Canton, OH-- It was a packed house on Thursday night for what proved to be a premiere rivalry matchup between the Malone Pioneers (8-7,1-6 G-MAC) and the Walsh Cavaliers (10-3,4-3 G-MAC). There was a total of 484 fans at the game to support both basketball teams and each fan base was filled with excitement. Walsh was able to prevail in overtime by a final score of 79-71.

Malone got off to a hot start when Simon Blair drove to the basket and finished a layup. Just Moments later, Blair hit a three to give the Pioneers the early 8-5 lead. It was a good first half  shooting wise as Malone shot 56% from the field and 55% from beyond the arch. With 5:09 left in the first half, Simon Blair dished a sweet assist to Jaelyn Etheridge who hammed it home. The Pioneer lead was now extended to 28-14. After the lead got up to 16, Walsh closed out the half on a 9-0 run to only trail  34-27 heading into halftime.

This Game proved to be a legendary performance for Pioneer guard Simon Blair. The second half was marked by intense back-and-forth action, with both teams. The Cavaliers cut the lead down to just two at 38-36, but that's when Malone went on another run extending the lead to 10 after an Aaron Badibo jumper. The lead was still comfortable sitting at 55-44 with 8:54 remaining. Walsh went on another run to eventually take the lead and then Malone took it right back. Things got intense at the end and both teams fans were on their feet. Simon Blair missed a go ahead jumper, but Walsh still had .5 seconds on the clock in regulation. The crowd roared when the Cavaliers hit a full court shot at the buzzer giving them the win. After review from the officials it was determined the the shot was not off in time and we were headed to overtime.

In overtime, Walsh proved to be to much. They only missed one free throw winning the game by a final score if 79-71.

Inside the Box Score

Simon Blair had a legendary performance scoring 35 points, dishing out 6 assists and made 5 threes.

Aaron Badibo finished with 14 points and a solid 8 rebounds.

Carter Piatt contributed 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 three pointers made.

Jaylen Etheridge was in double figures with 10 points.

What's Next
Malone will be back in action at home this Saturday against Tiffin. The Game is slated to tip-off at 3:00 PM.

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