Spartans outlast Howland

By Jon Moffett

Ryan Pesta’s steal and assist to Jordan Karzmer lifted Boardman to a 48-45 win.

WARREN — The Howland High basketball team had everything going for it Tuesday.

Then it was all taken away.

With the game tied at 45, Howland had the ball with less than a minute left to play. Coach Donald Andres said the team simply needed to milk the clock and hit the winning shot to remain undefeated in the young season.

But Boardman’s Ryan Pesta stole the ball and all the momentum from the Tigers.

Pesta’s assist to Jordan Karzmer lifted the Spartans to a 48-45 victory over the Tigers.

“We said that we were going to win the game on the defensive end,” Boardman coach Jim Goske said. “I told the kids that was the position we wanted to be in; we wanted to have a chance to win on the defensive end.

“To have two seniors step up and make plays on the defensive end, I think makes a pretty good statement for us defensively.”

While the defense provided a spark, the offense failed to ignite.

The 21-14 score at halftime resembled football more than basketball.

The Spartans (1-2) led the Tigers (2-1) but Goske said it wasn’t because of better offensive play.

“We laughed even coming into the locker room at halftime saying we set basketball back 35 years in that first half,” Goske said. “It wasn’t a pretty game to watch ... it was a battle.”

Andres was less relaxed about his team’s loss. A visibly frustrated Andres said his team let a win slip away.

“We gave the game away tonight,” Andres said. “Both teams played very hard, and I give my credit to Boardman, but I just thought that we gave the game away after fighting, struggling with our shooting ... We should have put them away. I’m very disappointed.”

Senior Jared Kirin provided the Tigers with their biggest offensive threat. His 12 points were the highest of the game, and he added 10 rebounds.

Boardman had three players score double-digit points. Pesta led the team with 11, and teammates Eric Soller, a senior, and T.J. Moore, a junior, each had 10. Moore added nine rebounds.

The Spartans had the game in their favor for the first half, but the Tigers came back in the third quarter. The Tigers’ four-point lead with three minutes left wasn’t enough to put Boardman away.

Goske said his team deserves credit for keeping their focus during the game.

“I think one thing that we have to take away is sort of how we handle adversity,” he said. “They went on a little run there and our guys didn’t respond to it at first ... but we sort of turned that around a little bit in the fourth quarter and we have to be able to play for 32 minutes. I think that’s the biggest thing to learn from tonight.”

Andres said he hopes his team’s loss isn’t an omen of things to come.

“We’re just going to take one game at a time,” he said. “But we just cannot miss foul shots and lay-ups and expect to beat anybody.”

jmoffett@vindy.com