Brown, Moore spark victory

By Joe Scalzo

DEFENSE DOESN’T REST

Boardman slowed Canfield junior Jillian Halfhill en route to a 42-38 victory.

CANFIELD — Of all the things you can call Boardman senior Erin Brown this season — the Spartans’ most improved player, most reliable player and, even, most valuable player — you can’t forget this one: least yelled-at player.

Considering her coach is Ron Moschella, who is known as much for his tantrums as his success, the praise doesn’t get any higher.

“She [Brown] is playing unbelievably solid basketball,” said Moschella after his team’s 42-38 victory on the road against Canfield Monday night. “For three years we didn’t know where she was and this year she has become our most valuable player.

“She does all the little crap no one sees.”

Her good performance even translates off the court, where Brown — in her first interview — gave the perfect answer to a tough question. Moschella sat two starters — including Ohio State recruit Darryce Moore — for the first half Monday and barely played another, but when Brown was asked about that, she said, “That’s within the team and it’s going to stay within the team.

“I think the sophomores played well and when Reece [Moore] and Monica [Touvelle] came back in the second half they helped out.”

Moschella started three sophomores and two seniors, but the Spartans held their own in the first half, scoring the last six points of the second quarter to tie the game at 15 at halftime.

“The other kids, they want to play,” Moschella said of his underclassmen. “They’re competitors.”

Moore started the third quarter and scored seven of her 16 points in the period as Boardman took a 32-23 lead heading into the fourth.

Canfield trailed by at least seven until the final 50 seconds and the outcome was never really in doubt.

“I was pretty pleased with the outcome but I wasn’t pleased with how we played the game,” said Moschella.

Brown had seven points and six rebounds for the Spartans (5-2), who swept the season series with the Cardinals. She’s made a huge leap since last season, due in part to confidence (and better footwork) gained during track season, when she advanced to the state meet in the discus. Still, that doesn’t quite explain the transformation.

So, what does?

“I really don’t know,” she said, smiling. “The team can’t figure it out, either.”

Canfield (3-4), meanwhile, is making strides since losing three starters from last year’s regional championship game. Its best player, junior guard Jillian Halfhill, was harassed all night by Boardman guards Samara Sutton, Emily Abraham and, especially, Katie Fiffick. Halfhill finished with just five points and was helped off the floor in the final seconds after hurting her neck in a tie-up under the hoop. (She’s OK.)

“Jillian is a great player and when I see other teams play Jillian and let her go, she’s gonna score 30,” Moschella said. “She’s too great of a player to just let her go.

“You’ve got to shut Jillian down if you want to win.”

Four Cardinals had six points to lead the team in scoring and Anokha Padubidri had a nice game with four points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two assists. Alas, Padubidri fouled out with 41‚Ñ2 minutes left.

“This team reminds me a lot of the 2000 team that went to the state tournament,” said Canfield coach Pat Pavlansky, whose team was 9-6 at one point that season and finished tied for second in the league. “We don’t have all our healthy parts yet and we’re not as good as we can be, but I think we’re going to be good.

“I don’t know if it’ll be in the regular season or not, but I really think we’ll start peaking once the tournament starts and we figure out some things.”

scalzo@vindy.com