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The Conneaut Spartans boys’ basketball team held off the St. John Heralds for a 63-52 win.

It was the first game for both teams as the Conneaut Spartans start the season 1-0 and the St. John Heralds start the season 0-1.
Conneaut double dup the Heralds in the opening quarter 14-7. Jeremiah Ortiz led the Spartans with seven points in the opening quarter. Kyle Woods added five points and Blaine McLaughlin scored the other basket for the Spartans. Ryan Bento, Jake Artman, Jon Chambers and Johnny Castrilla combined for seven points for the Heralds.
Conneaut improved their defense in the second quarter as they held St. John to only four points. Donte Jackson scored the only basket in the quarter for the Heralds, while Castrilla hit a pair of free throws. Conneaut added 18 points to their total as they led 32-11 heading into halftime. Ortiz and Woods each scored six points in the quarter for the Spartans. Richie Picard added a three-pointer and Mike Ferl also chipped in three points.
St. John cut into the lead in the second half as they outscored Conneaut 22-17 in the third quarter. The Heralds would also outscore the Spartans in the final quarter 19-14. However, in the end it wouldn’t be enough as the Spartans held on for the 63-52 win.
Kyle Woods finished with 19 points for the Spartans. Jeremiah Ortiz added 17 points in the win for Conneaut. Blaine McLaughlin also scored in double digits with ten points. Rounding out the scoring for the Spartans were Richie Picard with eight points and Mike Ferl with six points.
Jake Artman led the Heralds with 24 points. The only other St. John player in double digits was Johnny Castrilla with 13 points. Castrilla was able to score 10 of his 13 points in the second half. Finishing the scoring for the Heralds were John Chambers with three points, Donte Jackson with three points, Dave DiSalvatore with three points, Ryan Bento with two points and Jon Timonere with 1 point.
Pictured: The Conneaut Spartans huddle up during a game against St. John.