STRUTHERS Tigers declaw Wildcats with 66-53 win
Springfield Local's Pat Birch had a career-high 26 points.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Springfield Local's Pat Birch grew up in Struthers until he moved to New Middletown in the sixth grade.
Friday night, Birch returned home and had a career-high 26 points to lead the Tigers (5-1) to a 66-53 win over the Wildcats. He also grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists.
The senior point guard delivered 13 of those points in the fourth quarter to help quell a late uprising by Struthers that had cut a 20-point Springfield lead to seven points in the final minutes. Birch hit all four of his shots from the field and made three of four free throws in the fourth period.
"Pat lived in Struthers and moved to Springfield, and I'm glad he did," said Springfield coach Jeff Brink.
"He had a fantastic game," Brink said. "When we needed a bucket, Pat stepped up for us and made the big shot.
"Pat's our point guard, and we don't ask him to shoot much. He usually distributes the ball to our scorers, but he answered the call tonight."
Late rally: Birch and his teammates responded to Struthers' late rally by knocking down some big baskets and free throws.
The Wildcats have had a knack this year for not quitting, and they have come from behind in several games to pull out late wins.
But against the Tigers, Struthers got too far down before making a late bid.
At one point Struthers fell behind 46-26 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Jim Tabak, Jason Mitchell and Jason Martin all scored baskets in the fourth quarter to give Struthers fans hope for another comeback. Mitchell's 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining cut Springfield's lead to 60-53.
"I keep telling our guys you can't get 20 points down before you decide to play," Struthers coach Joe Fuline said. "I can't fault our effort, though."
Great shooting: The Tigers jumped out early on the Wildcats behind great shooting by Dan Schuler and David Rispinto, who finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Springfield shot 60 percent from the field in the first half to lead 30-18 at halftime.
"I kept telling our kids that no lead is safe against Struthers," Brink said. "I kept pushing them to attack and play basketball."
Brink said his team enjoys playing the bigger schools in the Metro Athletic Conference. Its only loss was to Poland.
"These games help us get ready for tournament time," Brink said. "We didn't play our best basketball tonight, but we came away with a nice win."
Struthers (4-4) was led in scoring by Tabak with 15 points, while Mitchell scored 12 points and had six rebounds.