From the tipoff, the Region 2 champion Rocky Grove knew they were in a game. Eisenhower came to play and jumped out to an early lead thanks in part to the unusually cold shooting Orioles. 

But, as has been the case all year long when faced with adversity, the players dug deep and found a way to come back and win 53-51 at the Haggerty Center in Erie Tuesday.

Ike jumped out to an 11-3 lead, mostly on shots in the paint early. Noah Baughman's three after over two scoreless minutes was sandwiched in between several misses, including a couple short, but contested layups. Connor Ritchie was able to hit a bucket, the they found themselves down 14-5.

Landen Carter was fouled driving to the bucket and he added a pair of foul shots and Baughmen scored again. The quarter ended 14-9 with seven missed Rocky Grove field goals in the frame.

The second quarter was similar. The Grove pulled within a couple with a Carter three before Eisenhower went on short run to take an eight-point lead. Again the Orioles weren't shooting their best, but managed to keep it close going into halftime only down four at 22-18.
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​Schiffer Anderson came out in the second half on a mission bringing the Orioles to within two. But Ike responded going on a 10-0 run to put the Grove on their heels again.

The Orioles again dug deep and a few steals led a needle thread pass from Anderson to Ritchey to stop the bleeding and begin their own 19-2 run to not only take their first lead of the game but end the quarter up by four.

Th built the lead to nine points, but Ike wasn't going away. battling back to tie the game at 51 with just 26 seconds left.

Anderson again put the team on his shoulders and found the lane  for the go ahead basket and Ike took a timeout with just five seconds left to design a play.
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The Grove held on to advance to fave Lakeview Friday for the District 10 Class AA championship at the site and time to be determined.

The Franklin Knights and Cranberry Berries met Tuesday tonight for the annual Venango County wrestling match up.

It was also a senior night at the Castle, as the Knights dual meet season came to a close with a 4-12 record. First year coach Tye Varndell and the Knights will spend the next nine days prepping for the upcoming District 10 Section 2 tournament Feb. 14 and 15 at Sharon High School.  

In the meantime, the school will host a first-of-its kind fundraising for the Franklin Youth Wrestling Program, whose members attended Tuesday's night contest to celebrate the seniors. 

The wrestling squads from Lock Haven University and Cleveland State University will hold a dual meet at Franklin High School at 7 p.m. on Feb. 13. Admission to the event is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a donations to the local youth program. The squads are coached by two former FHS standout wrestlers Josh and Scott Moore. 

Scott is in his 12th season leading the Lock Haven Bald Eagles, where he's had earned numerous Coach of the Year honors. Josh is in his seventh season at the helm of the Cleveland State Vikings. The brothers were both inducted into the FHS Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Tuesday night's competition featured only 7 contested weight classes. The Berries won the match up 57-15, taking four of the contested bouts and six forfeits. Winning for Cranberry were Elijah Brosius with a pin over Orivs Davis in 2:42; Alex McLaughlin with a pin over Kaleb Babis in 1:35; Skylar Myers with a pin of Duane Sheatz and Conner with a 9-3 decision against Drew Kockler. 

Winning for the Knights were senior Trenton Rice with a pin of Aaden Hibbard in 4:46; Ethan Hart with a pine of Derek Delong in 3:22; and Kaden Kiselka with a 1-0 decision against Noah Lucarelli. 

Cranberry returns to action on Thursday when they host Redbank. 

Worth noting: Cranberry seniors Dane Wenner and Elijah Brosius remain deadlocked in their race to the school's new record for career wins with both wrestlers sitting at 133. 

In recent years the phrase, "this is a must win game," has not been part of the Franklin Knights' vernacular.

The perennial powerhouse in Northwest Pennsylvania who were just a few sunk buckets away a state championship last year, have been struggling for the W's. 

So going into last night's game with Cooneut Area having lost five out of the last seven, the Knight's needed a win against a  a region rival also in the middle of the pack.

And it was against a team that beatthem in their first meeting 74-67.

So at 3-6 Knights needed to beat the 5-4 Eagles to keep themselves within spitting distance of the region leaders, Warren, Fort LeBoeuf  and Oil City and in competition with the other middle of the road teams like Conneaut and Corry.

And they did what they needed to do with their 79-62 win at home.

This keeps them with a chance at a decent record at the end of the season if they get hot and take down league leader Warren and tied for second-place Oil City as well as Corry and Seneca. 

​Will Findlan, who had back for support  Ian Higley and  Jameson Wofford, again put the team on his back scoring 26 points. Wofford and Higley and 19 and 18 respectively.

Big efforts at a big time.