NOTEBOOK \ Boardman vs. Mount Notre Dame

Trying for history: Mount Notre Dame will try tonight to become just the third girls basketball team in Division I to win consecutive state championships. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary did it in 1979-80 and Pickerington did it in 1992-93 and again in 1998-99.
Repeat: Tonight's championship game will be a repeat of last year's title game. Mount Notre Dame defeated Dayton Chaminade-Julienne 59-44 in the 2004 Division I final.
Shooting: Both teams were unafraid to shoot 3-pointers early in the game. In the first quarter, Mount Notre Dame was 4-of-7 and Boardman was 3-for-6.
More shooting: Colleen Mallis scored all of her nine points from beyond the arc. She finished 3-for-8 on 3-pointers but hit the first two she tried in the game. She joked about it after the game. "It was fun," she laughed. "I got a little carried away there at the start."
Obscure statistics: Some numbers that don't often show up in the boxscore: Notre Dame had the scoring edge in points in the paint, 18-12; and second-chance points (those following offensive rebounds), 13-6. A big difference showed up in points off turnovers. Mount Notre Dame converted the Spartans' 17 turnovers into 20 points, while Boardman converted the Cougars' 13 miscues into just eight points. The score was tied four times and there were two lead changes. Boardman's bench outscored Mount Notre Dame's, 13-0.
Almost identical: Boardman made 6-of-21 shots in the first half and 6-of-22 in the second half. The Spartans were outrebounded 21-13 in the first half but held a 17-16 edge on the boards in the second half. More Boardman stats: Courtney Schiffauer had three assists, and April Melquist and Colleen Mallis had three and two steals, respectively.
More local representation: Friday's second Division I state semifinal between Chaminade-Julienne and Sylvania Northview was officiated by three members of the Mahoning Valley Basketball Officials Association -- Mike Vaschak of Campbell, Jay Dana of Boardman and Rob Luklan of Boardman. Vaschak was the referee. Gary Jennings of New Middletown officiated a Division IV game on Thursday night.
The Vindicator