Poland outlasts Boardman in thriller

By Joe Scalzo

The junior-led Bulldogs couldn’t stop Spartans’ J.T. Moore, but held on for an 84-76 win.

BOARDMAN — Before Monday’s game against Boardman, Poland High boys basketball coach Ken Grisdale challenged gangly, 6-foot-5 junior forward David Bake, to “man up” against Boardman’s 6-foot-3 monster, J.T. Moore.

Moore, who has already committed to Ohio State as a defensive lineman, is built like someone in his mid-20s. Baker is built more like — and this is a direct quote from Grisdale — Gumby.

“He scares the crap out of me,” Grisdale said of Moore, “in two ways.

“One, if he wanted to, he could kick my butt. Two, I know he’s gonna get every loose ball and maybe hurt a few of my guys trying to get it.”

Poland didn’t stop Moore — he finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds — but the Bulldogs did get him into foul trouble, forcing him to the bench for stretches in the fourth quarter. It may have been the difference, as Poland held on for an 84-76 victory in the second game of Boardman’s Holiday Classic.

Fitch beat Chaney 75-70 in overtime in the first game.

“Coach said I had to man up tonight and I guess it worked out,” said Baker. “You’re not going to get that many games against a guy as strong as J.T. It was a nice challenge and I think we handled it pretty well as a team.”

Baker finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals for Poland (7-1), which never trailed after the first quarter yet never pulled away. In front of a near-capacity crowd, the Bulldogs started the game shooting 18 of 21 from the field yet led by only six, 41-35.

“I was very concerned at that point,” said Grisdale.

Before the season, Grisdale said he’d be elated with a 7-1 start but the Bulldogs haven’t been quite as good as many expected. Some of that is due to ridiculously high expectations — they’ve gone to the state semifinals the last two seasons and they lost just two contributors from last season, although both were key starters — and some of it is due to having just one senior on the roster, Gannon Hulea.

“It’s kind of strange,” said Baker of being a junior-led team. “We have a lot to improve on but I think we’re doing a job of taking on the leadership role. All of us, not just one.”

Poland’s biggest problem has been defense, particularly in the half court. (It gave up 29 layups in a win against Lakeview earlier this season, which tells you all you need to know about what happens when a team breaks its press.)

Boardman gave the Bulldogs everything they could handle in that area on Monday. Ryan Pesta (14 points, six rebounds, three assists), Chase Hammond (14 points) and Eric Soller (12 points, five rebounds) played big minutes but didn’t let up against the Bulldogs’ superior depth.

“There was no quit,” said Boardman coach Jim Goske. “The kids played hard and that’s indicative of both programs.

“I think we’re playing better. We’re getting there. What’s frustrating is there are a couple things we’re not getting better at and that’s one of the reasons why we’re 2-4 right now.”

Aside from one obvious reason — senior Devron Martin, one of Boardman’s best players, is academically ineligible until at least the end of January — the Spartans have struggled with turnovers and finishing on the offensive end.

The Spartans shot 28 of 57 from the field and committed 23 turnovers. Poland was 32 of 53 from the field and had 17 turnovers. The Bulldogs also made 18 of 25 from the line, including 13 of 18 in the final quarter to close it out.

“We’ve gotten better almost every game,” said Grisdale. “I think we’ve seen improvement almost every game.

“I think we can still have a pretty darn good team.”

Fitch-Chaney

Coming off its best game of the season — a 72-71 loss to Poland on Saturday — Fitch played sloppy through 21‚Ñ2 quarters against the Cowboys before rallying down the stretch.

Chaney (1-7) held a 17-point lead with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, which is just the time when Falcon junior DeAndre Richardson began to heat up. Richardson scored 17 of his 21 points in the third and fourth quarters, including a jumper with 20 seconds left that tied the game at 67.

“We weren’t shooting the ball well and we needed somebody to step up,” said Falcons coach Roger Day of Richardson, who had been averaging about 10 points per game. “He picked us up. He’s a gritty kid and he works really hard.”

Junior Matt O’Brien finished it off, making 5 of 8 from the line and grabbing four rebounds in the overtime period as Fitch (2-4) outscored Chaney 8-3.

“We played a great game Saturday night against Poland and we had an opportunity to win, but I thought we were a little complacent tonight,” said Day, whose two wins this season have been against the Cowboys. “We played with a little bit of urgency down the stretch and made some plays to get the win.”

Senior Eric Braxton had 18 points and five rebounds, O’Brien had 13 points and Jon Ballard scored 11, including a key layup with 30 seconds left.

“It was an important win for us,” said Day. “In the past couple years, we’ve found a way to lose these kind of games.

“Hopefully we’ve turned the corner. When you have a chance to play in close games, it helps you down the road.”

Dom Brown scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Chaney (1-7), which was again victimized by poor free throw shooting. The Cowboys entered the game shooting 39 percent from the line and made just 7 of 18 in their first game against Fitch.

Despite making 10 of 18 on Monday, the Cowboys were just 1 of 4 in the final minute of the fourth quarter, twice missing the front ends of 1-and-1s.

scalzo@vindy.com