Boardman is winner by a phew! points

Three-year starting guard Jon Kocon had 11 points and five assists for the Spartans (6-7, 1-4), who beat Fitch by one point earlier.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- After a night's worth of hard work and hustle, the Boardman High boys basketball team had a chance to put Friday's game away the easy way.
But what's the fun in that?
Seconds after grabbing the game's biggest rebound, Boardman's Erik Johnson had a chance to ice the game by making two free throws with 1.2 seconds left.
He made the first.
He missed the second.
Fitch's James Wallace grabbed the rebound and threw up a half-court prayer at the buzzer. It bounced off the rim -- he may not have got it off in time anyway -- allowing the Spartans to hold on for a 48-45 win -- their first in the Federal League this season.
SVC revisited
"It was like an old-school Steel Valley game," said first-year Boardman coach Jared Cardillo, who played for the Spartans in high school. "It definitely brings out the best in both teams, there's no doubt about that."
Three-year starting guard Jon Kocon had 11 points and five assists for the Spartans (6-7, 1-4), who beat the Falcons by one point earlier in the year in a game that didn't count in the league standings.
Senior Jeff Olenych added 10 points and three assists, while T.J. Hosa had 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.
"To get our first Federal League win, that's a big boost to our confidence," said Olenych. "When it's a rivalry game, it doesn't matter what the records are. Everyone turns it up a notch."
As Olenych spoke, Kocon listened, then smiled and nodded.
"That sounds good to me," he said.
Boardman trailed 38-37 with six minutes remaining but scored five straight points to take the lead for good. Problem was, the Spartans made just 2-of-6 free throws in the final 4 1/2 minutes to keep it close.
(Probably a little too close for their liking. When asked what he was thinking about in the closing seconds, Kocon said, "I was thinking, 'I hope we make these free throws so we can get out of here.' ")
Coach ecstatic
Still, Cardillo was ecstatic with his team's effort.
"We've played in so many games where we played that hard and came up short," he said. "These kids deserved that victory."
Fitch is probably thinking the same thing. The Falcons (1-10, 0-4) have lost five games by six points or less and will now likely meet Canton McKinley in the first round of the Federal League tournament.
"[Fitch coach] Roger Day works as hard as every coach in the Federal League," Cardillo said. "You've got to give a lot of credit to Fitch. They came to play."
Wallace finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Marcus Boyd had six points and six rebounds. Keane Boyd had a chance to win the game with four seconds remaining, but he missed a fallaway 3-pointer that was rebounded by Johnson.
"Like the first game [against Fitch], we were lucky to come away with a win," he said.
At halftime, the Fitch athletic department honored longtime Fitch supporter Dave "Bear" Patrick for 25 years of service to the school. Patrick received a plaque, a gold Falcon and a standing ovation from the crowd.
scalzo@vindy.com