Photo by Andrew Grimm Steubenville’s Santino Haney shoots a reverse layup against the John Marshall Monarch defense on Tuesday during the two teams’ OVAC 5A semifinal game inside the Crimson Center.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The ‘Big Boys’ will kick off the OVAC WVU Medicine Boys Basketball Championships Saturday inside the ECO Center when Steubenville and Wheeling Park do battle in the Class 5A finals.

Top-seeded Big Red (17-1) is enjoying a superb season and riding a 12-game winning streak since losing to Wheeling Central, 82-72, in the Todd Kalivoda Holiday Classic at Toronto High School on December 27.

Among those 12 straight victories is a 77-45 romp of the Patriots on January 21 at the ‘Palace on the Hill.’

Veteran Wheeling Park head coach Michael Jebbia remembers that game well.

“I felt we competed well in the first quarter or so against them last month, however, in the second quarter we had too many live-ball turnovers which led to points for Big Red,” he recalled. “Of our 15 turnovers versus them last game, 10 were in the first half and most resulted in points for them.”

Steubenville has charted 315 deflections on defense this season with its length and athletic ability.

“I wasn’t really aware of that stat,” veteran Steubenville head coach Mike Haney said. “That is one of the stats that we chart and put on our defensive board. We’ve played solid defense all season.”

Third-seeded Wheeling Park punched its ticket to the championship game with a 55-50 win over No. 2 Brooke on Tuesday inside the Brooke County Wellness center. In that contest, the Patriots were nearly perfect 17-18) from the foul line, with junior Jordan Beck-James tying a program record with a 10-for-10 effort en route to 16 points.

“We shot very well from the foul line Tuesday. It won us the game,” Jebbia said. “Jordan Beck-James, Kolten Whitmire and Josh Huffman all made big free throws. We are close to 70 percent as a team on the season.”

Steubenville, meanwhile, advanced with a workmanlike, 91-64, nod over No. 4 John Marshall inside the Crimson Center at Steubenville High School. It was the fourth time Big Red has eclipsed the 90-point mark and the fifth time it was scored 80-or-more.

“Our team chemistry has been our key so far,” Coach Haney said. “The kids share the ball really well.”

Leading Steubenville is Haney’s son, Santino, a 5-11 junior guard. He averages 22.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 4.1 steals per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 76 percent from the free-throw stripe.

Senior Cole Bowers, a 6-1 athlete who is headed to Army as a placekicker, scores at a 14.3 clip while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 74 percent from the foul line. Classmate Tre Wiggins adds 13.1 points, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals. Senior Josiah Rea chips in 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while senior Che’mer Adams is a solid outside player.

Big Red also gets production from 6-2 junior Braidyn Edwards, 6-2 sophomore Landon Bowers and 6-foot senior Jermaine Moore.

“Steubenville is one of the best teams on our schedule. Haney is a very good player, and he makes the players around him better,” Jebbia said. “(Cole) Bowers and Wiggins are seasoned veterans for them, as well.

“On Saturday, we must take care of the basketball and avoid live-ball turnovers. We also must play at a pace that is comfortable for us. They average 78 points a game; we do not,” he noted. “It will be a difficult task, but we will have a game plan in and be ready to go on Saturday. We have a storied series with Steubenville over the years, and we are looking forward to the championship game Saturday morning.”

The Patriots are led by 6-1 senior JD Williams with an 18-point scoring average. He also has 37 three-point goals and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the win over Brooke.

The 6-3 Beck-James, who came off the bench Tuesday, will start Saturday. He averages 9.5 points and has blocked 12 shots. Point guard Kolten Whitmire, a 5-11 senior, scores 9.4 points per game and hands out 4.7 assists. He is headed to Seton Hill to play baseball. Josh Huffman, 6-3 senior, averages 12.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while 6-2 junior Jay Bordas chips in 6 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Wheeling Park also gets production off its bench from 6-2 senior Mar Rouse (6.1 rebounds per game), including 14 in the first Big Red matchup, and 6-foot senior Gahmil Byrd.

Of Wheeling Park’s seven losses, they have come to teams with a combined record of 88-14.

In order for Big Red to come out on top, Haney said they will have to “play really well, take care of the basketball and play team defense. We can’t afford to let Whitmire penetrate because he can shoot or dish it to someone else that can shoot. Bordas, Williams and Huffman can all shoot it.”