CANFIELD West Branch wins defensive battle

Amber Metzgar scored 16 to lead the Warriors past the Cardinals.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANFIELD -- Both the Canfield and West Branch girls basketball teams are noted for their defense so a low-scoring game between the two rival programs was expected when they met Saturday.
West Branch guards Amber Metzger scored 16 points and Ashley Armstrong added 10 as the Warriors handed Canfield a 42-33 setback.
The Warriors' defense and poor shooting at the start of the game by the Cardinals enabled West Branch to jump out to an 11-2 first quarter lead.
Canfield hit just one of nine shots in the first period.
"Both programs are noted for defense," Canfield coach Pat Pavlansky said. "But I don't think you saw either team shoot the ball as well as they are going to during the rest of the season."
Canfield regrouped and made several runs at West Branch in the second quarter and early in the third period, but each time the Warriors were able to pull away.
Comeback
The strong inside play by Canfield's Jill Vertanen and Corey Hoffman fueled Canfield's second-quarter comeback.
Hoffman scored four points and Vertanen's basket with 3:20 left in the second period brought the Cardinals to within 14-12.
West Branch scored the last four points of the period to lead 18-12 at halftime.
"We missed a couple of chances by missing some shots," Pavlansky said. "If we get over the hump there, I think we gain confidence heading into the second half."
After Canfield got to within four points, 20-16 early in the third quarter, the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to push its lead out to 12 points.
Armstrong and Crystal Brlyte scored four points each in the period to key the run.
Pulling away
West Branch put the game away in the final quarter by hitting six of nine free throws.
Metzger scored nine of her 16 points in the fourth period to finish strong for the Warriors.
"It was a defensive game," West Branch coach Chuck Campbell said. "Both teams worked hard on the defensive end and that's what you saw tonight.
"It wasn't that the teams didn't shoot the ball that well but when you put the type of pressure on that both of us do with our defenses then you are going to have a low-scoring game," Campbell said.
Neither team shot the ball well during the foul-plagued contest.
Hoffman led Canfield in scoring with 10 points and eight rebounds while Vertanen added eight points and five rebounds.
Kelly Williams scored six points for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals were outrebounded by West Branch 34 to 21.