Taming the Tigers: Canfield pulls away

By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANFIELD -- The Canfield High girls basketball team used a 12-0 first-quarter run, coupled with a hot-shooting third quarter, to put away visiting Rayen, 62-49, in a non-league game Tuesday.
Rayen junior Taniesha Holland scored a pair of baskets to give Rayen (1-4) an early 6-2 lead, but the Cardinals answered with 12 straight points to end the quarter and take control.
Corey Hoffman, Canfield's 5-foot, 11-inch senior, scored eight of her 16 points in the first quarter to lead the run, finishing with a double-double after grabbing 10 of her team's 25 rebounds.
"I was able to work well against Rayen's inside people tonight and I had a lot of help from my teammates, who set good picks and found me open, especially on the baseline," Hoffman said.
Losing control
Rayen committed 16 turnovers -- 11 in the first half -- and trailed 28-19 at halftime.
Canfield (2-0) extended its lead to 12 (35-23) with 6:11 left in the third before the Tigers scored five straight -- aided by Kenysha Tennant's 3-pointer -- to make it 35-28 with five minutes left.
But Canfield outscored the Tigers 27-11 in the third quarter to take a 55-30 lead. The Cardinals hit four 3s in the final minutes of the third, using a 20-2 run to put the game away.
Danielle Pavlansky hit two 3s during the run and finished with 11 points.
"I had more confidence tonight and I was able to square up and hit some outside shots," said Pavlansky, whose father, Pat, is the Cardinals' coach.
Emily Wollet added 13 points and senior Nikki Garret had 10.
"We knew our first two games against a pair of very athletic teams, Warren Harding and Rayen, would be tough, but we have come a long way in a short time," Pat Pavlansky said.
"I am very proud of our growth and I like the roles our girls are settling into."
Rayen leader
Tennant finished with 13 points for the Tigers.
"She was all over the court tonight and never stopped hustling," said Rayen coach Holly Seimetz.
Holland had 14 points and Ashley Myers collected 10 points and nine of Rayen's 34 rebounds.
"Once again, too many turnovers and there is no doubt we definitely have to shoot better," Seimetz said. "But the story of this game is Canfield's hot outside-shooting third quarter, when everything they threw up seemed to be a 3-pointer."