SHOOTING FROM RANGE — Big Red’s Tre’Von Wiggins lets a shot go from 3-point range over Weir High’s Johnathan Horstman during Tuesday’s game inside the Crimson Center. - Andrew Grimm

Playing in its home opener Tuesday night, Steubenville pulled away from visiting Weir High and cruised to an 84-20 victory inside the Crimson Center to improve to 2-0.

After Weir was within 14-11 after one quarter and 17-13 early in the second quarter, Big Red out-scored the Red Riders 67-7 the rest of the way.

“It’s always great to change the number after the home opener,” Big Red head coach Mike Haney said, alluding to his team’s tradition of changing the all-time wins total on the board on the gym wall after a win. “It seemed like the first quarter we weren’t pushing the ball and were moving slow, it just didn’t seem like we were at full speed … after the first quarter we started pushing the ball and playing fast. We started creating some turnovers and that always gets us moving a little quicker.

“Shooting is contagious, once one fell everyone started hitting shots. And it was the same way with the defense, once we started playing good defense and turning turnovers into layups it was contagious and the ball started going in for us.”

SHOOTING — Big Red’s Santino Haney attempts a shot past Weir High’s Ryant Lyons. - Andrew Grimm

Nine different players scored for Big Red, three reaching double figures and six scoring seven or more, spreading the offense up and down the lineup.

Santino Haney led the way with a game-high 17, while Jermaine Moore netted 15 points and grabbed five rebounds and Josiah Rea came off the bench to net 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Landon Bowers had nine points and 10 rebounds, while Tre Wiggins also netted nine points and Jeremiah Hinton and Che’Mier Adams each added seven points.

“We had 10 guys in the line up tonight and all 10 got in the game and were getting after it,” coach Haney said. “It was good to see.”

After netting 14 in the opening quarter, Big Red scored 20 or more in each of the final three quarters, including breaking things open with a 30-point second quarter outburst. They also turned up the pressure on the defensive end, too, forcing 19 turnovers.

For Weir High, who was opening its season, the game plan was working early as the Red Riders hung close, but things started to get away from the youthful group in a hurry as Big Red rattled off 19-straight points, a run that swelled to 27-2 by the time halftime stopped the action.

Big Red’s Landon Bowers goes to the hoop past Weir’s Teddy Glyptis and Angelo DoBraska. - Andrew Grimm

After the break, Big Red out-scored them 40-5.

“They’re an exceptionally well-coached team and extremely athletic, they are just smooth and you can tell they have played together a while,” Weir High head coach Jason Angle said of Big Red. “They have very few flaws if any. Once they got going, it was hard to stop.

“We came in with a pretty significant game plan and when we stuck to it in the first quarter, we did a good job and some things went our way, we had a few great defensive stops. Then, in the second quarter, we just stopped doing the things that we did well in the first quarter. The first eight minutes and second eight minutes were polar opposite and you can’t beat bad teams doing that, let alone trying to beat a good team like them doing that.”

The Red Riders were led by six points and five rebounds from Cayden Braswell, while Amir Williams and Ryan Lyons each netted five points.

UP NEXT

Weir High’s Cayden Braswell tries a layup past Big Red’s Cole Bowers. - Andrew Grimm

Weir High: Will look to bounce back in its home opener hosting rival Oak Glen on Friday night.

Big Red: Is back on its home floor inside the Crimson Center Friday night hosting Marietta.

Big Red 84, Weir High 20

WH 11-4-5-0 — 20

BR 14-30-20-20 — 84

Weir High’s Johnathan Horstman brings the ball up the court past Big Red’s Santino Haney. - Andrew Grimm

WEIR HIGH (0-1): DoBraska 1 0-0 2; Glyptis 1 0-0 2; Horstman 0 0-0 0; Lyons 2 0-0 5; Braswell 3 0-2 6; Stevenson 0 0-0 0; Haught 0 0-0 0; Masters 0 0-0 0; Willams 2 0-0 5; Lemasters 0 0-0 0; Lash 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 10, 0-2; 20.

BIG RED (2-0): Wiggins 3 2-4 9; Haney 4 9-12 17; Moore 4 5-6 15; C. Bowers 2 0-0 5; L. Bowers 4 1-4 9; Hinton 2 1-2 7; Edwards 1 0-0 3; Adams 3 0-0 7; Anderson 0 0-0 0; Rea 6 0-0 12. TOTALS: 27, 18-27; 84.

3-POINTERS: Weir High 2 (Williams, Lyons): Big Red 8 (Hinton 2, Moore 2, Wiggins, Edwards , C. Bowers, Adams). REBOUNDS: Weir High 17 (Braswell 5, Lyons 5); Big Red 35 (Rea 10, L. Bowers 10). TURNOVERS: Weir High 19; Big Red 7.