By Ray Sarvis
FPS Correspondent
It is said that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. If that’s true, the Malvern Hornets have nothing to worry about as they packed three games into their schedule last week, winning two of them to vanquish a local rival and remain undefeated in the Inter-Valley Conference North.
The week began with the annual rivalry game between Malvern and Minerva, two high schools separated by just 11 minutes by car. Forget the records—when rivals this close face off, they don’t matter. Malvern exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 23-13 to secure a 68-63 victory. With the win, it’s the Hornets 15th straight win over the Lions.
The first quarter ended with Malvern clinging to a 16-14 edge before Minerva took control, heading into halftime with a 28-25 lead.
That’s when the Hornets shifted into another gear, scoring 23 points in the third quarter—just two points shy of their entire first-half output—turning a three-point deficit into a 48-40 advantage. Minerva attempted to rally in the final period, but Malvern held firm for the win.
Malvern’s balanced attack featured four players scoring in double digits, led by Rodney Smith with 15 points and Braidon Miller with 14. Drake Hutchison added 13, and Jared Witherow contributed 12.
For Minerva (6-6), Owen Shick led all scorers with 25 points, including five three-pointers. Rowen Hoffee scored 12, and Braydon Wood added nine.
After a few days off, the Hornets hit the road to face IVC North foe Newcomerstown, aiming for the series sweep and to keep their unbeaten streak in the conference alive.
Mission accomplished.
After a close first quarter, where the Hornets edged out a 19-17 lead, they exploded in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Trojans 54-29 to take control of the game and secure an 89-56 victory.
Hutchison led the attack with 21 points, while Witherow scored 14, Eric Swain added 12, and Smith chipped in 11 as the Hornets improved to 7-0 in the IVC North. Newcomerstown (3-9, 2-5) was paced by Gavin Smith, who led all scorers with 27 points.
The Hornets weren’t done yet, as they wrapped up the week by competing in the Claymont Midseason Shootout, where they faced off against Steubenville, the 17th-ranked team in Division III.
The Big Red erased a 20-15 first-quarter deficit by outscoring Malvern 30-18 in the second quarter, taking a 45-38 halftime lead and securing an 82-71 win over the Hornets.
Rodney Smith led Malvern with 22 points, while Miller added 10. Hutchison finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets (11-3). Steubenville (12-1) was led by Aiden Davis, who scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds.