Boardman stuns McKinley, 54-49, in OT

CANTON REPOSITORY

CANTON — When the Canton McKinley High girls basketball team meets Boardman, it’s often a classic.

That was the case again Saturday afternoon as Boardman escaped Memorial Field House with a 54-49 overtime win in a Federal League game.

It was the tale of two different styles. The Spartans (4-1, 2-0) preferred to lay back in a 2-3 zone. The Bulldogs (4-2, 2-1) favored full-court man-to-man pressure.

And after some shaky moments, the Spartans proved that you cannot rattle them for long.

“I’m not sure that we ever really handled their pressure,” Spartans coach Ron Moschella said, smiling. “But our girls stepped up when they had to.”

One of those girls was Spartans senior center Darryce Moore. The Ohio State recruit finished with 18 points and came through with a big basket underneath whenever her team needed one.

The Bulldogs overcame a 34-25 lead in the middle of the third quarter and had the ball with the game tied at 41-41 with 28 seconds left in the game. However, they failed to get off a decent shot.

It was almost all Boardman in overtime.

“All we needed to do was handle their pressure, and instead, we gave them life again,” Bulldogs coach Pamela Davis said. “Then, they scored the first basket off the jump ball in overtime, and it was an avalanche from there.”

Senior guard Sydnee Penn led the Bulldogs with 16 points, keeping them in the game with fast-break lay-ups that usually were the result of her five steals.

Freshman Aaliyah Dotson, sophomore Ameryst Alston and junior Laneisha Lennon added eight points apiece.

The Bulldogs led just three times despite a handful of opportunities to break a tie — either missing a free throw or committing a turnover. Their first lead came in the first quarter at 7-5), but they fell behind 19-14 by halftime.

They didn’t go up again until a layup by Gabby Kendall gave them a 37-36 advantage midway through the fourth. That was followed by a Penn steal and layup, which capped a 13-2 run.

But the Spartans quickly responded on a 3-pointer from Monica Tovelle who finished with 12 points.

“It seems like every time we play a good team, we don’t come out with any spark and intensity,” Davis said. “That has been our Achilles’ heel this year.”