Hartville beats rival Norwood to win Panther Classic

Two weeks ago, the Norwood Pirates set this year’s tone in the rivalry with Hartville when they picked up a six-point win over the Eagles.
In the rematch this past Saturday in the finals of the Family Pharmacy Panther Classic, Hartville returned the favor as the Eagles pulled away in the second half for a 63-54 victory.
The difference in the match-up was the Eagles getting good looks and hitting most of their shots. They shot 56% from the field after making 19-of-34 attempts.
“I feel like we shot  a bit better on offense,” said Hartville head coach Brett Reed on the difference between the two games.
One player who made a big difference was Harmon Johns. Johns failed to score in the previous match-up.
In the rematch, Johns hit three, first quarter 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, six rebounds and one assist.
“He had a big night and did some good things all the way around,” Reed noted.
In the first contest, the Pirates’ speed was too much for the Eagles. On Saturday, their speed did help create turnovers at times, but for the most part, Hartville was able to overcome Norwood’s runs throughout the contest.
It was a 5-5 game in the first quarter, but the Eagles would have an overall 13-7 run with the help of Johns’ six points.
Mason Cogdill scored seven points in the first quarter.
Hartville then opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run as both Mason Cogdill and Johns made 3-point shots to give the Eagles a 23-14 edge.
Though Mason Cogdill had 10 points at the time, he picked up a third foul and headed to the bench.
Norwood took advantage by forcing  a pair of turnovers and quickly scoring four points.
Cooper Vaughan then hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 24-22 with about one minute left in the first half.
He would then make a big steal with 30 seconds left and find Gary Williams for a score to tie the game at 24-24.
Johns hit a late 3-pointer though to give Hartville a three-point lead at the break.
The Eagles opened the second half with a 6-2 run. Boone Garrison would soon add a big 3-pointer to push the lead to eight.
With 1:21 left, Jackson Ward converted a 3-point play to move the lead to 12 at 44-32.
The Pirates’ Noah Drake hit a needed 3-pointer later to get the lead back to single digits. A late score gave the Eagles a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Payton Cogdill assisted Mason Cogdill for an early score to push the lead to 12.
Hartville would eventually push the lead to 14 points with a little more than a minute to play before sealing the win at the free throw line.
Tournament MVP Payton Cogdill scored 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the finals.
Mason Cogdill, who was also on the All-Tournament team, scored 15 points and six rebounds; Ward, who was an All-Tournament selection, scored 13 points, two assists, two steals and one rebound.
Johns tallied 14 points, six rebounds and one assist; Garrison added eight points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal; and Gus Sinning had two points.
For Norwood, All-Tournament selection Peyton McDaris finished with 11 points, five assists and two steals.
All-Tournament choice Cooper Vaughan tallied 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.
Drake scored 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal; Pierce Lawson had five points and one rebound; Carder Kelly had three points, three assists, one rebound and one steal; Williams had two points and two rebounds; and Gunner Bradshaw scored two points and two rebounds.
Before the finals, the Eagles won both of their first two contests.
In late December, Hartville fell to West Plains in the Blue and Gold Tournament, 56-49.
Needless to say, the Eagles were hungry for the opportunity to avenge that defeat as they beat the Zizzers this time by 23 points, 54-31.
Hartville’s defense held West Plains to just two points in the first quarter and 10 total points in the first half.
Payton Cogdill scored more points than the Zizzers in the half as he had 11 points to help Hartville to a 22-10 edge.
In the third quarter, Mason Cogdill scored six points as his team went up 15 and never looked back.
Payton Cogdill scored 14 points; Mason Cogdill had 10; Ward had nine; Garrison scored eight; Sinning had five points; and Jordan O’Quinn scored three points.
Hartville’s first win in the tournament was a dominating 69-34 victory over Marshfield.
The Eagles’ defense held the Bluejays to just 16 points in the first half as they led by 26 at halftime.
Hartville made 11, 3-pointers, including four of them in the fourth quarter to seal the big win.
Payton Cogdill finished with 20 points; Johns had 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter; Garrison scored nine points; both Mason Cogdill and Ward had eight points; while Sinning scored two points.