MV 70 – (at) Danbury 41 quick summary

Maumee Valley came out strong in the first quarter behind hot inside shooting and pressure defense and pulled away early from the Lakers.  The score at the end of the first quarter was 23-9, and Maumee Valley won each of the remaining three frames as well.   
Wth the news of an Ottawa Hills win over Gibsonburg, Maumee Valley is in possession of a two game lead and has clinched at least a tie for first place in the TAAC.  Watch out for the rapidly improving Green Bears, who have returned from the land of the lost with their Janowicz - Coil hi-low post game.

Coach Robinson played all the geezers during the evening, that is everyone but the freshmen. 

Scoring for the Hawks was Julius Turner with 18, Jared Sturt 12, Dixon Stoddard and Rick Deichert with 8, Jon Krueger with 8, Davey Brown with 6, Caleb Willhight 5 and Nick Frasco 3.

The JV’s came up big in the second half against the JV Lakers and also won tonight 59-29.  Thad Woodard had a monster game, scoring a career high 23 points. Nick Towns got into double figures with 10, Marcus Knabbs and Danny Hazimah each had 6, Jeremy Anderson, Rashard Woodley and Lucas Isaza had 4 and Zain Bedi scored 2.

The Hawks look to clinch the regular season at Northwood this coming Friday.  This would be their first TAAC Championship since 2002.

Maumee Valley 82 - Bettsville 41 - quick summary

Maumee Valley ran its record to a gaudy 16-1 Saturday evening, doubling the Bettsville Bobcats 82-41 in a non-conference game at the Varsity Gym.  Julius Turner was the hero of the evening, scoring his 1000th point mid-way through the second quarter on a three point shot from the left wing. 

The Hawks got off to a fast start and overwhelmed the visitors early.  Nearly the entire bench played this evening and Danny Hazimah scored his first varsity points, thus joining his brother Omar on the varsity scoring rolls. 

In another special aspect to the evening, Coach Jim Robinson was a little late for the game tonight because he was watching his son's induction into the Maumee High School sports Hall of Fame. 

So history was both made and honored on this coldest evening of the winter season. 

Scoring for the Hawks - Julius had 20, Jared Sturt 19, Jon Krueger 14, Rick Deichert 8, Caleb Willhight 6, Nick Frasco and Dixon Stoddard 5, Danny Hazimah 3 and Nick Towns 2.

The JVs also won big, defeating their counterparts 62-9.  JV scoring: Nick Towns 12, Jeremy Anderson 10, Trueth Foreman 9, Turner Booth 7, Lucas Isaza and Kadar Jones 6, Thad Woodard and Danny Hazimah 4 and Marcus Knabbs and Rashad Woodley 2.

Next up, its tournament seeding Sunday and off to the Marblehead peninsula Tuesday for a road game against the Danbury Lakers.

MV 59 - Toledo Christian 46 - Quick Summary

Maumee Valley solidified its hold on the first place spot in the TAAC Friday night with a 13 point win over the third place Toledo Christian Eagles, 59-46 at the sold-out Varsity Gym.  Similarly to the Tuesday night game against Gibsonburg, TC got the first basket of the game for an early 2-0 lead, which would prove to be their only advantage all evening.  MV used the outside game to their advantage, with Julius Turner and Rick Deichert firing threes early and often. 

TC was also on defensive pins and needles in the first half as their primary inside presence, Ben Ivan, was on the bench with two fouls.  So while Jared Sturt did not have to carry the scoring load, he dominated the interior on both ends with (by your Hawkblog's crack stats department) 7 blocks on the night and double digit rebound totals.

TC was forced into a press for pretty much the full second half, and to their credit, hung in the game.  But at best, they were only able to pull the Hawks lead down by two points from half time.  The Hawks did a better job locking down the free throws tonight, hitting 14 out of 20 for a 70% clip on the evening. 

Julius Turner led the scoring for MV with 16 points, followed by fellow long bomber Rick with 12.  and Jared Sturt with 11.  Jon Krueger continues to come up strong in the big games, canning 10 points for the second game in a row.  Dave Brown had 8 on the night and Dixon Stoddard scored 2. 

Eric Cellier scored 20 points, 18 in the second half (evidence of virus-ridden defender Rick Deichert running out of gas) right on his season average.  The steadily improving Josh Winzeler scored  15 in a losing effort.

Maumee Valley 67 - Northwood 43 at the Varsity Gym - Quick Story

Maumee Valley used a big first and fourth quarter to outgun the Northwood Rangers tonight 67 - 43.  The game was closer than the score indicated, as Northwood pulled to under 10 and had the ball early in the third quarter.  The guests chose to cut off the inside passing lanes to Jared with a tight 2-3 zone all evening and the Hawk outside shots and free throws were not falling until later in the game. 

The Blue and White carried only a 13 point lead into the fourth quarter, but doubled up Northwood 22 - 11 in the final frame.  Pressure defense and drives to the basket won out in the end for Maumee Valley.

Hats off to Northwood coach John Bryan, who is going with a youth movement and teaching his young team to be aggressive around the basket.  Northwood was also a stellar eight-for-eight from the free throw line this evening.  Their progress is reminicient of that shown by both Cardinal Stritch and Emmauel Christian last year.  The Rangers will be a tough out the remainder of this season and into 2012-13.

Scoring this evening for the Hawks - Julius Turner had 18, followed closely by Rick Deichert with 17.  Jared Sturt, sharing the key tonight with 3 of his closest Northwood friends, was held to 8.  Several other HawkSquad members scored this evening -  Jon Krueger and Dixon Stoddard each had 6, Thad Woodard had 4, Caleb Willhight and Nick 'Watch for me on the BCSN Sports Report' Frasco had 3 and Dave Brown tossed in a field goal while otherwise running the show. 

Next up for the Hawks - it's finals week!!!!   Get those books out gentlemen.  Your average NBA player's career only lasts 3 years, and you guys aren't your average NBA players (yet). 

Also, let the anticipation build for the TAAC slugfest at Gibsonburg coming up Tuesday January 31, 2012.  Make your plans now to drive east for the game of the year. 

Maumee Valley 62 - (at) Cardinal Stritch 41 - Quick Summary

MV ran its record to 10-1 tonight with a 62 - 41 victory over Cardinal Stritch on the East Side Stritch Gym.  The Cardinals chose to focus on the Hawks outside game early and Jared Sturt shredded the inside with offensive rebounds and points galore.  The second half was the mirror image of the first as the Cards sold out on the inside, leaving the shooters open.  MV also scored numerous points off defensive steals and stops, especially in the second half.  One of those breaks led to this Jared Sturt dunk.





The net result was a 21 point win for the Hawks on the BCSN-televised game.  Jared and Julius Turner each scored 23 for the Blue and White.  Rick Deichert had 8 and also held CS's 20 point per game scorer Marquise Harrison to 10 on the night.  Dixon Stoddard had 4, Dave Brown had two and what seemed like 3.5 full days of quality dribbling time in the fourth quarter (much to the chagrin of the Stritch coaching staff).  Rashaan Preston had 2  as well.

It's back to the Varsity Gym Friday for a matchup against the Northwood Rangers, the last game before the big rematch against Gibsonburg on January 31.

MV 68 - Danbury 39 at the Varsity Gym 1.13.12 - Quick Summary

The Hawks ran their win streak to seven tonight at the Varsity Gym, crusing over the Danbury Lakers 68-39.  It was the same story from the last few games, as MV jumped out early on the strength of pressure defense and outside shooting, then wore down the visitors throughout the remainder of the game.  The Blue and White are now 9-1 (4-1 TAAC) at the half way point of the season. 

Julius Turner led Maumee Valley in scoring for the third game in a row, pocketing 19 this evening.  Julius has scored  62 points in his last three games.  Rick Deichert had 15, exploiting the zone early and often with a 3 for 3 start from beyond the arc.  Jared Sturt had 10 this evening, as Danbury would not come out of their tightly packed 2-3 zone. 

The Hawks also got contributions this evening from Dave Brown and Dixon Stoddard (7 each), Caleb Willhight (6) and Jonathan Krueger (4).

Things get a little tougher for Maumee Valley next Tuesday as they travel to Oregon to face the Cardinal Stritch Cardinals.

MV 73 - Monclova Christian 35 - Quick Summary

The Hawks defeated the Monclova Christian Thunder by 38 Tuesday at the Varsity Gym, in a near-carbon copy (has any current High School Student ever seen an actual carbon copy?) of the Hawks earlier win at MCA.  MV jumped out to a commanding 31-6 first quarter lead, then coasted to victory. 

MV's main rotation played sparingly throughout the evening, but Julius Turner would make the most of his minutes tonight pouring in 21 points for the second consecutive game.  Jared Sturt and Caleb Willhight scored 11 in the win, Rick Deichert had 10, Dave Brown had 5, Jon Krueger and  Nick Frasco had 4, Dixon Stoddard, Thad Woodard and Nick Towns had 2 and Rashaan Preston had 1.  All the Hawks saw action during the evening. 

The JVs topped the varsity's margin of victory earlier in the evening, topping the Thunder JVs 44-5.  Scoring for the JVs was Solomon Collins with 8, Lucas Isaza and Thad Woodard with 7, Danny Hazimah with 6, Marcus Knabbs, Rashard Woodley and Nick Towns with 3, Zain Bedi, Trueth Foreman and Rashaan Preston with 2 and Jeremy Anderson 1. 

Next up for HawkNation, a Friday the 13th visit from the Danbury Lakers.

Gibsonburg 46 – MV 43 – quick summary

In a game of streaks, Gibsonburg owned the last one, and overcame a four point deficit late in the game to win their TAAC opener in front of a sold-out Varsity Gym Friday December 9, 2011. The Bears jumped out to an early 9-1 lead, but the Hawks outscored the Bears 24-6 to take a 10 point lead. Gibsonburg clawed back to even in the third and the game was back and forth until the end. MV had a one point lead and the ball with under a minute, but the visitors prevailed in a wild finish.

Scoring for the Hawks: Jared Sturt 13, Dave Brown 9, Julius Turner 8, Rick Deichert 7, Dixon Stoddard 4 and Jon Krueger 2.

Maumee Valley 50 - Fayette 39 - Quick Summary

Welcome back everyone!! 

It was a packed house this evening, as students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents gathered for the christening of the 2011-12 basketball season. 

Maumee Valley used balanced scoring and second half pressure defense to go 1-0 on the young season tonight, pulling away from the Fayette Eagles in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks led by three at the half on the strength of Rick Deichert's 12 points.  Jared Sturt encountered some early foul trouble and was forced to miss much of the second quarter. 

His return in the second half was more than the Purple and Gold visitors could handle, as they fouled Jared three times in the first minute of the third.  Jared's presence underneath combined with a stifling MV press was the difference maker, as the home team extended their lead to five at the end of the third, then wore the visitors down at the end to finish the game up 11. 

Scoring was balanced for the Hawks this evening - Jared, with 10 in the second half led the way with 14, Rick - 12, Julius Turner - 10, Jonathan Krueger 8 and Dave Brown 6. 

The JV's lost a 31-30 heartbreaker in the prelim., almost overcoming a 7 point deficit with under 1:30.  JV scoring - Marcus Knabbs 7, Lucas Isaza 5, Solomon Collins, Rashaan Preston and Robbie Ariss 4 each, Nick Towns 3, and Truth Foreman 2. 

Next up for the Hawks, a neighborhood road trip to Monclova Christian Tuesday December 6, 2011. 

MV 62 - North Central 36 at the Varsity Gym - quick summary

Maumee Valley Seniors Daniel Brandon and Omar Hazimah finished their regular season careers on a positive note, their Hawks defeating the North Central Eagles 62-36 at the Varsity Gym. 

MV enjoyed hot shooting during the evening, jumping out to a 34-13 half time lead.  The Hawks shot a blistering 14-17 from the floor in the first half, including 5-6 from three point range.  Aside from a 10-2 NC run in the third quarter, the hosts were in control the entire evening. 

The Hawks were led tonight by Jared Sturt with 15, Rick Deichert with 14 and Julius Turner's 13.  Numerous players scored this evening for the Blue and White, including Dave Brown and Dixon Stoddard (extending his free throw streak to 11 straight) with 5, and AJ King, Nick Frasco, Omar Hazimah, Thad Woodard and Jonathan Krueger with 2 each. 

The 16-3 Hawks now earn a well-deserved rest until Friday, March 4, when they face the winner of Tuesday's Northwood - Toledo Christian first round playoff game.  Tipoff is 6:15pm at Rossford High School.  Make your plans now to be there as Maumee Valley seeks to win its first Sectional title since 2002.

MV 57 - North Baltimore 38 at the Varsity Gym - Quick Summary

Maumee Valley extended their record to 15-3 tonight with a 57-38 win against Midland Athletic League foe North Baltimore at the Varsity Gym.  Although the score was almost identical to Friday's 57-39 win against Cardinal Stritch, the game had a decidedly different feel.  MV played loose and confident from the opening tip-off.

The Hawks dominated play from the opening, leading after 11-6 after one quarter and 25-11 at the half.  Although North Baltimore's game was designed around the outside shot, the Hawks were 7-15 from beyond the arc, compared with 6-13 for the Tigers. 

Rick and Jared each scored 14 for the winners, and Julius contributed 10. Dixon had eight points, but of note, that was the product of a perfect 8-8 night at the free throw line.  Dave Brown had 4 points, AJ King had 3, Nick Frasco 2, and Daniel Brandon and Jonathan Krueger each had 1.

It's now a well-deserved several days off for the Hawks, who rest up until Friday when they take on the Division II Woodward Polar Bears in a game just recently scheduled.

MV 57 - (at) Cardinal Stritch 39 - Quick Summary

Maumee Valley put a damper on Cardinal Stritch's Senior Night, beating the Cardinals 57-39 in Oregon, Ohio.  The hosts appeared ready to send their Seniors out with a bang early, jumping on the Hawks for a 16-4 first quarter lead.  But the Rip van Hawkles would awake from their slumber near the end of the first half on three consecutive steal/conversions in the last minute to trim their deficit to four at the break.

Coach Robinson made two defensive adjustments in the second half, unleashing an aggressive half court trap, and switching Dixon Stoddard on defense to guard hot-shooting CS guard Justin Stahler.  These two moves led to a 21-4 third quarter advantage for the Blue and White.  The fourth quarter featured more of the same, with the Hawks sealing the victory. 

Jared Sturt had a big night, leading all scorers with 22.  Julius Turner had 12, Rick Deichert 10, Dave Brown 5, Jonathan Krueger 4, Dixon Stoddard and AJ King 2. 

The grueling week of basketball concludes tonight with the second back-to-back stretch of the week ending with a visit from the North Baltimore Tigers to the Varsity Gym.

OH 45 - MV 38 at the varsity Gym - quick summary

Ottawa Hills evened the score against the Hawks tonight winning at the Varsity Gym 45-38.  It was a game of streaks, with the Green Bears jumping out to a 13-4 lead at the end of the first.  The Hawks roared back in the second quarter to lead 24-21 at the break. 

OH's key stretch came in the third when they were able to find an opening in the Hawks zone at the right wing during the last 3:38 of the third quarter and converted several key shots to go up by five at the end of three, 32-27.

MV cut the lead to one during the fourth, then to two as late as the 2:45 mark, but could not convert down the stretch.  Between the free throw line and the melee of pressing while behind, the Bears got it back up to seven by game's end. 

The Hawks had their chances - taking the same 38 two point attempts as OH, firing 18 three point attempts to 10 for the Bears, and going 4-6 from the line vs. 3-4 for the visitors.  But the rims weren't kind for the home team this evening and it was not to be. 

For the Hawks, Rick Deichert led the way with 11, followed by Julius Turner with 9 and Jared Sturt with 8.  Dave Brown had 6 for MV, Jon Krueger scored 3 and Dixon Stoddard added 1.

Lucas Janowicz led all scorers with 17 points for Ottawa Hills. 

So Maumee Valley needs to think like an NFL cornerback and quickly forget.  It's off to Cardinal Stritch Friday for the last regular season TAAC game, then back home Saturday for an out-of-conference game against North Baltimore.

MV 44 - Danbury 31 - 2.14.11 at the Varsity Gym - Quick Summary

The Hawks defeated Danbury this evening 44-31 at the Varsity Gym, setting up the big TAAC showdown tomorrow evening against Ottawa Hills.

MV jumped out to a 16-4 first quarter lead and played the Lakers even through the rest of the evening.  Rick Deichert (10 points), Jared Sturt (10) and Julius Turner (9) led the scoring for the Hawksquad. Dixon Stoddard scored 6 points, all in the first half, Jonathan Krueger had four, Dave Brown three and AJ King scored two to round things off for the victors.

The visitors' stands had nearly as many opposing team scouts this evening as fans, with several clipboards getting a feverish workout in advance of both Maumee Valley's and Danbury's upcoming playoff appearances. 

Mr. Larry Anning and his maintenance staff will get a workout tomorrow evening making sure the fire code is adhered to as the Varsity Gym will be packed to capacity when the Green Bears come calling.  Make sure to get there early and get your game face on.

MV 63 – Emmanuel Christian 52 – 2.4.11 – Quick Summary and link to Jared dunk video

The Hawks extended their record to 11-2 last evening with a 63-52 win at Emmanuel Christian.

Three Hawks scored in double figures; Jared Sturt with 25 and Julius Turner with 18 each established new season high totals. Julius got his first start of the season at his former school. Rick Deichert scored 13 for the visitors. MV's scoring was rounded out by Dixon Stoddard with 4 and Dave Brown with 3.

Jared had his first dunk of his career on the evening. Here is a link to the TV13 Friday Basketball feature, featuring one of his two slams during the game.

Tony Behan had 28 points for the Warriors to lead all scorers.

Maumee Valley had 61 shot attempts from the floor vs. 47 for the Warriors, the product of superior rebounding. MV had a 27-11 rebounding advantage overall.

The Hawks now come home for five of their last seven games, including their next three straight. Next week, MV will host Danbury on Tuesday, February 8 and Northwood on Friday, February 11. The rescheduled showdown with Ottawa Hills will take place the following Tuesday February 15. OH defeated Toledo Christian last evening 47-39, effectively eliminating the Eagles from the TAAC race.

MV 60 - Cardinal Stritch 39 - 1.22.11- Quick Summary

Maumee Valley defeated Cardinal Stritch 60-39 last night at the Varsity Gym on strength of three double digit scorers.  Rick Deichert led the way with 18 points, a season high, followed by Jared Sturt with 17 and Julius Turner with 15. 

Jared played only 20 minutes, his time limited by a poke in the eye in the third quarter.  He is not expected to miss any playing time.   During that time, he grabbed 19 rebounds, of which 11 were on the offensive end.

The Hawks maintained solid control of the basketball during the evening, surrendering only six turnovers during the evening.

Cardinal Stritch is under the direction this year of long time Jim Robinson assistant Dave Reiker.  The Cardinals are a rapidly improving team and will be making some noise in the TAAC before too long.

MV 66 - Northwood 40 - 1.14.11 Quick Summary

Maumee Valley defeated Northwood tonight 66-40 in a BCSN-televised game on the Rangers' home court.  Several Hawks led the team at different stages of the game.  In the first half,  Dixon Stoddard and Julius Turner carried much of the load for the visitors, with quarter ending buzzer beaters by Parker Bayer (1st Q) and Nick Frasco (2nd Q). 

Rick Deichert heated up in the second half, scoring 13 of his 16 points on the evening.  Jared Sturt was a steady hand throughout the game, finishing with a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds). 

MV was 16-26 from the line, including a 5-6 performance by Omar Hazimah in the fourth quarter. 

Scoring for the Hawks: Rick 16, Jared 15, Julius 8, Dixon 6, Nick 5, Omar 5, Jonathan Krueger 5, Dave Brown 4, Parker 2. 

Coach Jim Robinson won his 499th career game, and now his Hawks head for Bettsville Tuesday evening to Strive for Five (hundred).