GIRLS BASKETBALL W. Branch jars Canfield for 18th

Ashley Armstrong and Tori Arndt led the Warriors to a 53-25 romp.
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BELOIT -- At one point in the second half, following a well-executed pass that resulted in a Canfield High basket, Cardinals coach Pat Pavlansky walked along the sideline to his counterpart, West Branch's Chuck Campbell, and playfully asked, "I'll bet that's the best play you've seen all season."
Both benches laughed at Pavlansky's quip, for at the time, the Warriors were comfortably ahead, on their way to a 53-25 victory in a non-conference game Saturday night.
Pavlansky was only half-joking, for while he was pleased with his team's effort, it was obvious from early in the game the Warriors would present serious match-up problems.
West Branch (18-1), the fourth-ranked team in this week's Associated Press Division II poll and the top seed at the Uniontown district, will finish its season Wednesday against another top-flight Div. I team, North Canton Hoover.
Armstrong hits 17
"They have some very good players and one very special one," said Pavlansky, noting West Branch guard Ashley Armstrong, who finished with a game-high 17 points.
Armstrong has signed a letter of intent with Dayton.
"They can present match-up problems for everybody they play," added Pavlansky. "I'm pretty happy with our effort -- obviously not with the final score -- and we had some possessions offensively where we weren't too bad.
"But, they're just a better team."
Both coaches agreed to move this annual contest to February as a tune-up for the tournament. Both sides felt they got exactly that.
"Canfield's so well-coached that we know we have to come ready to play against them every time," said Campbell.
"Tonight, I think we were just a little quicker and a little stronger."
Added Pavlansky: "We have two weeks to prepare for the tournament and work on our weaknesses they [West Branch] exposed."
Arndt hits 15
Tori Arndt, West Branch's 6-foot-2 junior, added 15 points.
Canfield led once, at 3-2, but the Warriors scored the next 13 points of the quarter. It was 25-13 at halftime and 40-20 after three quarters.
"We played outstanding defense for the first quarter and a half," said Campbell.
"Then I think we got a little tired and lost our concentration and allowed them to make some lay-ups and go to the foul line."
Emily Wollet led Canfield (13-7), the second seed at the Alliance Div. I district, with nine points and Taylor Amendolara came off the bench to score eight.