Boardman wins behind J.T. Moore

He made two free throws in the final seconds to beat East 47-45.

By GREG GULAS

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

YOUNGSTOWN — J.T. Moore’s two free throws with 28 seconds remaining helped lift the Boardman Spartans to a hard-fought, 47-45 victory over the East Panthers in a boys basketball game Tuesday at the East Gymnasium.

Moore also hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds and along with teammate Devron Martin, combined for 23 of their team’s total of 31.

“J.T. [Moore] is a competitor who is game tested. He played quite a bit as a freshman a year ago and this past football season was an integral part of our football success as well,” Spartans coach Jim Goske said.

“He might not have the height of some of our opponents inside, but not many will be stronger and for that reason he also did an excellent job defensively. Both Moore and Martin are a big reason as to why we didn’t give up many second chance buckets tonight.”

Ryan Pesta hit the first of his four 3-point buckets barely a minute into the game for an early Spartans advantage, but the Panthers went on a 13-2 run, keyed by Kenny Carter’s seven points, for an eight-point turnaround and a 15-11 lead after the first quarter.

Two free throws by Dan Kubala pulled the Spartans to within one, 17-16, at the midway point of the second period. Martin then connected on a short jumper right before the half, enabling Boardman to take a 21-20 lead into the locker room.

“We started slow and struggled to score in the first half, but 14 turnovers were just as costly. Turnovers have been our Achilles heel all season long, so to commit 24 miscues in the game and still get the win, we’ll take that,” Goske said.

Seven points by Martin in the third period, including two three-point plays, helped Boardman to a 37-31 advantage heading to the final eight minutes.

Martin was pleased with his performance, but noted that it was an overall team effort that produced the win.

The Panthers cut the Spartans’ lead to 42-40 on Anthony Bowers’ jumper at 3:20 of the final quarter, but Pesta knocked down the last of his four treys just 11 seconds later for a 45-40 Boardman lead.

Two buckets and a free throw by Carter knotted the score at 45 with 51 seconds remaining, but Moore’s two free throws and a big rebound by Martin off of East’s last jumper sealed the victory for the Spartans.

“We were flat at the end of the first half and again after intermission. That, along with critical turnovers and missed shots is what disappointed me most,” Panthers coach Mark Cherol said.

Boardman (8-10) was 16-of-36 from the field while connecting on 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc.

The Panthers (9-9) were 19-of-52 from the field but just 3-of-15 on 3-pointers.

The Spartans held a 31-18 rebound advantage with Trumane Jenkins’ six leading the Panthers.

Carter had a game-high 22 points for East.