BOYS BASKETBALL 'Big Nick' delivers; Spartans survive

Nick Stefanovic, a 6-9 senior center, came through at crunch time for Boardman in a win over Canfield.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Boardman's Nick Stefanovic had a rough first 30 minutes Saturday night against Canfield.
Then he had two great minutes.
The 6-9 senior center scored four points, had a steal and blocked a key shot on a wide open layup attempt by Canfield's Mark Pakula in the last two minutes, as the Spartans held off the Cardinals 55-48 at Boardman High School.
"I think he was tired most of the night, but 'Big Nick' had three key plays to turn the tide of the game," said Boardman coach Dan Gorski. "We're learning how to take care of the basketball when we have to and we did a good job down the stretch."
Turnabout: Stefanovic scored just two points and had two travels and a three-second violation in the first 30 minutes. After Canfield (3-2) pulled even at 47 with 1:53 remaining, Stefanovic stepped up and Eric Baldwin and Matt Marks each hit two free throws to put the game away.
Marks led the Spartans (3-1) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
"We just had to concentrate on being patient and getting good shots," said Marks. "We were a little immature at the beginning of the season, but we're learning how to better deal with close games."
The Spartans have just one starter from last season, Mike Finamore, but use a 10-man rotation to pressure teams and wear them down.
"They keep throwing guys at you and we got a little tired at the end," said Canfield coach John Cullen. "We had a bad start, but we got right back into it. We would make a run and they'd answer it and I think we just ran out of time."
Close first half: Finamore had five points, a steal and two assists in the first quarter, to lead Boardman to an early 16-9 lead. Canfield then answered, outscoring the Spartans 16-10 in the second quarter to pull within one point at halftime.
Sophomore guard Frank Turocy (6-0) scored eight points for Canfield in the second quarter, including a four-point play on a flagrant foul and an open-court dunk.
Boardman took a 41-33 lead in the final minute of the third quarter, but Canfield went on a 10-0 run to take a two-point lead with 5:08 remaining. Boardman answered with a 6-0 run and never again trailed.
Canfield had 11 second-half turnovers -- Boardman had three -- and shot just 37 percent (18 of 49) for the game. Boardman held a 16-7 edge in points at the foul line.
Chase Booms led Canfield with 11 points, Chad Baker added seven points and six rebounds and Jared Kirkpatrick had six points and six assists.
scalzo@vindy.com