Boardman fouls out against GlenOak, 76-69

By Jon Moffett

The Spartans lost two starters, and the Golden Eagles made them pay.

BOARDMAN — Boardman starters Jordan Karzmer and Chase Hammond had to watch the final few minutes of Friday’s game from the bench.

Early foul trouble caught up with the players, forcing both out of the game. All they could do was watch as the Spartans (2-5) were defeated by GlenOak 76-69.

Boardman coach Jim Goske said losing two key starters early definitely affected the game plan against the Golden Eagles (7-0).

“Our point guard [Karzmer] was in foul trouble, and he really makes us go and handles pressure really well,” he said. “That was a huge difference in the game.”

Many of Boardman’s woes could be traced back to the free throw line. The Spartans made only a dozen trips, compared to 33 by the Golden Eagles. GlenOak gained 22 points from the line. Boardman scored seven.

Goske said GlenOak beat the Spartans at their own game.

“They did what we said we needed to do. You want to attack the basket, draw fouls and get to the line, and that’s what they did,” he said. “We weren’t attacking the hoop a whole lot, and we were getting into them and drawing fouls and they did a good job of that.”

While the Spartans prepared for a physical game, they should’ve prepared for the Storm.

GlenOak’s Storm Sanders, a junior, had 12 trips to the foul line, equaling the total for the entire Spartan team. His nine points surpassed the Spartans’ total.

“We do a pretty good job of getting to the line,” said GlenOak coach Jack Greynolds. “We’ve gotten to the line a lot. Each game we drive a lot and we’ve got some good shooters spotting up, so if they cut that off we can kick it out for three.”

Also leading the Golden Eagles’ was senior C.J. McCollum, who scored 26 points, including two 3-point goal. He also had five rebounds and four assists, but said he had an off night.

“We didn’t really play like we should have,” he said. “We came out slow and sluggish in the first half and coach [Greynolds] got on us.”

After a 7-2 run by GlenOak to start the game, the Spartans were able to gain momentum. Boardman trailed 29-28 at the half, but gave up 22 points in the third quarter and 25 in the fourth.

Goske said he was impressed with the way his team played. Prior to Friday, GlenOak had averaged 89.2 points per game, while allowing 69.3 points.

“If you were to tell me GlenOak is going to score 76, which sounds bad, but if you hold them to 76 with the way they have been scoring, you give yourself a chance to win the basketball game,” he said. “We missed a ton of layups in the first half. We had some easy looks and we were getting some good shots and we couldn’t throw it in the ocean.

“Playing a good team like that, when you have a chance and you’re hanging around in the game you have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I think we let a few of those opportunities slip away.”

Joining McCollum in double-digit scoring for the Golden Eagles were Sanders with 20 and David Tucker with 10. Boardman also had three players in the double-digits. J.T. Moore led the team with 16, followed by Trae Robinson with 14 and Eric Soller with 13.

jmoffett@vindy.com