Post-Feb. 2 commitment was defining moment for Spartans

Following a 27-point loss to North Canton Hoover, Boardman’s girls pushed the reset button.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

A month ago, if a poll of girls basketball observers had been asked to pick the one Valley team that would qualify for the state tournament, few would have chosen Boardman.

The Spartans hit rock bottom Feb. 2, losing the Federal League tournament championship game to rival North Canton Hoover, 69-42.

It was by far the Spartans’ worst loss of the season. It was also their seventh in 20 games. Columbus had to seem about a million miles away.

Today, though, the Spartans (19-7) are readying for their Division I state semifinal game Friday at 6 p.m. at Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center. The opponent is West Chester Lakota West (25-1), located about halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati.

The other semifinal will match up Toledo Central Catholic (23-3) and two-time defending state champion Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (24-2). Mount Notre Dame has played in the last four — and won three — Div. I state title games. The Cougars defeated Boardman, 49-37, in a state semifinal game in 2004.

Rebounding from the devastating loss to Hoover turned the Spartans into warriors. No one claimed it was easy.

“I’ve asked these kids [after] we lost to Hoover by 27 points, ‘Do you want me to give you my best shot as a coach?’ ” coach Ron Moschella said, “and they said yes.

“So I gave them my best shot,” Moschella said. “We worked eight hours a day on the snow days, I brought them dinner in. We worked.”

Moschella said his players weren’t ready to quit.

“They responded, ‘Coach, we’re not tired yet — give us our best shot,’ ” Moschella said. “So we stuck with it and they worked so hard.”

Moschella knew it would take six tournament victories to earn the program’s second state berth in his 28 years as coach — and second in four years — so he put six opponents on a board in the locker room.

“We started with Timken and GlenOak, then Hoover,” Moschella said. “We just knocked everybody off.”

After winning easily against Canton Timken and Canton GlenOak in the sectional, the Spartans stunned Hoover, 38-37, in a district semifinal at Alliance.

A six-point win over Canton McKinley earned them a regional trip to the Canton Civic Center, where they edge Akron Kenmore, 41-38, then defeated Howland in overtime, 43-35, last Friday.

Although they’ve lost seven games (far more than anyone playing in Columbus this week), the record is deceiving.

Three of the losses were against nationally-ranked teams: Oak Ridge (Tenn.), 47-43; Archbishop Wood (Pa.), 51-41; and Lexington (Ky.) Catholic, 49-41.

The Spartans also lost league games to Hoover (40-33) and Canton McKinley (54-46), and a non-league game against Solon (49-37) in November. Then came the blowout by Hoover.

“There was a period of time where after we had lost seven games, [the players] said, ‘Coach, do we stink?’ ” Moschella said. “I told them you don’t stink, we’re just playing a great schedule and we’re learning.

“It’s good to lose as long as you learn from losing,” Moschella said.

Considering this week’s assignment, the Spartans are mastering some surprising challenges.

williams@vindy.com