See three top plays from Brunswick's win against Strongsville.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Check out boys basketball videos of top plays and postgame reaction from No. 11 Brunswick's 58-44 win against Strongsville on Tuesday.

In the win, Brunswick's Michael Quiring had a game-high 27 points.

Quiring's postgame reaction is at the top of this post.

Watch a postgame interview with Brunswick coach Joe Mackey.

Top plays from the game:

Quiring hits the layup and gets fouled.

Strongsville's Tyler Jamison blocks Brunswick's Kevin Simmons.

Simmons finds Zak Zografos for the layup.

See bowling, basketball and swimming highlights from Tuesday's winter sports roundup.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here are high school sports highlights from Tuesday.

BOYS BASKETBALL

No. 3 Garfield Heights 91, Akron Garfield 70: Frankie Hughes scored 20 points followed by Willie Jackson with 19 to help lead the Garfield Heights, ranked No. 3 in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25, to a win at home. Crysjawn Waters finished with 11 for Akron Garfield.

No. 6 Archbishop Hoban 75, Gilmour 67: Anthony Christian scored 17 points to help lead to a victory at home against visiting Gilmour. Jackson Clark led the Lancers and all scorers with 18.

No. 11 Brunswick 58, Strongsville 44: Michael Quiring led Brunswick and all scorers with 27 points followed by Aaron Badowski with 13. Strongsville was led by Tyler Jamison with 12. See recap from Tim Bielik.

No. 13 Benedictine 71, University School 45: Justin Sylver scored 12 points to help lead Benedictine to a road win. Marlon Moore followed with 10.

No. 15 North Olmsted 67, Avon Lake 40: Andy Lucien finished the game with 21 points against North Olmsted’s Southwestern Conference opponent Avon Lake. Josh Hufsteler followed with 12 while Jordan Ball led Avon Lake with 14.

No. 16 East Tech 73, John Adams 50: Markell Johnson helped the Scarabs pick up another win the Senate Athletic League followed by Tyshaun Howard with 18. Abdul Hambrick led John Adams with 20.

No. 21 Elyria 65, No. 8 Medina 60: The Pioneers outscored Medina 24-15 in the final quarter to lead to a win in the Greater Cleveland Conference. Blake Furcron finished the game leading Elyria with 32 points followed by Antonio Blanton with 15. Jon Teske led Medina with 20.

No. 25 Midview 56, North Ridgeville 46: Grant Overy led Midview to a win against scoring 22 points followed by Jacob Wells with 16. Isa Abdul-Alim led North Ridgeville with 21.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

No. 19 Elyria Catholic 59, Valley Forge 16: Sam Filiaggi scored 14 to help lead Elyria Catholic, ranked No. 19 in the cleveland.com girls basketball Top 25, to another win in the Great Lake Conference followed by Nora Hopkins with 12. Julia Kerlin led Valley Forge with six.

BOYS BOWLING

Brush 2,473, Willoughby South 2,417: Mike Taddeo finished with a score of 433 to lead all bowlers. Sam Niemczura led Willoughby South with 414.

Copley 2,528; Walsh Jesuit 2,364: Richard Hryck led Copley to a victory with a score of 471. Chad O’Connor of Walsh Jesuit had the second highest score with 437.

Eastlake North 2,177, Cuyahoga Heights 1,756: Allyson Tajgiszer finished with a score of 390 to lead Eastlake North. Casey Kotonski had the high score for Cuyahoga Heights with 311.

GIRLS BOWLING

Copley 1,902, Walsh Jesuit 1770: Gabriella Szczotka led Copley to a win with a score of 384. Brittany Varsho led Walsh Jesuit with 319.

GIRLS SWIMMING

North Royalton 122, Normandy 63: Sarah Turchanik led North Royalton finishing first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:11.62), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:58.54) and 200-yard individual medley (2:24.14)

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has a knack for hitting big shots. He did it again in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has a knack for hitting big shots. He did it again in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks. 

With the two teams trading baskets in the extra period, staying within one possession during the closing minutes, LeBron James was all alone after Deron Williams fell to the court, hoping to draw a whistle.

It never came, James collected himself, passed up an open jumper and found Irving for a deep three-pointer, which gave Cleveland a four-point lead.

Cleveland held on for a 110-107 win, extending the winning streak to eight games.

Irving finished with 22 points on 8-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers recovered from a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to topple the Dallas Mavericks, 110-107, in overtime Tuesday night in Dallas. LeBron James led the way.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James amassed 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals and Kyrie Irving drilled a ginormous 3-pointer late in overtime as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 110-107, Tuesday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Cavs defensive wiz Iman Shumpert made a potential game-saving strip of Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki in the final seconds of regulation.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox Sports Ohio telecast:

Streaks extended: The Cavs (27-9 overall, 12-8 on road) have won eight in a row.

LeBron's teams, since his Miami Heat lost to Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals, are 8-0 against the Mavericks.

Wild times in Big D: The Cavs won despite trailing for the vast majority of minutes and shooting 41.2 percent (40-of-97) from the field.

Mark Cuban's Mavs (22-17 overall, 11-7 at home) lost despite holding leads of 25-22 after one quarter, 52-47 at the half and 72-67 after three. The score was tied, 95-95, at the end of regulation.

According to Fox Sports Ohio reporter Allie Clifton, the Mavs had been 20-0 when leading after three quarters.

Shot of the game: The Cavs led, 106-105, and possessed the ball with 37 seconds remaining. After milking the clock, LeBron went one-on-one against Deron Williams near the foul line. Williams blatantly flopped when LeBron initiated contact, and the officials wisely allowed play to continue. Unfortunately for the Cavs, LeBron was at a standstill away from the basket with the shot clock at 5.

LeBron could have attempted a shot and no one would have faulted him. Instead, he turned in search of a better shot and spotted Irving open high on the right -- and deep. Irving released from Irving, Tex., with 1.1 on the shot clock.

Bang. Cavs, 109-105, with 13.8 seconds remaining.

The Mavs' ensuing possession ended when Shumpert delivered his second-best strip of the night, of guard Deron Williams in the paint with 5.6 seconds left. Shumpert was credited with a block; LeBron rebounded and drew a foul.

Fox Sports Ohio analyst Austin Carr said of Shump: "He's a baaaaaad man. Great hands, great vision.''

LeBron made one of two free throws. Williams' jumper in the final second accounted for the final margin.

KI clutch again: Irving largely struggled at both ends for three quarters, but he showed up when his team needed him most, scoring a combined 13 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting.

Irving's triple with 10:00 left in the fourth gave the Cavs their first lead of the game -- 75-74.

Irving's desire to push the pace, and his ability to dribble-penetrate, were essential against the lumbering Mavs. He had nine assists and set up assist opportunities for teammates. The Cavs finished with 28 assists.

King's English: The Cavs likely would have been blown out if not for LeBron, who authored yet another steadily outstanding performance.

The 50-time Eastern Conference player of the week shot 9-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the line in 42 minutes.

With 20.9 seconds remaining in regulation, LeBron stormed into the paint from the right wing and dunked to tie the score, 95-95. It should have been an and-one opportunity because Devin Harris clearly caught LeBron with the body, but LeBron didn't get the call (no surprise). LeBron was furious.

With 1:00 remaining in overtime, LeBron drove on Chandler Parsons and made a layup to give the Cavs the 106-105 lead. Parsons had no chance.

Shumptastic: After LeBron's dunk, the Mavs controlled with Williams guarded by Shumpert and Nowitzki by LeBron. When the Mavs ran a high screen, LeBron handed off the 7-foot Nowitzki to the 6-5 Shumpert. It was a mismatch, all right -- for Nowitzki.

Williams passed to Nowitzki, who began to work on Shumpert near the foul line.

Fox Sports Ohio play-by-play voice Fred McLeod said: "Look out here. You can see that fadeaway coming.''

Nowitzki did, indeed, prepare for the patented jumper that has helped make him one of the NBA's all-time leading scorers. However, as Nowitzki turned and raised his hands, Shumpert ripped the ball away for the steal with 5.7 seconds left.

The Cavs gained possession and called timeout with 1.9 seconds left, but they were unable to attempt a shot.

The Mavs had every right to like their chances if Nowitzki had been able to get the ball above his head. Shumpert, with no help coming, simply refused to allow it.

"Best hands in the league,'' Irving told Clifton after the game. "We say it all the time.''

While Shumpert deserves most of the credit for the play, the officiating crew of Eric Lewis, Ken Mauer and Tre Maddox also played a role. One of the three easily could have been swayed by the player who was shooting, and the venue in which he was shooting, and blown the whistle because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Nowitzki did not argue, then replays confirmed that the no-call was correct.

Smallest of smalls works: The Cavs opened overtime with a lineup of LeBron and  Kevin Love and guards Irving, Dellavedova and J.R. Smith.

Substitutions with the outcome still in doubt were Shumpert for Smith (3:03), Smith  for Love (1:31) and Love for Shumpert (1:09).   

Rough start for the visitors: The Mavs made their first five field goals in building a 10-0 lead. With 5:00 remaining in the quarter, wide-open Parsons drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 23-7.

Among Cavs struggling defensively was center Tristan Thompson. With 3:56 left and the Cavs trailing, 23-10, coach David Blatt subbed out Thompson for 7-foot Timofey Mozgov. The Cavs rallied to within 25-22 by the end of the first quarter.

Wizard of Moz: Mozgov's overall contributions should not be overlooked. On a forgettable night full of bad matchups for Thompson (two points, six rebounds, -19 in 23 minutes), the Cavs absolutely needed a strong effort at both ends from his backup.

Mozgov went 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 10 points, and he had nine rebounds -- five offensive -- two steals and one block in 21 minutes. He repeatedly "protected the rim'' en route to a +18.

Against certain teams, the Cavs need Mozgov to be right for however long he plays. The Celtics, Bulls and Mavs are three of those teams. The Spurs, whom the Cavs face Thursday in San Antonio, are another.

Channeling Reggie Miller: Dellavedova scored six in a couple of blinks late in the second quarter.

With 1:40 left and the Cavs trailing, 46-37, LeBron passed to a wide-open Delly on the right wing. Delly released the 3-pointer with 5 seconds on the shot clock. Good (1:38).

As Nowitzki inbounded to Williams, Delly hustled across the floor and stole the ball near the sideline (1:36). Delly, while falling out of bounds, hook-passed to Irving, who bounce-passed to an open Delly deep on the left wing. Good again (1:30).

Delly finished with 12 points and a game-best +21 in 27 minutes.

The fourth game of the Cleveland Cavaliers' exhausting road trip got off to an ominous start. Five missed shots and a LeBron James turnover had the Cavs staring at an 8-0 deficit, which forced head coach David Blatt to call an early timeout.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The fourth game of the Cleveland Cavaliers' exhausting road trip got off to an ominous start. Five missed shots and a LeBron James turnover had the Cavs staring at an 8-0 deficit, which forced head coach David Blatt to call an early timeout.

The Cavs spent most of the night chasing the 22-win Dallas Mavericks and trailed heading into the fourth quarter, another bad sign.

Dallas was undefeated when leading after three quarters this season -- until Tuesday.

The Cavs rallied in the fourth quarter, forced overtime and kept the game close before Kyrie Irving came through with a clutch three-pointer, helping extend the winning streak to eight games and ensuring the Cavs leave this trip with a winning record.

Here are five observations after the 110-107 win:

Bouncing back - Things haven't been easy for the Cavs this season. They were hit with injuries early, the schedule has been challenging and slow starts have led to large deficits.

They found themselves in a similar situation on Tuesday night. Trailing by 16 points after the first seven minutes, they had burned two timeouts searching for answers and the shooting struggles had followed them from Philadelphia.

It would've been easy to get frustrated, to start pointing fingers. But there wasn't any of that. Nor was there any panic.   

As they have done this season, the Cavs responded in the face of adversity, using tough defense to fuel a 15-0 run and get back in the game by the end of the first quarter.

Resilience was the story for the Cavs against Dallas. That word also helps define the night for Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, two members of Cleveland's Big Three that got off to dreadful starts.

In the first three quarters, the duo combined to shoot 6-of-25 from the field. To their credit, they were finding other ways to make an impact. Irving had racked up a team-high six assists, getting past his initial defender and setting up teammates for easy baskets. Love was fighting on the glass, finishing with a team-high 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

Then in the fourth quarter and overtime, with the Cavs' again dealing with offensive issues, both Love and Irving came through.

Irving's three-pointer two minutes into the fourth, his first triple of the night, gave Cleveland its first lead of the game. When Dallas regained the lead a few possessions later, Love came through with his own three-pointer, giving Cleveland a one-point edge with 6:54 left, forcing Dallas to call a timeout.

The duo also made plenty of plays in overtime, including more late-game magic from Irving, who hit a clutch triple earlier this season to clinch a win against Phoenix.

With the shot clock winding down, James passed up a wide-open jumper, instead dishing to Irving beyond the arc. The three-time All-Star did the rest, hitting another bomb and giving the Cavs a four-point lead with 13 seconds left.

Irving finished with 22 points, connecting on 8-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range. As has been the case for much of his brilliant young career, Irving saved his biggest moments for crunch time, scoring 13 of his 22 in the fourth quarter and OT.

Love finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, his 16th double-double. Eight of his points were scored in the fourth quarter and OT. 

Five strong minutes - James' two drives in the final 40 seconds erased a night of frustration and gave Cleveland five more minutes.

Too often during regulation, the Cavs camped behind the three-point line and launched from distance. They finished with 97 shots -- 44 were three-pointers. At one point deep into the third quarter, half of their attempts came from beyond the arc. That's way too many, even for one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA. 

When they weren't hoisting outside jumpers, the Cavs were standing around, with their iso-centric offense becoming predictable.

That wasn't the case in the extra period.

The Cavs were 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the field thanks to snappy ball movement that had Dallas scrambling. The ball went inside and there were cuts to the basket, leading to five assists on six made shots.

Just as important, each member of the Big Three stayed involved during that stretch, as Love, James and Irving accounted for the entire OT scoring output.

Mozgov's big night - Sunday was a forgettable game for Mozgov.

His ill advised three-pointer drew the ire of teammates and coaches. It also led to him staying on the bench for the entire second half of Cleveland's 95-85 win against the 76ers.

Losing confidence after a few blunders has become a theme for Mozgov. But on Tuesday, he rebounded nicely.

Mozgov provided an early spark, fighting for offensive rebounds, protecting the rim on defense and finishing with strength near the basket. Not only was he part of the lineup that stormed back from an early deficit, but Mozgov earned fourth quarter minutes, being included in the five-man unit that finally caught Dallas after trailing for the first 40 minutes.

Blatt deserves credit for sticking with the Russian center. Most nights, the coach opts for Tristan Thompson, who is averaging eight minutes per night in the final period. 

Not Tuesday. Thompson played about 30 seconds, as Blatt stayed with the working lineup.

Mozgov, a starter at the beginning of the year, played seven minutes and scored six points to go with three rebounds in the fourth quarter.

He finished the night with 10 points on 4-of-6 from the field. He also grabbed nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end, to go with two steals and one block in 21 minutes.

Most importantly, Mozgov made a noticeable impact, finishing with the second-best plus-minus (+18) of any Cavs player.

It's been a tough season. Mozgov's lost his starting spot, his minutes are sporadic and there are whispers about his future. He showed on Tuesday why the Cavs have rebuffed all trade offers.

There are going to be some matchups that force him to the bench. Others, however, will be more favorable and it will be up to him to capitalize, just as he did against Dallas, showing shades of his old form.

His true value comes against teams that play with a true center rather than turn to the small-ball lineup that gave Cleveland fits in the NBA Finals. One team that tends to stay big is San Antonio, the team the Cavs play Thursday and could see again in June.

Having depth isn't a bad thing. The Cavs need to make sure they have the pieces to play any style. Mozgov gives the Cavs a better chance when opponents go big. Thompson has a tendency to get overpowered and he certainly doesn't have Mozgov's size near the rim.

It's been a down year for the soon-to-be free agent and his effort against Dallas might only be a brief flash. But there are certain games that favor Mozgov and he needs to stay ready.  

He passed the test against the Mavericks. San Antonio brings another one. 

Bench bunch - Early this season, the bench was developing its own identity, becoming a source of advantage. Recently, the second unit has started to fade.

But the bench reverted back to its early-season form, providing a much-needed lift.

Richard Jefferson showed fight, getting in the face of JaVale McGee when his elbow caught Mozgov on the chin. Jefferson also had a turn-back-the-clock dunk in the fourth quarter, igniting a 5-0 run. 

Matthew Dellavedova hit timely shots, including a pair of three-pointers in less than 10 seconds.

Delly with the Reggie Miller-esque 6 points in less than 10 seconds. #Cavs #foxsportsohio pic.twitter.com/c5q545xiTA

-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) January 13, 2016

He also brought defensive pressure, replacing the struggling Irving early in the first quarter and helping lead the 15-0 spurt.

Dellavedova finished with 12 points, one of seven players in double figures, to go with five assists. His energy helped changed the game. 

Iman Shumpert added his customary defense, stripping Nowitzki at the end of regulation and doing the same to Deron Williams in OT. The athletic defensive stopper also added 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including a fourth quarter driving layup.

The return of Shumpert and Irving has led to some changes with the second unit, minutes not being readily available and some players falling out of the rotation completely. But given how much general manager David Griffin spent to boost the team's depth this off-season, Tuesday's effort should be closer to the norm.

Extra shots - With offense hard to find, it was important for the Cavs to get as many looks as possible. Eventually a team loaded with talent will take advantage of those chances.

The Cavs outrebounded Dallas, 46-44, with 17 rebounds coming on the offensive end. That work on the offensive glass led to 15 second-chance points and a season-high 97 shots attempts, 18 more than Dallas.

That was one of the overlooked keys to Cleveland staying in the game and pulling out a win despite shooting a rough 40-of-97 (41.2 percent) from the field.  

It wasn't easy Tuesday night, but the Cavaliers got the results they wanted in an extra-innings affair to get their eighth straight win.

DALLAS - The last time the Mavericks saw the Cavaliers, the soon-to-be Eastern Conference champs walked out of American Airlines Center with a lopsided 33-point win.

It wasn't that easy Tuesday night, but the Cavaliers got the results they wanted in an extra-innings affair in a 110-107 overtime victory for their eighth straight win.

Kyrie Irving, who struggled all night, came through when his team needed him most, hitting a deep, deep 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in overtime to produce a four-point lead. That sealed Cleveland's come-from-behind victory.

LeBron James, who passed to Irving on that play, had a game-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 42 minutes. Kevin Love supplied 15 points and 11 boards and their bench helped out with 32 points. Iman Shumpert had three steals and a blocked shot to lead a defensive stand by a small-ball Cavs lineup in the extra period.

Cleveland is 4-0 on this six-game road trip.

How we got here

Dallas (22-17) started the game with a 10-0 outbreak as the Cavaliers missed their first five shots. Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, nailed all three of his looks in the quarter and Dallas built a 23-7 lead only to see Cleveland run off 15 straight points to cut the deficit to one after James pulled off a one-hand-behind-the-head fastbreak dunk made popular by Karl Malone.

The Cavs had weathered the storm.

Late in the second quarter the Mavericks began to pull away, expanding their lead to nine, but that's when Matthew Dellavedova did his best Reggie Miller impersonation.

James found him on the right wing for a 3-pointer. As Deron Williams received the inbounds pass, Dellavedova came from behind him and picked his pocket and found himself open at the left wing. He didn't hesitate to let the deep ball fly. Splash. Just like that, it was six points in eight seconds and Cleveland was suddenly down only three.

Ray Felton knocked down a tough buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper over James to give the Mavericks a five-point advantage at intermission. Cleveland shot an abysmal 35 percent in the first two quarters.

After two lazy turnovers in first four minutes of the third quarter, Irving was subbed out for Dellavedova, not to return until 1:36 was left in the period. Although the Cavs stayed within range, Dallas maintained a five-point lead going into the final quarter.

An Irving 3-pointer two minutes into fourth provided the first lead of the night, 75-74. The teams traded the edge the rest of regulation. Love came up with two huge offensive rebounds down the stretch, the second of which led to a Shumpert driving layup to put them up four with 4:18 left in the regulation.

Wesley Matthews, who was 1-for-8 from the field at the time, drained two straight threes to give Dallas a 91-89 lead.

James then drew a foul on the next possession and hit two pressurized free throws to tie the game at 39.4. Then down the floor Williams got Tristan Thompson on him on a switch and took him to the rack for a high-arching kiss-off-the glass that fell through the net to give the Mavericks a two-point lead with 28.8 left.

James responded again by curling off of a double screen and flying in for a two-handed jam. Devin Harris brushed him on the play and James wanted the foul too. He was livid, but the game was tied with 20.9 left.

Dallas gave the ball to Nowitzki for the final shot with Shumpert guarding him. Shumpert stripped the ball as Nowitzki went up at the foul line and J.R. Smith gathered the ball and called timeout with 0.9 second left in regulation.

James couldn't get Irving a clean look before the buzzer; on to overtime we went.

Cleveland outscored Dallas 15-12 in the period. The Big 3 of James, Irving and Love all had five points apiece. Cleveland is 22-4 in its last 26 games against Western Conference opponents.

It wasn't the Cavaliers' best shooting game as they shot 41 percent, but they earned this one.

Chandler Parsons led Dallas with 25 points and eight rebounds. Williams added 16 points and 10 assists.

On deck

The San Antonio Spurs are next Thursday on the Texas Triangle portion of this six-game trip. It will be a TNT game that tips off at 8 p.m. It will be the first of two meetings.

Rated the No. 5 defensive tackle in the 2016 recruiting class, Lawrence posted on his public Twitter account that he plans to pick between Ohio State and LSU on Jan. 22, which is a week from Friday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State really wants to finish the 2016 recruiting class off with a stud defensive tackle, which is why five-star prospect Rashard Lawrence of Monroe (La.) Neville is one of the Buckeyes' top remaining targets. 

And Lawrence is close to committing. 

Rated the No. 5 defensive tackle in the 2016 recruiting class, Lawrence posted on his public Twitter account that he plans to pick between Ohio State and LSU on Jan. 22, which is a week from Friday. 

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound prospect is scheduled to officially visit LSU this weekend. He already took official visits to Ohio State and UCLA. 

[?] [?] pic.twitter.com/b1JdWLQrGN

-- Rashard Lawrence (@Rashard_99) January 14, 2016

Here are the five quotes that resonated from Wednesday's press conference introducing Jackson. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns introduced their new head coach, Hue Jackson, on Wednesday night in a press conference at the team's practice facility. Here are five quotes that stood out during the nearly 35-minute session.

"We understand where the Cleveland Browns are."

Jackson was referring to the pecking order in the AFC North. He, of course, has spent plenty of time in the division, including two separate stints with the Bengals and time with the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns finished last again in the division in 2015. Jackson comes from the reigning division champion and a team that consistently makes the playoffs. The Browns and Jackson are starting from the bottom, so there's really nowhere to go but up.

"I have 142 text messages on my phone."

Who will Jackson hire to be a part of his staff? If this quote is to be believed, he'll have plenty of options.

"And most of them are coaches," he said, "and they're not just saying, 'Hey Hue, congratulations!' They're saying, 'Hue, will you help me get to the Cleveland Browns and have an opportunity to sit in front of Jimmy and the rest of your staff and have a chance to come here and help you win.'"

"The potential."

Why Cleveland over his other options, including waiting on an interview with the New York Giants? 

"Where do you find an unbelievable fan base?" he said. "Where do you find an unbelievable owner, a passionate wife, two young men who are on the verge of doing something different and special in the National Football League and you feel in line with those people? As you said, I'd interviewed at some other places. I've talked to a lot of different people over the phone and I get a feel for people. I think I can judge people pretty well and the feeling that I had after meeting with this group was different than the feelings that I had after meeting and talking with others. And so, to me, it was a no-brainer."

"I can't worry about what's happened before me."

Jackson faced multiple questions about the team's dysfunction and how they got to the point where they are, once again, hiring a new head coach. Multiple times, he said that he couldn't speak for the men who came before him in this job.

"Boy, I love calling plays."

Will Jackson call his own plays? He didn't say he would for certain, but he left the door open on the possibility. The good news is that he's pretty good at it.

-----

Follow me on Twitter: @dan_labbe | Like my Facebook page

Jackson met with the media on Wednesday after being introduced as Browns head coach. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio - Some quick observations from Hue Jackson's introductory news conference:

Man on a mission

The Browns' new head coach didn't promise an immediate turnaround or give a timeline for a playoff appearance. One thing that's apparent, however, Jackson is confident in his abilities.

He brings 15 years and a wide range of NFL experiences to Berea. He's not daunted by the history of Browns coaching failures since 1999.  

"It's hard for me to tell you about the other coaches, but I know what Hue Jackson can do, and I feel very comfortable and confident that I can get it turned," Jackson said of the losing culture here. "I believe that, I know that and I expect to get that done."

Calling his shots

Holy, Pat Shurmur, the new coach sounds like he might want to keep his hand in play calling.

Shurmur served as his own play caller in his first season (2011) before relinquishing them to Brad Childress the next season. Unlike Shurmur, Jackson previously has served as a head coach and knows all the demands game day entails. He might be able to multi-task where Shurmur failed at it.

Jackson will likely hire an offensive coordinator, but he made it clear how much he enjoys the in-game decisions.

"Boy, I love calling plays, I do," Jackson said. "But I'm going to do whatever I think is the right thing for this organization. Obviously, we are going to look to find the best coaches in the world to come here and if that means Hue Jackson needs to slide over and give someone else that opportunity I will. But I know I will always be itching and scratching and wanting to do it because I have a pretty good feel for what it takes to be successful in this league."

Again, the man doesn't lack for confidence. 

Go with the flow

Two topics drawing plenty of attention over the past 10 days were the organization's power structure and the use of analytics. The Browns have made it clear head of football operations Sashi Brown will have the final say on the 53-man roster. They also expect to ramp up their reliance on advanced stats with the hiring of chief strategic officer Paul DePodesta, who made analytics work in baseball.

Jackson took a very flexible approach to both topics. The coach touted the collaborative effort owner Jimmy Haslam has been championing since the season ended. Jackson wants an input on personnel, but he's not losing focus on his primary responsibility here.

"My job is to make sure that we win football games," Jackson said. "All I want to do is win. I'm not worried about who picks this player, picks that player. ... Get me players, I can coach 'em. That's what my expertise is. My thing is to get us to the game ready to play, motivated, fired up, enthusiastic and have an opportunity to win. and that's what I'm interested in." 

Not going there

Multiple outlets, including cleveland.com, have reported Johnny Manziel's days with the Browns likely will come to an end under Jackson. That might have been the case regardless of the coach the team hired Wednesday.

But as expected, Jackson made no definitive statements. He sidestepped repeated questions about Manziel's future with the team, citing the fact he needs time to evaluate all his players. 

The Browns would love to recoup something for their 2014 first-round pick, whose on-field progress isn't worth the off-field headaches. They can't deal him -- assuming there are takers -- until March. It's why Jackson was wise to make no strong remarks about him.  

Here is everything Hue Jackson had to say on Wednesday night. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Here is the transcript of the press conference introducing Browns head coach Hue Jackson, courtesy of the Cleveland Browns. The press conference included Jackson, team owner Jimmy Haslam and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown.

Owner Jimmy Haslam opening statement:

Haslam: "Ten days ago, we were at the stadium and we announced we were making changes in the Browns organization. We announced that we would set off on a coaching search. We talked about who would be part of that coaching search and talked a little bit about the process. First of all, I want to thank (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Sashi (Brown), who you will hear from in a little bit, (Owner) Dee (Haslam) and (Chief Strategy Officer) Paul DePodesta. I also want to recognize Jed Hughes, who did an outstanding job from Korn Ferry and really helped us with our process. We talked to seven outstanding candidates - really good people, fine men and good coaches. One of them has already been named a head coach (Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase), and I have no doubt others will be named head coach, but we got the right guy for the Cleveland Browns. He is smart. He is tough. He is confident. He is competitive. He has been a head coach before. He has a great offensive mind. He has a tremendous track record developing quarterbacks. I am going to say this again because you will see when you hear from him and you will see it when you are around him: he is very, very competitive. He understands the AFC North. He has been a part of the AFC North. I think he is going to be a great head coach for the Cleveland Browns.

"Before we hear from (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) - I know that is who everyone wants to hear from tonight - Sashi is going to make a few remarks about the process, and he will give you a little update on where we are on our personnel position search."

Executive Vice President of Football Operations opening statement:

Brown: "Really honored to be here and to be able to introduce the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. As we set out to move forward and find the next head coach and the leader and face of our franchise, we immediately knew after some great meetings we had with some players at the end of our season we need to establish a culture, set a tone for our building and find a head coach who could bring a confidence and instill a confidence in our players where we would expect to win every Sunday. We certainly are glad that we found Hue. We had a tremendous process with Jed, Paul, Jimmy, Dee and myself. Hue is going to bring a toughness and certainly an experience in terms of brining the winning back to Cleveland that we set out to accomplish. We are happy we accomplished that goal. For the Dawg Pound, for our players, I am really pleased to introduce Hue Jackson as the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns."

Head Coach Hue Jackson opening statement:

Jackson: "Wow. First of all, thank you. There are so many people I need to thank. First, I would be remiss if I didn't go back and first thank the people in Cincinnati. (Bengals President) Mike Brown, (Bengals Executive Vice President) Katie (Blackburn) and (Bengals Vice President) Troy (Blackburn) and obviously (Bengals Head Coach) Marvin (Lewis), who is a real good friend of mine, (assistants to the Coaching Staff) Sandy (Schick) and Jamie (Janette), just some people there, the coaching staff that I worked with for so many wonderful years and (Vikings Head Coach) Mike Zimmer, who is now in Minnesota. They helped me get to where I am today. I can never ever repay them for the opportunity that they gave me.

"Now to thank the people that are here and brought me here. Obviously, Jimmy and Dee - wow, what outstanding people. I just can't thank you guys enough for this opportunity. I am looking forward to representing the Cleveland Browns and helping this organization get to where we know it should be.

"Sashi and Paul - these guys are tremendous. I know everyone is talking about analytics and all those things. Everyone is smiling out there right now (laughter). Please trust me, I am going to have an opportunity to work with some of the smartest men in football. I have been in a lot of different buildings, but I have never had the opportunity in two settings to sit down with two of the brightest minds in football in doing what they do. Sashi, thank you. Paul, thank you for this again for the time that was spent with me, giving me an opportunity to find out if I had what it takes to be the next Cleveland Browns coach. Obviously, there are so many different things to talk about as we continue to move forward, but I am so excited for this opportunity.

"As they have said, I have been in the AFC North. I kind of know the lay of the land. I understand where we are and where we are trying to go. Obviously, we understand that Cincinnati is one of the top teams in the league. Pittsburgh is still playing. Obviously, when you look at Baltimore, they had a down year this year and we understand where the Cleveland Browns are. We know there is a lot of work to do. There are a lot of things that we need to do to get there. What I am most excited about when I think of Jimmy and Dee and their commitment to me and the commitment that we have for this building for our players and for what we are trying to accomplish, there is none other. I have been in two of these organizations in the AFC North - I have been in Cincinnati, and I have been in Baltimore - and I can tell you first hand that there is nothing like the feeling of walking through these doors. Nothing. I know there is rabid fan base. The Dawg Pound, let me give you a fist bump because I am excited. I want to jump over into that pound when I get an opportunity when we play football the way I know we can play, but we all know there is a lot of work to do. I am excited about the work that needs to be done. I have already rolled up my sleeves and I am ready to go."

On if he was ever concerned he'd never receive another chance to be an NFL head coach after his season in Oakland:

Jackson: "I never thought about it that way. I think what you do as an assistant coach in the National Football League is you work. You just put your head down and work. Everyone has aspirations, and sometimes it just doesn't work out for some. I think I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do it again. I am looking forward to this opportunity."

On Haslam's comment that it may be a multiple-year process, although some coaches have first-year success:

Jackson: "I am glad he said that (laughter). I sure am. That makes me feel a little bit better (laughter). I truly understand that. I really respect Jim saying that. At the same time, that is not my mindset and I don't want that to be our players' mindset. We want to go and we expect to win every game we play. Now that being said, there is a lot of things that need to happen to have that opportunity to come forth. At the same time, we are not going to be a football team that walks out there and says, 'We say give.' I am not interested in that. I did not come here for that. I came here to win. I came here to help our team have an opportunity to win football games. We are not going to care about where we play. We understand the AFC North and we understand who we have to play outside our division, and they are really good football teams. We expect to have a really good football team here."

On working with Brown and DePodesta, who are not 'traditional football guys,' and the use of analytics:

Jackson: "I think that is the beautiful part. I think there are all kinds of ways to make things happen. There is more than one way to do things. My conversations with Sashi and with Paul, we are on point. We understand exactly what it is going to take to put this roster together to give us the best opportunity to be successful. Like you said, analytics is just a part of it. It is not the whole part of it; it is a piece of it. If we can find another way of doing things good to give us an opportunity to have success, we all would do that. There is not a person in this room that wouldn't do that. I like being cutting edge. I try to be innovative and cutting edge on offense. We want to be innovative and cutting edge on everything that we do in this building because eventually, everyone is going to be doing what we are doing. That is the fun part of this."

On his biggest question to the Browns during the interview process:

Jackson: "Do we have a chance to win? That's the biggest question."

On if the Browns answered that they do have a chance to win:

Jackson: "Yes. 'Hue, what do you think it is going to take to give team this an opportunity to win here in Cleveland?' To me, those questions were met with no problem. That is why I am sitting here today. If I didn't think that we had a chance to do something special here, I wouldn't be here. There is no questions about that. Again, I cannot thank Jimmy and Dee enough for this opportunity because those two people are driven to success. I said this to Jimmy the other day: he has had success in doing most things that he has done. What did you say to me Jimmy?

Haslam: "Except this (laughter)."

Jackson: "Except this (laughter). Let me tell you. I am here now. We want to change that. He and his wife and this organization and this city deserve a winner. That is what I am here to do - to help this organization win."

On if he wants QB Johnny Manziel as the Browns future QB:

Jackson: "This is what I would say to that: I need to get into this building and have an opportunity to sit down and watch tape. I don't know Johnny personally. I know who he is, but at the same time, I think I have to give everybody on our football team the fair opportunity to see who they are and to truly learn who they are and then make decisions from there."

On if would like to talk with OL Joe Thomas and Thomas' comments that he is unsure about his future in Cleveland after another coaching change:

Jackson: "Honestly, I want to sit down and talk to all of our players. The guy you mentioned, Joe Thomas, is one of the best left tackles in this league, bar none. He does deserve an opportunity to win. He is a tremendous football player and has been. He has been one of the cornerstones of this organization and this football team. I can't wait to have the opportunity to talk to him and give him our plan, and hopefully, I believe in my heart, that he is going to get excited about what we are trying to accomplish."

On how long it will take to put together his coaching staff and who will be on it:

Jackson: "Are you guys done with me? Can I go upstairs right now? Now. There are some tremendous football coaches sitting by the phone waiting for me to call. You would be surprised - I am being very honest - I have 142 text messages on my phone. I never knew my phone could go that long. Most of them are coaches. They are not just saying, 'Hey, Hue, congratulations.' They are saying, 'Hue, will you help me get to the Cleveland Browns and have an opportunity to sit in front of Jimmy and the rest of your staff and have a chance to come here and help you win?' To me, that is what this is all about. I am going to attract some good coaches and some great coaches, but to me we have to find the right fit for us. How fast that process is going to go? I don't know, but I do need to get on that phone and start returning some of those text messages."

On if he will be involved in the search for the Browns football talent evaluator:

Jackson: "I'm going to do whatever is asked of me. I know I'm going to have an opportunity, obviously, to meet that person, know who that person is. We're going to, this organization, I am so comfortable that we're going to make decisions whether Hue Jackson is involved or whether Hue Jackson is not that is best for our organization. What I want to do is get the people to help us win, regardless of who it is. You asked the question: Will I be involved? I think I'm involved in all of those things, but am I going to make those decisions? I don't think I need to make those decisions. I just need to know who it is."

Brown: "We are going to set out in earnest to find our top personnel person. This week, we will start our interviews and hope to have that concluded, as I said, in earnest. Obviously, tonight, this conversation is about Hue Jackson tonight. We're excited about our head coach, but we will set out to find that person and Hue will be involved, certainly. Again, I think as Hue said, this is going to be a collaborative, very integrative partnership is the way I think Paul Hue and I think about it with Jimmy certainly. He'll be involved as we move forward."

On how to change the Browns culture, which other coaches previously said they would do:

Jackson: "It's hard for me to tell you about the other coaches, but I know what Hue Jackson can do and I feel very comfortable and confident that I can get it turned. I believe that, I know that and I expect to get that done."

On how to change the Browns culture:

Jackson: "It's a process. There is a lot of work to it and there's no question about that. I just say let's see how that goes. Let's talk about this a month, two months, three months or four months from now and let's see where we are."

On lessons from visiting with many professional sports teams this past year:

Haslam: "We stated on a lot of cases that there's a learning curve to being an owner. We talked to a lot of former NFL people, individuals who retired, many of whom you all are familiar with but not a lot of NFL teams want to tell you how they do things because it's competitive. We talked to baseball and basketball teams. The current theme from every single one of them was alignment. You have to get everybody aligned. We - I'll take the responsibility - did not do that the first couple of times. I think you're going to be surprised at how well aligned we are. These coaching searches are really intense because you're covering a lot of ground and you spend a lot of time together, but it actually worked out great because Paul joined Dee, Sashi and myself, and it gave us a chance to spend - you start early and you go late and you're either on a plane or working together for long hours - it gave us a chance to really get to know Paul, Sashi and myself to spend time together. I feel really good, and Hue alluded to it, we have some really smart people in the building and people with low egos and people who will work together. That's the main takeaway I had from all of those organizations is - I think I addressed it tonight in the press conference - it's not so much important how you're structured. It's important but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is to make sure everybody's properly aligned, understands their roles and works together, and that's what I took from all of those organizations."

On the minimum amount of time this system has to become successful:

Haslam: "I'm confident they're going to do a good job."

On interviews with Jackson and him not interviewing with the New York Giants today:

Haslam: "We had a great interview with Hue Sunday afternoon. You talk about a tough, tough session. Everybody watched their game Saturday night and Hue had another interview with another team on Sunday morning, and we spent Sunday afternoon with him. We felt great about things. We took Monday to regroup and process where we were and decided it was important for Hue and important for us to touch base one more time. Paul, Sashi and I went down there yesterday morning, spent the morning together. We talked last night, agreed that he was our man and made the offer to him today."

On why he did not take the Giants interview today:

Jackson: "Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Sashi and Paul - that's it at the end of the day. This is about people. You have to feel comfortable that you have the proper support to have a chance to have success, and I am more than comfortable with our structure. I'm more than comfortable with the people that I'm sitting up here before."

On his comfort after previous Browns coaches lasted one and two years:

Jackson: "That's those coaches. At the end of the day, I do understand and respect that this is a performance business, and I know that this is about wins and losses. That's how I get judged and I respect that. I know what I signed up for, but at the end of the day, I truly believe without question that I have the proper support system from Jimmy, Dee, Paul and Sashi that's going to give me an opportunity to have success."

On his greeting from Browns staff when arriving in Berea:

Jackson: "I've never experienced anything like that before in my life. To me, that told me that this building is electric, they want to win and they expect to win, and they understand that there is a lot of work to do but everybody's ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work."

On what was most appealing about the Browns:

Jackson: "The potential. Where do you find an unbelievable fan base? Where do you find an unbelievable owner, a passionate wife, two young men who are on the verge of doing something different and special in the National Football League and you feel in-line with those people? As you said, I'd interviewed at some other places, I talked to a lot of different people over the phone and I get a feel for people. I think I can judge people pretty well. The feeling that I had after meeting with this group was different than the feelings that I had after meeting and talking with others. To me, it was a no brainer for me."

On lessons from his year as Oakland's head coach and if it ended with unfinished business after one year:

"I did, but at the same time, I understood that through that process what I learned more than anything you have to have support and you can't do it alone. I think you guys all know and recognize that I lost our owner (late Raiders Owner Al Davis) during the season and it became very difficult and it was different. Sometimes you felt like you were in a maze by yourself, and that's what's different here. There are a lot of people to support and help and get you what you need as a coach, as a leader to have an opportunity to have success."

On the Browns defense after preparing for it as an offensive coordinator:

Jackson: "It's a young nucleus of players, but at the same time, until I can watch videotape of those guys - obviously, I watched them competing against them, but this is different now. I'm having an opportunity to coach them so I think I need to be able to watch that videotape and evaluate them all before I can make that statement."

On if he wants to call plays:

Jackson: "I love calling plays (laughter). I do, but I'm going to do whatever I think is the right thing for this organization. Obviously, we're going to look to find the best coaches that we can in the world to come here and coach. If that means Hue Jackson needs to slide over and give someone else that opportunity, then I will, but I know I will always be itching and scratching and wanting to do it because I think I have a pretty good feel of what it takes to be successful in this league."

On WR Josh Gordon potentially being reinstated by the NFL next month:

Jackson: "What I'm anxious to do is evaluate him just like we're going to evaluate every player on our roster and see if they are the right fit for the Cleveland Browns. That's what we have to do with every player, whether that's (WR) Josh Gordon to whoever the last guy is on the roster."

On evaluating Manziel's off-field behavior:

Jackson: "Again, I wasn't here to be a part of that so obviously, I can't speak to any of those. I think what's important is that I evaluate him as a football player and then find out more about those things as we move forward."

On attractiveness of the Browns owning the No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft and his knowledge of this year's QB class:

Jackson: "I'm going to know them pretty well here pretty soon. Obviously, having the No. 2 pick is great and sometimes it's not. As an organization, we have a lot of work to do to make sure that's where we need to be or where we don't need to be, but I think it's a great place to start for a new head coach because you have a chance to get a good player."

On if he said Manziel was not discussed in interviews with the Browns:

Jackson: "Did I say that we never discussed Manziel? No, I never said that to you. I never said that. What I said to you is that I need to evaluate him as a football player, and I know whatever incidents that he's been involved in I was not a part of here so I can't comment on those because I don't know anything about those."

On weighing how much input he will have in personnel decisions:

Jackson: "When we had the conversation about how that works, I think Sashi and Paul were very comfortable with me having an opportunity to give them my input. That means we're going to work together through this process. These guys are in charge of making those things happen. My job is to make sure that we win football games. All I want to do is win. I'm not worried about who picks this player, who picks this player. I want to make sure I know what we're going to put on our team, but at the same time, give me player so I can coach them. That's what my expertise is. My thing is to get us to the game ready to play, motivated, fired up, enthusiastic and to have an opportunity to win. That's what I'm interested in."

On weighing the Browns recent instability with the opportunity to interview with the Giants:

Jackson: "Someone said it best: there's 32 of these, right? To me, I can't worry about what's happened before me. I know there's history that everybody looks to and points to and says, 'This can happen to you.' I'm not opposed to saying that it couldn't, but I don't believe so based on my process with Jimmy, Dee, Sashi and Paul. I don't believe that. At the end of the day, I do understand and recognize my job is about winning and nothing else and this team being as good as it can be and these young men being the best they can be on the field, as well as off the field. That's what I'm in charge of and I think that's what is important."

On explaining praise from multiple players and coaches around the league after his hire:

Jackson: "Because I think players know that I'm honest, I'm fair and I'm tough. My job is to push people to get them to where they need to be. I think Jimmy spoke about it earlier - a singleness, a purpose. He used a different phrase than I did, but everybody coming together being aligned is a term I think he used the right way. I try to align players the right way. The arrow needs to point up and not down. We do all recognize that sometimes the arrow does go down on some players. When they do, you've got to get them back in focus the best they can and try to create environments for your players to be all they can be. That's what I think I'm good at. I think the players that I've been around, the coaches I've been around they know that because I try to create the environment so people can have success."

On if he's looking more for a certain system or person when hiring a defensive coordinator:

Jackson: "I'm looking for the person that can bring energy that can bring tenacity, that's a guy that understands how to lead men, and a guy that understands how to defeat offenses, the real good offenses in this league."

On Jackson's approach to analytics and what it meant in the hiring process:

Brown: "With Hue, the first thing you realize is he's smart and tremendously competitive. He understands just like Paul, Jimmy, Dee and the rest of ourselves that everything we do here is going to be focused on winning. We'd like to create every possible competitive advantage we can. If that's from analytics and if those apply, certainly, we'll use those in our decision making to make sure that we put ourselves in the best position to win. Acquiring talent, helping Hue on the field with his coaching, it could be player development - we will look at that. Hue certainly was open. In addition to being smart and open-minded, he was certainly open to the use of analytics throughout our processes."

On Dee Haslam's increased role with the Browns and her involvement in the coaching search:

Haslam: "Dee has been my partner for a long time. Both of us are at a place in our businesses where we can now spend a lot more time here. Besides it was great to have her along, she adds value and she reads people extremely well. I know a lot of people asked yesterday about the NFL meeting. Once we saw that we were still going to be zeroing in on the search, it was great to have Dee be able to go to the meeting, represent us extremely well and me be able to stay focused on the search. She's a tremendous asset not just to me but to the organization. I'm very happy to have her by my side. She's been a big help."

On the difference between Jackson and previous head coaches and candidates:

Haslam: "To start with the process, Jed helped this, and Sashi and Paul are both really smart and very disciplined. You all hear us use 'process' a lot, very organized. Like I said, we had seven candidates, all of whom were very good candidates. When you go through these, as I said a minute ago, it's a lot of work, but you also learn a lot. We took notes that will help the Browns organization going forward from every single person we interviewed. I think we were very well-organized. We ran a tight ship. I don't think there were any leaks or anything coming out. I think we had things lined up well. There were several really good candidates in the group. It's kind of interesting - Hue and I were laughing about this yesterday as we were finishing up our second interview - he and I had run into each other on the sidelines before the game and just had a natural chemistry, and I in no mind ever thought, 'Well, this guy will be our next coach,' and I doubt Hue was trying to sell me on that fact. We just had a natural chemistry. We always visited a little bit before the game. We knew each other a little bit. We sat down on Sunday and I think he slept zero Saturday night and had gone through a long interview with another team. We had a great session. It just felt comfortable. Then yesterday, we went back down and Paul and Sash and Hue and I sat around the table and just talked real life situations. 'What do you think about this? What do you think about that?' for about three hours. It was just really comfortable. It was as if we had worked together a long time. Sash and I have worked together three years. Paul is now on Week 2, and that was the second time we ever spent time with Hue. It was just a very comfortable working environment. We got up, asked Hue to excuse himself and said, 'OK, we're ready to go. This is our man.' We're excited."

On if Jackson will retain coaches from the previous staff:

Jackson: "Again, we're going to have an opportunity to speak to them and evaluate them and see if they fit. If they do, we will. If they don't, obviously, we'll make decisions to move forward."

On gratification of hiring a coach quicker than previous searches:

Haslam: "It's helpful. We qualified by saying we didn't know if this was going to take two weeks or two months. I think we felt like we were organized in such a manner that would be on the short end. It's nice to get Hue hired because now Hue can go to work hiring a staff, and we can go to work hiring our personnel person so that in the hopefully not too distant future, we'll be ready to roll. The football season, as you all know, never really ends. We've got free agency coming up, and you have the various All-Star games, you have the combine, and before long it will be the draft. We all understand, and I think Hue will tell you, we were very honest about where we see ourselves as a team and the amount of work we have to do. I think we all understand, as he said several times, we have a lot of work to do, we got it and the quicker we can get the organization in place, the better off we are. At the same time, it's important to get the right people in place. We're not going to tell Hue he has to have a staff hired in two weeks. The important thing is to get the right people in the right place."

On having preconceived notions about the Browns that needed to be changed with his AFC North experience:

Jackson: "No, honestly I didn't. I didn't have any preconceived notions and my mind didn't need to be changed. Again, this is a tremendous organization led by some great people. Again, there are only 32 of these. I understood where they had been and where they're trying to go. I like challenges. What a challenge, but when you have the support that I think we have here, those challenges become reality."

On ability to hire a coach quickly and drawing an ideal candidate:

Haslam: "Let me say this: I know there is a feeling here, and it is deserved, that this is not a good place to coach and a lot of it revolved around the owners. We were pleasantly surprised with the interest in this job. I think people recognize the potential that is here in Cleveland. Hue and we talk about it all the time, the rabid fan base. Like I said, we got the guy we wanted, but there were several really outstanding coaches we had the opportunity to interview. I think it is a credit to this town and the fan base. We were well organized. Sash, Paul, Jed and Dee did a nice job. These things are never perfectly smooth and you have things come up. The process went as we wanted. We think we got the right guy. This is just the first step. Hue has to put together a staff. We have to get the right personnel person. We have to begin building a really good football team because we have a long way to go to be where we are consistently competitive in the AFC North, which is one of the toughest divisions in football. We all recognize that."

On being able to offer an avid fan base with previous head coaching searches:

Haslam: "I will just say I think we were better organized. Hopefully, the third time is the charm. Hopefully, you learn from previous processes of what you can do better, and I think we will benefit this time."

On primary principles on winning in the NFL:

Jackson: "I think what you do is you start to build a team through the right vision. You have to have leadership, and I think players have to have some leadership, too, obviously in the locker room. After that, I think it is integrity. I think the players have to understand integrity is very, very important. Then, you have to be accountable. You have to be accountable for what you are doing and how you are doing it. Then, you have to have some passion. You have to have great passion for what you are doing. You couple that with a little desire and determination and great things happen. Obviously, the thing that sits on top of that is work ethic. We have to walk into this building every day ready to work and compete to be the best we can be. That is what I am going to sell this football team on, that is what I am going to sell this coaching staff on and that is what I want this organization to be sold on because we are chasing greatness. Sometimes people chase it and you don't hit it all the time, but if you don't chase it, you are going to hit the wrong thing. At least when you chase it, you might fall on something that is really good that gives a chance to be very special here."

Cleveland Browns hiring of Hue Jackson is something the team needs, an experienced coach who knows the AFC North. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Browns notebook after Hue Jackson's press conference:

1. When it comes to Browns press conferences, Hue Jackson delivered one of the best performances in decades. Fans are experts in these things. Same with the media. We have heard so many. This is the third in four years. Most coaches say the same things. What helps generate some confidence in Jackson is he was 8-8 in 2011 with Oakland. As Cincinnati's offensive coordinator last season, he made a major impact on the career of quarterback Andy Dalton.

2. So the 50-year-old Jackson has something tangible for fans to grab onto, at least compared to the last few coaches. I'm talking about Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski and Mike Pettine. None had been a head coach in college or the NFL. They were coordinators, but who really knew if they could lead a team?

3. It's a press conference. Nothing was won on the field. No players were drafted. Jackson was intentionally vague about his plans, other than wanting to talk to Joe Thomas and convince the All-Pro left tackle that the Browns are indeed headed in the right direction. So we are really talking about style and a sense of hope.

4. I asked Jackson about working for Sashi Brown (a salary cap expert) and Paul DePodesta (a baseball stats expert). Jackson said, "I like being cutting edge. Eventually, everybody is going to be doing what we're doing."

5. Jackson is correct. If Jimmy Haslam's grand experiment of Brown, DePodesta, Jackson and a "talent evaluator" actually turns the Browns into a contender, teams will copy it. If not, the Browns will be ridiculed once again. I'm good with the new approach.

6. I still believe that there will be some very interesting and intense conversations between Jackson and Brown/DePodesta once they get deep into the numbers and how it applies to the draft and free agency. Jackson is an old-fashioned football guy when it comes to all the intangibles: Playing with heart, passionate leadership, etc.

7. So it will be up the stats guys to find a way to factor in those intangibles when they put together their assessments of players.
 

8. Which brings us to Johnny Manziel. Jackson didn't really want to talk about Manziel. He mentioned the need to watch film, etc. He's seen Manziel play up close and personal. Two of Manziel's starts have been against the Bengals. The last thing this press conference needed was a heavy dose of Manziel.

9. That said, I'd be stunned if Jackson decided to hook his future to Manziel. He did talk about getting to know the 2016 quarterback class. The Browns have the second and 32nd picks. Odds are that Jackson would like to hand pick a quarterback and develop him.

10. Interesting comment from Jackson: "All I want to do is win. I'm not worried about who picks this player or that player. ... Give me players I can coach."

11. Jackson will have a significant voice in the football talent evaluator to be hired. Brown is keeping control of the 53-man roster. Jackson was hired first. So this position is really not a traditional general manager. It's more like a player personnel director.

12. I asked Jackson if he planned to call plays. He said, "I love calling plays." He then talked about giving that up if he found the right coordinator.

13. I expect Jackson to call the plays. The Cincinnati offense was his. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is a defensive guy. That's why he was so upset about losing Jackson.

14. The big hire will be the defensive coordinator, who will be almost like the head coach of the defense. Jackson loves to work with quarterbacks and the offense. He can't do everything.

15. Jackson wanted to hire Vance Joseph as his defensive coordinator. He was defensive backs coach for the Vikings. But Miami's Adam Gase grabbed Joseph first.

16. Jackson said he had 142 text messages from coaches wanting to interview for Browns jobs. I don't doubt it. But I still think it will be challenging for him to put together a strong staff because so many coaches have been fired quickly by the Browns over the years.

17. I was told that Jackson was not going to be hired by San Francisco. The Giants are expected to promote assistant Ben McAdoo. They did want to talk to Jackson, but nothing was guaranteed. Jackson wisely went to the Browns, the team that obviously wanted him very much. More than once, Jackson said, "There are only 32 of these (jobs)."

18. At the end of the season, I was very negative about the future. I knew everyone was being fired. Haslam's idea of promoting Brown to vice president of football operations didn't inspire me. The hiring of DePodesta was intriguing. Now, the addition of Jackson makes the Browns very interesting. Can the combination of a veteran NFL coach and an entirely new stats-driven front office make the Browns a viable football team?

19. I still think they need a veteran football man who has run drafts before. I mentioned Scott Pioli, the former Kansas City GM who is now assistant general manager in Atlanta. It doesn't have to be Pioli, but it should be someone with extensive front office experience.

20. When Jackson said, "I like challenges," I mumbled out loud, "Well, you've come to the right place."

Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot, Tom Reed and Dan Labbe discuss the hiring of Hue Jackson as the Browns eighth head coach since the team returned in 1999 Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot, Tom Reed and Dan Labbe discuss the hiring of Hue Jackson as the Browns eighth head coach since the team returned in 1999.

This is the second opportunity Jackson has had as a head coach in the NFL.  He coached the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and led them to an 8-8 season.

Jackson spent the last four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, the last two years as offensive coordinator.

Not a stranger to the AFC North, Jackson spent two years with Baltimore as their quarterbacks coach and instrumental in the development of Joe Flacco.  

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

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Hue Jackson wasn't ready to say yet that he's done with troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel. He did say, however, that he believes he can win over Joe Thomas. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- New Browns head coach Hue Jackson declined to confirm reports that he's ready to deflate Johnny Football and move on.

But was Manziel's last start in Kansas City his Browns' swan song -- so to speak?

Meanwhile, Jackson is confident he can win over nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, who's said he might ask out if he doesn't like the new regime.

A source told cleveland.com that Jackson's initial thoughts are that he doesn't like Manziel as a quarterback and will not plan on him as his starter. ESPN also reported that Jackson was informed during his interview that parting ways with Manziel won't be a problem.

"This is what I would say to that: I need to get in this building and have an opportunity to sit down and watch tape,'' Jackson said during his introductory press conference Wednesday. "I don't know Johnny personally. I know who he is, but at the same time I think I have to give everybody on our football team a fair opportunity to see who they are, to truly learn who they are, and then make decisions from there.''

Jackson acknowledged that Manziel's name came up during the interview process, just not that he's ready to slam the door shut. The Browns are still miffed that Manziel skipped his concussion treatment the morning of the season finale and was reportedly spotted in Las Vegas wearing a blond wig and fake mustache the night before.

A source told cleveland.com that Manziel got the cold shoulder from the Browns when he showed up the day after the season-ending 28-12 loss to the Steelers for exit meetings. The Browns weren't able to reach him on gameday and were already starting their coaching search by the time Manziel wandered back into the fold on Monday. 

"I never said that (his name wasn't mentioned),'' Jackson said. "I need to evaluate him as a football player and I know whatever incidents he's been involved in I wasn't a part of here. So I can't comment on those because I don't know anything about those."

The Browns can cut Manziel at any time, but must wait until the league year opens in mid-March to trade him. But will anyone want him? Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may have jumped off the Manziel bandwagon by then.

As for drafting a new quarterback of the future, Jackson is ready to dive in and study the top prospects. He also hinted the club would be open to all possibilities with the pick, including trading down.

"I'm going to know them pretty well, pretty soon,'' he said. "Having the No. 2 pick is great - and sometimes it's not. We as an organization have a lot of work to do to make sure that's where we need to be -- or where we don't need to be. But I think it's a great place to start as a new head coach because you have a chance to get a great player.''

Jackson also plans to persuade Thomas to stay. If he asks out, others, such as Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, are more likely to follow suit.

"Honestly I want to sit down and talk to all of our players,'' said Jackson. "Joe Thomas is one of the best left tackles in this league, bar none, and he does deserve an opportunity to win. He is a tremendous football player and has been one of the cornerstones of this organization and this football team, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to talk to him, to give him our plan and hopefully, I believe in my heart, that he's going to get excited about what we're trying to accomplish.''

Related: Johnny Manziel likely gone now that Hue Jackson's here, sources say

Jackson, who's known as a players' coach and worked wonders with flamboyant Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, is also well aware that oft-suspended All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon will be eligible to apply for reinstatement from his indefinite drug suspension on Feb. 3. Sources close to the situation believes Jackson is just the man to get the most of Gordon.

"I'm anxious to evaluate him like we're going to evaluate every player on the roster and see if they are the right fit for the Cleveland Browns. And I think that's what we have to do every player from Josh Gordon to the last player on the roster.

Johnson, in quotes provided by the Browns, said of Jackson's hiring: "You get more than just a coach. Hue Jackson is a gem. He was a gem for me and I am speaking gem, g-e-m. He was a gem for me in really allowing me to see the game of football differently when he was in Cincinnati. Allowing me to flourish as a receiver. I know in Cleveland things didn't go as well as everyone would like.

"With Hue coming on board, being able to get the maximum amount of potential out of each player is what I know is going to happen because he was able to do it with me. I am sure he will be able to do it with them."

Stow girls basketball falls on the road to Revere, 48-31.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Revere has waited all season to put their players on their floor again after a trend of injuries.

And on Wednesday, it happened for Revere earning on a 48-31 win at home against a Suburban League opponent Stow, ranked No. 15 in the cleveland.com Top 25.

“The process has been difficult, but fun to watch the girls fight, scratch, claw for wins early in the year and knowing their two big pieces aren’t there,” Revere coach Kevin Verde said. “It was fulfilling to watch that growth and hopefully become a better team moving forward throughout the season.”

Check back later for action footage of Wednesday’s game.

Revere welcomed back with an applause Caitlin Vari, who signed with Akron, for the first time after tearing her ACL before the season. Senior point guard Camryn Brown, who is headed to High Point in North Carolina, was back for her fifth game after sustaining a hand injury.

Revere went into halftime with a 29-14 lead. Stow on other hand never could close the scoring gap.

Junior post player Lauren Turschak led Stow with nine points. Lake Erie signee Jessie Stout, who scored eight points, returned for her second straight game since after tearing her ACL early in the season.

“It’s my senior season, so why not,” Stout said. “I have the next four years and the doctor said I could. I really didn’t have much pain when I tore my ACL. I’m still getting used to it, but I have limited time.”

Stow coach Bob Podges shared that it was a rare night for his scorers to miss so many shots. With the injuries, he has had to start a handful of freshmen along to join Turschak and Stout.

“You’ve got admire and respect Jessie’s attitude and effort,” Podges said. “It’s something that I’m amazed by when I watch her.”

Stow was without key starter Kelly Fenwick out with a foot injury. Lindsey Molnar is done for the season with a torn ACL.

Brown, who recently became the newest member of the 1,000-point club, led Revere and all scorers with 15 points. Viktoria Farian chipped in with nine.

On Saturday, Revere (8-6 overall, 6-1 SL) will travel to Copley while Nordonia hosts Stow (6-7, 4-5).

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact Nathaniel Cline on Twitter (@nathanielcline), by email (ncline@cleveland.com) or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Lyle had the fifth triple-double in Ohio State history against Rutgers. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- JaQuan Lyle reached across the table and snatched the postgame stat sheet from under Jae'Sean Tate. Lyle wanted to admire it again after Ohio State's 94-68 win over Rutgers.

As Tate answered a question, Lyle looked over the paper with his head rested on his right hand. As he scrolled across the sheet he saw 6 for 13 shooting, 12 rebounds, 16 points and 11 assists. That puts Lyle in rare company at Ohio State, just the fifth Buckeye ever to notch a triple-double.

Lyle is on a list now with Evan Turner (who did it twice), Dennis Hopson and D'Angelo Russell, who fittingly accomplished the feat against Rutgers last year.

Comparisons to Russell's triple-double last year are easy, but it might have been the first time all season that Thad Matta compared Lyle to Russell in some fashion. It probably wasn't in the way you think.

"I give JaQuan credit, he's realized that if he can go in and get it, he can start the break," Matta said. "Evan figured that out and D'Angelo figured that out last year."

He was talking about rebounds. Not the points or the assists. Lyle had 10 rebounds in the first half and had his first double-digit rebounding game of the year. He had eight in a lopsided loss to Indiana on Sunday.

Everyone knew Lyle could score, he had 29 in that game against Indiana. He's had a game with 13 assists already this year too. The rebounding to get the triple-double, though, is the kind of thing Matta thinks of when he imagines Lyle hitting his full potential.

Matta looks at Lyle and envisions a kid who can someday become a nightly stuffer of the stat sheet. Wednesday's game was a glimpse against arguably the worst team in the Big Ten.

"I'm making shots. Creating for my teammates, that just comes from confidence from them, believing in me," Lyle said.

Even though he kept poring over the stat sheet, Lyle didn't want to take really any of the credit for his big night.

"With Keita (Bates-Diop), Marc (Loving), Jae'Sean and Trevor (Thompson) all making plays, they open up the lane for me, so I'm taking that. And when they do cut me off they're finishing. If it wasn't for them it would be hard to do what I'm doing right now."

Lyle is averaging 14 points, 7.8 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game in Big Ten play. But this was the first time all season that Lyle put it all together. He appears more aggressive, and to be making smarter passes and it's coming at the right time.

With Ohio State now entering a two-game road swing against No. 3 Maryland and No. 24 Purdue, the Buckeyes need Lyle at his best to have a chance at being in those games and hopefully steal one. A win like that would be a big boost to a tournament resume that's had the Buckeyes pretty much just off the bubble all year.

But doing it against a Maryland or Purdue and doing it against Rutgers are two different things. Lyle likely won't get much credit for his output against Indiana either, because the bulk of his points came in the second half when Ohio State was down by as much as 30.

Wednesday, though, was something different. A triple-double in the Big Ten is impressive no matter who the opponent, and Lyle really was a catalyst for an Ohio State team that needed one. The Buckeyes trailed Rutgers by two points at halftime, and looked like they might be falling into a hangover from the Indiana loss.

Lyle's play in the first half kept them afloat, and then his teammates started feeding off of that in the second half.

"JaQuan the last couple games has been playing great," Tate said. "We need him to continue to do that, stay aggressive. We've gotta get on board with him."

And that's the biggest thing that needs to carry over for Lyle.

It's unclear if he realizes just how important his nightly production and energy are to this team. Russell got that.

On Wednesday it worked the same way it did with Russell at times last year. Everyone can feed off a guy when he's locked in like that.

Lyle doesn't need to have a triple-double every game, but if he plays with that same assertiveness and awareness, he can become the player Matta envisions perhaps sooner than expected.

"It's a great thing to do," Lyle said. "Just gotta keep better every day and get another one."

Here are high school sports highlights from Wednesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here are high school sports highlights from Wednesday. 

No. 3 Gilmour 43, Maple Heights 22: The Lancers shut out the Mustangs in the second quarter and rolled from there. Naz Hillmon led the Lancers with 16 points.

No. 5 Solon 65, Euclid 55: The Comets trailed 34-24 at halftime, but rallied in the second half.

No. 6 Westlake 41, Avon Lake 23: The Demons trailed the Shoregals 12-9 at halftime, but outscored them 32-12 in the second half to pull away. Monica Fury led the Demons with a game-high 15 points and Taylor Hood scored 12.

No. 11 Twinsburg 48, No. 7 Hathaway Brown 40: The Tigers handed the Blazers their second straight loss.

No. 9 Berea-Midpark 61, North Ridgeville 34: The Titans outscored the Rangers 28-8 in the first quarter. Jada Marone had 14 points for the Titans, and Miranda Otero added 12.

No. 14 Nordonia 66, Cleveland Heights 38: Holly Groff and Katie Karalic both scored a game-high 20 points for the Knights. Arion Nichols had 18 points for the Tigers.

No. 18 Medina 61, Elyria 37: Emma Bobey had a career-high 18 points with 10 rebounds for the Bees.

No. 20 Bay 44, Parma 21: Maddie Edgerly (14 points) and Nora Ziebarth (10) were the only scorers in double figures as the Rockets rolled.

No. 21 Garrettsville Garfield 65, Crestwood 33: Garfield led 37-8 at halftime as Grayson Rose had 15 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in three quarters.

No. 22 Rocky River 66, Valley Forge 25: Nicole Popovich and Andrea Chiviles had a game-high 15 points for the Pirates, who led 41-7 at halftime.

No. 24 Amherst 59, Midview 21: Sydney Roule had 16 points, Jayla Hall had 16 and Kate Iliff added 10 for the Comets, who led 32-7 at halftime.

Fairview 46, Wellington 45: Rachel Coyne hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Warriors, who trailed by five points with 10 seconds to play. The Warriors’ Cate Schmiedl led all scorers with 21 points.

Strongsville 48, Brunswick 46: Sydney Sallee scored a game-high 19 points, including the game-winning shot at the buzzer on an assist from Taylor Thall.

Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here are Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016.

Alliance Marlington 47, Can. South 46

Amherst Steele 59, Grafton Midview 21

Aurora 53, Gates Mills Hawken 28

Austintown Fitch 51, Youngs. Boardman 48

Avon 50, N. Olmsted 25

Baltimore Liberty Union 50, Richwood N. Union 42

Batavia Amelia 46, Batavia Clermont NE 29

Bay Village Bay 44, Parma 21

Beavercreek 69, Springfield 18

Berea-Midpark 61, N. Ridgeville 34

Brookfield 47, Girard 40

Cambridge 52, Dover 40

Can. Cent. Cath. 46, Massillon Washington 33

Canfield 45, Warren Harding 29

Carrollton 47, Salem 44

Cedarville 56, St. Paris Graham 30

Centerville 56, Clayton Northmont 27

Chagrin Falls Kenston 54, Chardon 51

Cin. Clark Montessori 36, Cin. Christian 32

Cin. Glen Este 48, Milford 44

Cin. McAuley 52, Cin. Princeton 35

Cin. Seven Hills 41, Lockland 14

Cin. Turpin 34, Loveland 30

Circleville 60, Cols. Grandview Hts. 53

Clarksville Clinton-Massie 73, Hillsboro 37

Cle. Cent. Cath. 73, Warrensville Hts. 50

Cle. St. Joseph 50, Medina Highland 40

Cortland Lakeview 68, Niles McKinley 41

Day. Carroll 69, Cin. McNicholas 47

Day. Chaminade Julienne 64, St. Bernard Roger Bacon 51

Fairview, Ky. 41, Ironton St. Joseph 35

Fairview 46, Wellington 45

Fayetteville-Perry 53, Batavia 37

Gahanna Cols. Academy 47, Millersport 20

Garfield Hts. Trinity 41, Independence 31

Gates Mills Gilmour 43, Maple Hts. 22

Hamilton Badin 58, Middletown Fenwick 48

Jamestown Greeneview 67, Spring. Greenon 30

Kettering Fairmont 49, Huber Hts. Wayne 35

LaGrange Keystone 37, Columbia Station Columbia 30

Lebanon 77, W. Carrollton 31

Lodi Cloverleaf 78, Akr. Coventry 53

Macedonia Nordonia 66, Cle. Hts. 38

Mason 52, Kettering Alter 48

Massillon Perry 51, Green 43

Medina 61, Elyria 37

Medina Buckeye 58, Brooklyn 36

Miamisburg 51, Xenia 31

Morrow Little Miami 45, Cin. Mt. Healthy 34

N. Can. Hoover 50, Uniontown Lake 45

Navarre Fairless 55, Akr. Manchester 33

Oak Glen, W.Va. 66, Toronto 40

Olmsted Falls 72, Lakewood 64

Oxford Talawanda 52, Harrison 23

Parma Normandy 64, Parma Hts. Holy Name 31

Poland Seminary 53, Struthers 44

Ravenna 68, Peninsula Woodridge 42

Ravenna SE 74, Rootstown 29

Richfield Revere 48, Stow-Munroe Falls 31

Rocky River 66, Parma Hts. Valley Forge 25

Rocky River Lutheran W. 63, Sullivan Black River 23

Sidney 45, Troy 26

Solon 65, Euclid 55

Spring. NW 61, Spring. Shawnee 49

Springboro 69, Fairborn 16

Steubenville 67, Brooke, W.Va. 27

Streetsboro 50, Akr. Springfield 44

Strongsville 48, Brunswick 46

Sugarcreek Garaway 62, Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 43

Tipp City Tippecanoe 69, Riverside Stebbins 52

Tuscarawas Cent. Cath. 54, Newcomerstown 31

Twinsburg 48, Shaker Hts. Hathaway Brown 40

Union Co., Ind. 52, Lewisburg Tri-County N. 23

W. Chester Lakota W. 42, Liberty Twp. Lakota E. 34

W. Lafayette Ridgewood 47, E. Can. 38

Warren JFK 55, Burton Berkshire 49

Washington C.H. Miami Trace 50, Wilmington 48

Westlake 41, Avon Lake 23

Wooster Triway 48, Canal Fulton Northwest 42

Youngs. Ursuline 65, Youngs. Mooney 47

Ohio high school boys basketball statewide scores for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here are Ohio high school boys basketball statewide scores for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016.

Bellaire 65, Oak Glen, W.Va. 58

Castalia Margaretta 72, Fostoria St. Wendelin 52

Cin. Aiken 82, Cincinnati Trailblazers HomeSchool 24

Cin. Glen Este 58, Mt. Orab Western Brown 52

Circleville 48, Ashville Teays Valley 35

Corning Miller 59, Stewart Federal Hocking 50

Dola Hardin Northern 102, Tol. Horizon Science 24

Dublin Coffman 54, Hilliard Davidson 47

Elmore Woodmore 64, Fostoria 57

Johnstown-Monroe 49, Pataskala Watkins Memorial 34

Mentor Lake Cath. 97, Parma Hts. Holy Name 58

Middletown Madison Senior 56, Waynesville 53

Mt. Vernon 55, Mansfield Madison 51

New Carlisle Tecumseh 62, Spring. Greenon 41

New Madison Tri-Village 43, W. Alexandria Twin Valley S. 30

Pataskala Licking Hts. 62, Utica 48

Portsmouth W. 58, Ironton St. Joseph 41

Rossford 63, Genoa Area 61, OT

Tipp City Bethel 66, New Paris National Trail 39

Vincent Warren 77, Caldwell 57

W. Liberty-Salem 63, S. Charleston SE 53

Wheeling Park, W.Va. 89, Belmont Union Local 68

The Lake Erie Monsters were shut out by the Manitoba Moose in an AHL game on Wednesday, 4-0.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Lake Erie Monsters suffered a power outage and were shut out by the Manitoba Moose, 4-0, in an American League Hockey game Wednesday night at MTS Centre.

The loss was the first in six games against Manitoba this season and dropped the Monsters to 19-13-2-3 overall. Manitoba improved to 11-20-1-3. The Monsters had beaten the Moose on Monday, 7-3.

The Moose outshot the Monsters 32-24 for the game and 22-14 over the last two periods. Monsters goalie Brad Thiessen had 18 saves, but fell to 2-1-1 in five appearances. Manitoba goalie Eric Comrie had 24 saves.

Manitoba opened the scoring with just 12 seconds left in the first period on a goal by winger JC Lipon.

Moose center Chase De Leo took over in the second, scoring on a power play at 4:32, then scoring again at 6:47 with the Monsters at full strength.

Jiri Fronk made it 4-0 with a goal at 13:00 of the third.

Time change: The Monsters announced Wednesday that start times for two home Saturday matinee games have been changed. The games vs. Milwaukee (Jan. 23) and Texas (Jan. 30) have been moved up to 1 p.m. starts, due to preparations for national televised Cavaliers games on those nights. The games had been scheduled to start at 1:30.

Shooting eye: After his two-goal effort Monday vs. the Moose, Lake Erie center Joe Devin ranked tied for second in the AHL in shooting percentage (27.8%).

Up next: The Monsters play at Grand Rapids on Friday at 7, at Chicago on Saturday at 8, and at Rockford on Monday at 2 to complete their 10-game road trip. ... The Monsters return to Quicken Loans Arena next Wednesday to play host to Grand Rapids at 7.

Without Division I college commit Marlee Profitt, Highland can't stop No. 16 St. Joseph Academy in girls basketball.

MEDINA, Ohio – With 6-foot-1 Valparaiso commit Marlee Profitt watching from the bench after suffering a torn ACL last week, Highland's girls basketball team found no solution to stop St. Joseph Academy and post Colleen Neitzel on Wednesday night.

Neitzel controlled the boards in the second half of a tight nonleague game, and the sophomore's game-high 15 points led St. Joseph Academy to a 50-40 road victory. SJA is ranked 16th in the cleveland.com Top 25.

Madison Less' layup cut Highland's deficit to 32-28 in the final minute of the third quarter, but Neitzel dropped in a putback in the period's final seconds to kickstart a 9-1 run that consisted exclusively of inside buckets by the sophomore. 

Neitzel showed a well-rounded game during a personal scoring charge that sealed the win for the Jaguars. The forward sank a pull-up jumper and finished off the game-turning spree with a third-chance basket that rolled in despite Neitzel's blind overhead attempt.

"I like getting my own rebound because it’s not ever a guaranteed make. I just have to at least try to get those second-chance rebounds," Neitzel said. "(Being tall) helps, but I think it’s more being physical under the basket."

Highland (11-3 overall) pulled to within seven points again just inside of three minutes remaining on Veronica Peterlin's 3-pointer, but Molly Dever's steal-and-score that turned into a three-point play finished off the Hornets. 

The Jaguars (8-4) have played a slew of cleveland.com Top 25 powers -- including No. 2 Magnificat and No. 3 Gilmour, which both beat St. Joseph -- and the tough stretch will continue Jan. 22 when they travel to Kettering Archbishop Alter, which ranks as Division II's No. 1 team in the Associated Press' first poll of the season.

"We have a brutal schedule. We play one of the toughest schedules in Northeast Ohio," St. Joseph coach Maggie Ferrando said. "Right now, we’re wildly inconsistent, from game to game and within a game. But we have a high ceiling. We just haven’t reached it yet."

Sitting in a tie for first in the Suburban League American Division, Highland used a steady diet of zone trapping to unreel a 10-0 first-quarter run that knotted the game at 13 at the end of the stanza. Less' 13 points keyed the now-smaller Hornets' attack, but they missed Profitt's presence inside. 

Sustaining the ACL tear while running back on defense in last week's contest against Kent Roosevelt, Profitt finished her career with 976 points -- for which she was honored pre-game -- and will undergo surgery sometime next week.

"Everything was designed to get the ball inside to her or in a position where she could score or find other people outside. Now it changes things a little bit. Now, we’re a smaller team, and we’re gonna have to adjust to that," Highland coach Mike Moser said.

Gianna DiMassa hit three first-quarter treys and finished with 10 points for the Jaguars, and Peterlin and Sam Catron scored eight apiece for Highland.

Sam Robinson is a freelancer from North Olmsted.