the late comeback of the Cavaliers.

Evan Mobley had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland. The Cavaliers have lost five of nine after winning seven straight.

Mitchell and Harden each scored 16 points in the first half, but the Cavaliers missed 11 of 12 3-point shots in the second quarter and were tied at 62 at halftime.

Hanging around in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (AP) — David Dixon could have left. The thought crossed the Duquesne forward’s mind a few times over the years. Maybe more than a few.

There might have been situations where Dixon could have found more playing time. Or more money. Or a higher profile. Or a mixture of all three.

Yet as each offseason came, Dixon couldn’t walk away from the school on a bluff overlooking the Monongahela River near downtown Pittsburgh.

So even as teammates who became friends dipped in and out in search of other opportunities, commonplace in an era where constant player movement is the norm, Dixon stuck around.

“I feel like I have the equity here,” he said. “I feel I have structure, like I could play here. I didn’t feel like my position was in jeopardy or anything.”

That last part is certainly true.

When Dixon walks onto the PPG Paints Arean floor at 5 p.m. today to face Rhode Island in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament, he will be appearing in his school-record 127th game, a mark that may never be broken given the unprecedented roster churn in college athletics thanks to relaxed NCAA legislation that allows athletes to transfer as often as they like.

The understated Dixon finds himself part of an increasingly exclusive club. The list of players across the country who have remained with one program throughout their respective college careers is dwindling.

There are fewer than five in the A-10 who fit that profile this season. The numbers at the moment are somehow even starker in high-major conferences like the sprawling SEC, which reportedly had just one scholarship player — Mississippi State’s Shawn Jones Jr. — finish at the same school where he started.

“It’s really rare to stay and play four years,” Dixon said. “(But) the fan base here, people love me. I’d be going into uncharted territory if I left. I’ve got a lot invested here.”

Dixon is a 6-foot-9 burst of energy. Could he have found a place where he’d play more than 22 minutes a night? Probably. Yet Dixon had already been down that road. The Memphis, Tennessee, native bounced between three high schools before committing to the Dukes. That was more than enough.

So Dixon did something incredibly hard at any age, let alone your early 20s: He placed pragmatism and loyalty over the voice in the back of his head that wondered what else might be out there.

“Having an ego made it hard,” he said. “Because I felt like as a player, I’ve done enough on the basketball court to where if I was to go, I could have played anywhere.”

Fairfield returns to NCAA tournament

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Crestview All-Ohioan Addison Rhodes’ new home will be featured in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Fairfield University (Conn.) held Quinnipiac (Conn.) to 17 field goals on the way to the Stags’ third straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title, 51-44, Monday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

The 27th-ranked Stags (28-4) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time. The tournament bracket will be announced Sunday night.

Jillian Huerter led Fairfield with 16 points and Cyanne Coe had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Quinnipiac graduate student Jackie Grisdale — the all-time leading scorer at Poland (Ohio) High School — played all 40 minutes. She had five points, two rebounds and one steal.

Grisdale ended her collegiate career with 1,285 points in 130 games, including 104 starts.