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Fitch surges to greet Jefferson with a defeat
By Jim Flick
AUSTINTOWN
After a slow start, the Fitch High girls basketball team swarmed new league member Jefferson High on Thursday to emerge with a 49-39 victory.
Fitch was led by sophomore Megan Sefcik and senior Anissa Hill, who each scored 16 points.
Sefcik led all scorers were 11 points in the first half, including a long-range 3-pointer. She added five free throws in the second half. Hill poured in 10 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer.
Maura Bianco, a sophomore, came off the bench to add six points for Fitch, which like Jefferson is a newcomer to the All-American Conference.
Fitch (1-0) dominated the boards, hauling down 38 rebounds. Sophomore Cassie Cutter was the game’s leading rebounder, grabbing 10 missed shots.
“We have a lot young players, and now we need to get to work,” said Austintown coach Stacie Cepin.”
Fitch’s starting lineup included Hill, two juniors (Brenda Thompson and Brianna Edwards) and two sophomores (Sefcik and Cutter).
“A lot other kids chipped in. We needed that,” Cepin said. “Our kids are learning how to win.”
Senior Rachel Francis was the leading scorer for Jefferson Falcons (0-1), connecting on five field goals for 10 points. Senior Paige Clark added nine points. “I was happy with our girls’ effort,” said Jefferson coach Rod Holmes.
Holmes added that the Fitch team “moved the ball well and they have some shooters.”
Fitch sank 20 of 45 shots from field, compared to 18 of 44 for Jefferson.
Jefferson struck first, scoring the first four points of the game, and built an 8-2 lead.
But Fitch came back quickly, surging ahead 11-10 when Sefcik connected on a 3-point shot.
Sefcik and Hill combined to score 11 unanswered points at the end of the quarter quarter, giving Fitch a 17-10 lead at the first break. Hill sank three field goals in that stretch.
Fitch also dominated the second quarter, outscoring Jefferson 11-6, and held a 28-16 lead at halftime.
Fitch held its largest lead of the night, 31-16, after Sefcik sank a free throw early in the third quarter.
Jefferson rallied somewhat, outscoring Fitch 10-7 in the third stanza, but still trailed 35-26 after three quarters.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jefferson cut the Fitch lead to five points, 35-30, when Farr sank a field goal. But Jefferson was never able to pull any closer.
Sefcik, Hill and Bianco scored as Fitch pulled away in the final minutes. Sefcik scored the final points of the game when she sank two shots from the charity stripe.