Springfield dunks the 'Cats, 77-40

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Pay attention -- you're about to learn the difference between a good dunk and a great dunk at a Springfield High boys basketball game.
"Usually when we get dunks, they're breakaway dunks," Springfield senior Jeff Mershimer said. "So when we get dunks off the dribble, it fires us up. We're not used to that."
Springfield had time to analyze the smaller pleasures Friday night as the Tigers played nearly flawlessly -- cruising past visiting Struthers, 77-40.
"I was looking forward to this game and I know everybody else was, too," Springfield senior David Rispinto said. "We want to prove ourselves when we play the big [Metro Athletic Conference] schools. Especially when we beat them pretty convincingly."
Broke open game
Leading 27-15 at halftime, the Tigers outscored the Wildcats 32-9 in the third quarter to break the game open.
Rispinto had five assists and three rebounds in that quarter, and Mershimer added 10 of his game-high 14 points.
It was also the quarter that 6-foot, 8-inch senior Henrik Thomsen drove baseline and dunked, bringing the crowd to its feet.
"In the first half, we weren't pleased with our free throw shooting (1 of 8) and we got out of our offense a little bit," Springfield coach Jeff Brink said. "So we made a concerted effort to get Danny [Schuler] the ball and get control of the game.
"It was one of the best quarters we've played all year."
Schuler, a 6-5 senior forward, finished with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, but was just one of several Springfield standouts.
10 players scored
Rick Weimer added 13 points and nine rebounds and Thomsen added 10 points for the Tigers, who had 10 players score.
"One of the things we knew about Struthers is that they can fight their way back into a game," Brink said. "They come back in most of their games and they're not one of those teams that's going to roll over. They're tough kids who play to the final buzzer."
Jim Franceschelli had nine points to lead the Wildcats (2-5) and D.J. Aldish added eight points and five rebounds.
Brink likes to schedule games against MAC teams to compensate for an inconsistent Inter-County League schedule. The tougher the non-league schedule, he figures, the better off his team will be in the tournament.
"We started out against East Liverpool [Springfield's only loss] and we were a little sloppy," Brink said. "It was a typical first game. But we've been steadily improving since then."
And with eight seniors and more size than in recent years, the Tigers are hoping for a district title -- or more.
"We're playing pretty good basketball right now," Rispinto said. "But we'd like to play our best at the end of the year."
scalzo@vindy.com