BOYS DIVISION I Boardman moves on

Cold shooting doomed the Falcons.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANTON -- Steel Valley Conference teams found split results in games played Saturday at the Division I boys sectional at Canton Civic Center.
Boardman advanced to district play with a close [52-49] victory over Canton McKinley, while Austintown Fitch couldn't overcome Massillon Washington, losing 56-46.
Close finishes are becoming the trademark of the Boardman boys basketball team in postseason play.
For the second time, the Spartans won in the waning seconds.
This time, Boardman withstood a furious second-half rally by Canton McKinley.
Senior Shawn Carlson broke a 48-48 tie by scoring on a put-back of a missed shot by Kyle Davis with 42 seconds remaining.
Preservation: Brad Straight added two late free throws to preserve the win and send Boardman (13-9) to district play Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
"We knew McKinley would make a run," said Boardman coach Dan Gorski.
"They picked up the tempo and the only question was, could we weather the storm?"
After a pushing match between the two teams that resulted in double technical fouls and a cooling off period, McKinley clawed its way back into the game.
Stimulant: Leonard Campbell's half-court bank shot at the third-quarter buzzer was the impetus for the Bulldog's fourth-quarter run.
Campbell made three more 3-pointers at the start of the final quarter. The last one tied the game at 39-all.
Boardman regrouped, despite losing Terence Dials and Mike Finamore for the final two minutes of play. Both players fouled out.
Gorski praised the play of Carlson and the injured Straight who removed a brace to protect his separated shoulder in the final quarter.
"Shawn Carlson played his best game at Boardman," Gorski said.
Carlson (eight points) said he knew he had pick up his game, not for himself but for the team.
Game winner: As for the game-winning basket, Carlson said "I saw the ball come off and put it back in."
Colla helped spearhead Boardman in the final quarter by hitting five of his team-high 15 points.
Dials added 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Spartans won the battle of the boards, 36-32.
Massillon 56, Fitch 46: A cold shooting night doomed the Fitch Falcons (14-7), as they bowed out of the Division I sectional tournament.
"That's the story, no doubt about it," said Fitch coach Gary Conroy. "It's really tough to shoot in this place, and that certainly was the case for us tonight."
The Falcons shot 17-of-55 (31 percent) from the floor, and a dismal 3-of-22 from beyond the 3-point stripe. Fitch especially struggled in the first and third quarters, but was able to rally in the second and fourth to keep a chance at victory.
With the score tied 35-35 to start the fourth quarter, Fitch battled the Tigers for the first three minutes of the period, and still only trailed 41-40 with five minutes to go.
Massillon reeled off seven straight points to push the lead out to 48-40, and the Falcons never could battle back.
"Our object tonight was to play hard, play well and to execute," Conroy said. "But, it came down to shooting, and we didn't get the job done."