Local Sports 2023

Hosting High School Basketball Tournament games no small feat for Ontario

Hosting High School Basketball Tournament games no small feat for Ontario

ONTARIO, OH - With the basketball season recently wrapped up, Ontario athletic director Jeff Fisher spoke with WMFD about what a school does when hosting a high school basketball tournament game."We knew back in October once that the potential was there that we could host the District Basketball Tournament here," said Fisher. "As a Division II school, we couldn't host if we were in the District Tournament so once we got the phone call on that Friday that Mansfield Senior beat Bellevue that we were gonna have the lights on here and host, it just kind of getting all of our hands on deck and ready to get the logistics down of hosting a great basketball tournament."Fisher said that the stadium was "full house.""Based on the finals being a sell-out I think we had four basketball communities that anticipated great basketball," said Fisher. "That's where it comes down to, I think we had exceptional basketball play, great coaching, great athletes, competitive ball games, and I think the environment was just right for excitement and a full house here in the O-Rena."Fisher also felt hosting a tournament match was something Ontario was due."Ultimately, we felt like Ontario was due to host a tournament of that magnitude," said Fisher. "We loved every piece of it from servicing our teams, the officials, our gatekeepers, it was all-hands-on-deck here to make it an enjoyable event."Ontario's gym is approaching 25 years old and can seat 2,000 people. Fisher said, "From a hospitality standpoint, our kids are safe, and our fans are comfortable and watching basketball." ... Continue Reading
Lexington Boys tennis Team Hoping for return trip to state

Lexington Boys tennis Team Hoping for return trip to state

Lexington ... Continue Reading
Shelby Whippets' Historic Season Ends in State Semifinal

Shelby Whippets' Historic Season Ends in State Semifinal

DAYTON, OH - Despite a Herculean effort by Alex Bruskotter (34 points), the Shelby Whippets' historic season came to an end at the hands of the Maysville Panthers in Dayton on Saturday, March 23, in the OHSAA Division II Boys State Semifinals, 65-68. Bruskotter had some support from fellow Whippets Casey Lantz (12 points) and Issaiah Ramsey (9 points).The loss in Dayton marks the furthest Shelby's season has lasted, one match away from claiming a State title. ... Continue Reading

TODAY at 2pm: SHELBY in the State Semi-Finals!

TODAY at 2pm: SHELBY in the State Semi-Finals!Listen in live here on WMFD.com or on WRGM 106.7FM! ... Continue Reading
Shelby gets send off as team heads to Dayton  as they get read y for Maysville.

Shelby gets send off as team heads to Dayton as they get read y for Maysville.

Shelbyhigh school shelby, ohio the Shelby basketball team got a huge send -off on Friday morning as they prepare for their state semi- final against Maysville which is coming up on Saturday at 2pm. The Whippets will play their semifinal on Saturday. should they win their final will be on Sunday at 5:15 against. the winner of the Kerttering archbishop alter who is 25-3 or Youngstown Ursaline who is 24-3. that game would be played Sunday at 5:15pm. The Whippets go into the weekend at 25-2. ... Continue Reading
Shelby preps for state semifinal vs Maysville

Shelby preps for state semifinal vs Maysville

shelby, Ohio the shelby boys basketball team getting set for their first ever trip to the state semi final in program history. head coach Gerg Gallaway. says it's quite an honor to be the first team to get their in program history. "With all the tradition that has been here at Shelby you are talking about guys who have won NBA championships." said Gallaway. for Shelby senior forward. Issiah Ramsey he the team needs to stay condident,but not cross the line and be arrogant. we to go in being confident, but not arrogant. we are confident, but we can't cross that line and become arrogant everybody here at state is good. if shelby is able to win they will be matched up against the winner of the ... Continue Reading
Inside the ONT: Taylor Counts | Senior Basketball Player

Inside the ONT: Taylor Counts | Senior Basketball Player

ONTARIO, OH - In this episode of Inside the ONT, host Brian Weaver sits down with Ontario's Taylor Counts for a conversation about basketball, recovering from injuries, and everything in between.Inside the ONT is a collaboration between WMFD-TV and Ontario Local Schools. Check out new episodes of Inside the ONT exclusively on WMFD.com for in-depth interviews on Ontario Athletics and everything in between. ... Continue Reading
Whippets Dayton-bound following 11-point win in Regional Finals

Whippets Dayton-bound following 11-point win in Regional Finals

BOWLING GREEN, OH - The Shelby Whippets made history Saturday afternoon by winning the Regional Finals at Bowling Green State University, something the school hasn't done in quite some time.The match certainly wasn't one-sided, as the two teams flipped the lead numerous times throughout the match.Shelby ended up pulling ahead near the end, leading by 11 points off of some free throws by Alex Bruskotter, which confirmed the Whippets' victory.UP NEXT:The Whippets (25-2, 14-0 MOAC) will next compete for a state title on March 23 at 2 p.m. against Zanesville Maysville at the University of Dayton. ... Continue Reading
Shelby Wins Over Lima-Shawnee With Final Score of 59-50

Shelby Wins Over Lima-Shawnee With Final Score of 59-50

BOWLING GREEN UNIVERSITY - The Shelby Whippets will be moving onto Division-II Regional Finals after defeating Lima-Shawnee at Bowling Green State University on Thursday night. Brian Weaver of WMFD Sports spoke with Shelby's head coach, Greg Gallaway, after Thursday night's game to get his perspective on Lima-Shawnee and where the team has to be when they face Rocky River Lutheran West on Saturday.BRIAN WEAVER: We're here with Greg Gallaway after a regional semifinal victory by nine points over Lima-Shawnee: Coach, you jumped out to a big lead at the end of the first quarter, you knew it was far from being over.GREG GALLAWAY: I mean, you know, if you get complacent after like a 10-0 run in the first, then you're not really an experienced basketball team. So we knew they were going to make their runs. We got off to a quick start, but credit to our guys for challenging themselves at halftime and in the time-outs to get stops when we needed to, and, you know obviously stopping those runs against Shawnee, they're a good basketball team. They're young, too. They're going to keep playing in these games here for a while. I'm just proud of our guys.BRIAN WEAVER: Beckett Berke, 41, tonight for Shawnee. He's only a sophomore, and I'm sure you had a game plan for him. 41 points is a lot for for a player. Did you think that he was going to be that much of an impact on the game?GREG GALLAWAY: I mean, I don't think any coach expects 41, you know, to be a number before a game. But we knew he was a really good player, and we just wanted to make him work for everything. Credit to him, he's a really good basketball player. I thought we did a good job making some of those shots tough that he made. That's what good players do, they find ways to get the ball and they want it in their hands in big games like this. But, you know, despite that, I'm just proud of our guys and how we rallied together on the defensive end and finished the game.BRIAN WEAVER: You have such a fine culture at Shelby for basketball, and I'm sure they're going to have a big send-off when you come back here on Saturday. You're going to take this victory and kind of enjoy it for the moment and get back after work tomorrow and try to game plan for Lutheran West?GREG GALLAWAY: Yeah, just a moment. Like you said, we left the locker room saying, you know, this is awesome. Embrace this. You know, not a lot of teams can say they play in an environment like this and win a regional game. But it's a quick turnaround against a really good team. We left that locker room saying, hug your families, you know, give high fives to them. But no, we got business to take care of Saturday. ... Continue Reading
shelby gets ready for Regional semifinal vs Shawnee Indians

shelby gets ready for Regional semifinal vs Shawnee Indians

Shelby, Ohio The Shelby varsity boys basketball team is head to the Bowling Green regional semifinal on Thursday evening where they will face the Indians of Lima Shawnee. who come in at 19-6. head coach Gegalaway talks about the team win over Lex and getting ready for Shawnee. We palyed well against Lex, we came out with alot of energy and pretty much kept it up the entire game kept it up all game long. On Shawnee Gallaway says led by a shophomore becket Berkey who can score "He can drop 22 a game said Gallaway. The Whippets Issah Ramsey a senior knows as a senior in tournament every game could be his last especially when his team trailed by eight at the half to Mansfield Senior only to have the whippets came back and get a win ending Senior High's season. Oh yeah I think of the game against Mansfield we were down eight at the break but were able to came back and get a win. If the whippets get a win on Thursday evenign they will match up against the winner of the first game which has rocky river Lutheran West taking on toledo Central Catholic. on Saturday at 4pm. ... Continue Reading

AUDIO-ONLY Presentation of the Shelby-Shawnee Game- 8pm Tonight

Due to media and broadcast restrictions, WMFD-TV will not be able to air or stream video live from the Regional Semi-Final game between Shelby and Lima Shawnee. However, an AUDIO-ONLY cast will be hosted on the WMFD Facebook page and WMFD.com LIVE during the game. WMFD-TV will also air a delayed broadcast of the Shelby-Lima Shawnee game beginning at midnight Friday morning, followed by broadcasts at 7:00 p.m. Friday, and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. We apologize for the confusion. ... Continue Reading

UPDATE: Shelby vs Shawnee Regional Finals Audio-Only

Due to media and broadcast restrictions, WMFD-TV will not be able to air or stream video live from the Regional Semi-Final game between Shelby and Lima Shawnee. However, an AUDIO-ONLY cast will be hosted on the WMFD Facebook page and WMFD.com LIVE during the game. WMFD-TV will also air a delayed broadcast of the Shelby-Lima Shawnee game beginning at midnight Friday morning, followed by broadcasts at 7:00 p.m. Friday, and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. We apologize for the confusion. ... Continue Reading

THURSDAY- Boys Division 2 Regional Semi-Final

Boys Division 2 Regional Semi-FinalLima Shawnee takes on the Shelby Whippets in the Division 2 Regional Semi-Final LIVE from Bowling Green State University! ... Continue Reading
Crestview's Caleb Cunningham Wins 285lb State Wrestling Championship

Crestview's Caleb Cunningham Wins 285lb State Wrestling Championship

COLUMBUS, OH - The state wrestling finals were held on Sunday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center at The Ohio State University. Crestivew's Caleb Cunningham came home a state champion at 285 lbs. Cunningham pinned Harrison Central's Landon Thomas. "I just picked him up and got him over on his back and he just stopped fighting," said Cunningham. "I think he knew he was pinned."Cunningham was asked if he would try wrestling in college. "Only if football didn't work out, but I really love football," the senior said. ... Continue Reading
Whippets titled District Champions after 62-52 win against Minutemen

Whippets titled District Champions after 62-52 win against Minutemen

ONTARIO, OH - The Shelby Whippets ended Saturday night's thriller with a 10-point lead against the Lexington Minutemen, giving them a spot in the Division II Regional Semifinals. The Whippets were led in scoring by Alex Bruskotter with 20 points.The Minutemen were led in scoring by Gavin Husty with 14 points.UP NEXT:The Whippets (23-2, 14-0 MOAC) will proceed to the Division II Regional Semifinals on March 14 at 8 p.m. at Bowling Green State University against Shawnee.The Minutemen will conclude their season with an overall record of 22-3 and a record in the OCC of 14-0. ... Continue Reading
Ashland Lady Eagles now GMAC Champions with 99-58 win over Lady Trojans

Ashland Lady Eagles now GMAC Champions with 99-58 win over Lady Trojans

ASHLAND, OH - Being up by 28 points in the first half and 41 points in the second half were the Ashland University Lady Eagles on Saturday afternoon. The win put the Lady Eagles at No. 1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as they look forward to NCAA Regional play on March 15, location and time to be announced.The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by Erin Daniels with 17 points, Zoe Miller with 16 points, with Lexi Howe and Annie Roshak trailing just behind at 14 and 13 points respectively.Three Lady Eagles received GMAC awards, those being Annie Roshak, Savaya Brockington, and MVP awarded Erin Daniels.Head Coach Kari Pickens spoke of her hopes for hosting in the Regional Championships."Our team wanted to make a statement," said Pickens, "I think that it's really close for the Regional whether it's gonna be here or at Grand Valley and we wanted to leave no doubt that we believe that we're a really good team that deserves to be hosting."The win puts Ashland at 30-1 overall and 20-0 in the GMAC. The Lady Eagles won the National Championship in 2023 and will look to do so again in 2024. ... Continue Reading

THE BIG ONE! Tonight at 6pm

Watch live from WMFD.com at 6pm as the second-seed Lexington Minutemen take on the top-seeded Shelby Whippets for all the District marbles! ... Continue Reading
Tigers Claw Down Eagles 44-38, Secure 1st District Championship in Program History

Tigers Claw Down Eagles 44-38, Secure 1st District Championship in Program History

WILLARD, OH - The Seneca East Tigers and the Colonel Crawford Eagles both met at Robert L. Haas Gymnasium with a District Championship title on the line Friday night. After an eight-point, fourth quarter comeback and converting on high-percentage shots while forcing the Eagles to make too many forced turnovers, the Seneca East Tigers defeated the Colonel Crawford Eagles 44-38 to capture their first District Title in program history and advance to their first regional appearance. The Tigers were led by Junior Lucas Bordner with 12 points on the night. Sophomore Luke Mason and Senior Caden Fritz would contribute with 8 of their own in the winning effort. Colonel Crawford was led offensively by Senior Trevor Vogt with 14 points in the losing effort. UP NEXT:The Seneca East Tigers (21-5, 10-4 N10) will start their regional run as they will do battle with Richmond Heights (15-9). Tip-off will commence at 6 p.m. from Canton Memorial Fieldhouse in Canton, OH. Colonel Crawford will become Division IV District Runner-Ups and end their season 18-7 overall with a conference record in the N10 of 10-4. ... Continue Reading
Shelby Beats Mansfield, Lexington Beats Willard in Div-II Semifinals at Ontario High School

Shelby Beats Mansfield, Lexington Beats Willard in Div-II Semifinals at Ontario High School

ONTARIO, OH - A pair of double-header games took place Thursday night, as the Division-II district semifinals took place at Ontario High School. The first matchup between the Shelby Whippets and the Mansfield Tygers was a close call, but a strong second half by Shelby proved to make a difference - bringing the final score to 60-55."We gave it everything we had, and just came up a little bit short," said Tygers Coach Marquis Sykes. "They made the necessary plays, Shelby down the stretch to get the lead and they capitalized at the free throw line and kind of summed up the second half for us."Whippets Coach Greg Gallaway praised his team, commending his players for their cooperation on the court and attributing the victory to select players stepping up when times got tough."We knew at the end of today that two really good basketball teams are not going to be playing Saturday," Gallaway said after the game. "We knew they were going to throw everything at us. You know, we were fortunate to get a win over there on the road in January, but we knew it was going to be a battle, we knew was going to be a four-quarter game. I'm just so proud of the way guys like these and the rest of our guys in the locker room just stepped up in big moments and, you know, really turned the tide in the second half."In the second match of the night between the Lexington Minutemen and the Willard Flashes, the game came down to the last few seconds. The Minutemen's Brayden Fogle hit the winning shot in a buzzer-beater, bringing the final score to 59-57 and securing the win for Lexington. Fogle says that despite the team being on shaky ground in the early moments of the game, they pulled it together in the second half and came back."We knew we weren't playing as a team when we went into halftime in the locker room," Fogle said. "Even in the third quarter, we weren't playing as a team, but fourth quarter we came in and we knew that if we didn't start playing as a team, our season was going to be over. Nobody really wanted that to happen, so we found a way to make it quick."Fogle gave credit to his teammate, Seven Allen, for helping to turn the tide against Willard - and go on to the District Championship."He did amazing," Fogle said. "He carried us through the first half, to be honest with you. And I feel like that's what we've done very well, is have other guys step up when not everyone's clicking, if that makes sense. [...] I think that everyone's been thinking about the us-and-Shelby game. I'm pretty sure that's pretty fair to say. There's not much that needs to be said about that, it's going to be a good game."This weekend, Shelby will go on to face Lexington for the second time in the District Championship on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m. Lexington previously won the regular season matchup back in January. ... Continue Reading
Inside the ONT | Ella Shaffer - Soccer and Basketball Spotlight

Inside the ONT | Ella Shaffer - Soccer and Basketball Spotlight

ONTARIO, OH - In this episode of Inside the ONT, host Brian Weaver sits down with Ontario's Ella Shaffer for a conversation about a multitude of extracurriculars.Inside the ONT is a collaboration between WMFD-TV and Ontario Local Schools. Check out new episodes of Inside the ONT exclusively on WMFD.com for in-depth interviews on Ontario Athletics and everything in between. ... Continue Reading