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Mangapora helps Canfield pull past Mooney
By Jim Flick
CANFIELD
Sabrina Mangapora scored 29 points Saturday night to lead Canfield High to a 52-34 victory over Cardinal Mooney.
Mooney scored first and led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter.
But Canfield outscored Mooney 15-8 in the second quarter and led 24-18 at halftime. The game remained close in the third quarter, with the Canfield outscoring Mooney by a narrow 10-9 margin.
Canfield led 34-27 after three quarters.
Canfield (3-1) exploded in the fourth quarter, opening the quarter by scoring eight unanswered points to take control.
Mangapora, a junior, scored seven of those eight points with three field goals and a free throw.
Canfield outscored Mooney 18-7 in the fourth quarter.
Shooting accuracy was a key to Canfield’s victory, as the home team connected on 17 of 43 field goal attempts, compared to only 11 of 45 for Mooney (2-1).
Rebounding was another factor that finished heavily in Canfield’s favor, as the home team out-rebounded Mooney 41-26.
“Our girls did a great job of isolating inside,” said Canfield coach Patrick Pavlansky. “Obviously, the closer to the hoop you can shoot the ball, the better you’re going to be.
“So we hit some shots, then we were patient and deliberate. We have some bigger, stronger girls with some skills, and our girls are good at looking for them.”
Pavlansky said the team’s biggest strengths are its size and physicality.
“Those strengths give us the opportunity to win games,” Pavlansky said. “It’s exciting that our girls are looking for each other. I’m proud of our girls.
Mangapora, a junior, is literally Canfield’s biggest weapon, standing 6-foot-1. She scored 10 points in the first half, including a three-pointer. In the second half, she sank five field goals and connected on nine out of 10 field goal attempts.
“We played well in the first half,” said Mooney coach Bill Ritter. “But Mangapora took over, and we had no answer for her.”
Freshman Rachel Tinkey added 13 points for Canfield, including two 3-pointers in the first half.
Also scoring for Canfield were Kayla Barko, a junior who had three field goals for six points, and senior Sarah Vrabel, who scored four points.
Mooney’s leading scorer was sophomore Jamie DiDomenico, who sank two 3-pointers and netted 12 points.
Senior Christine Pellini connected for nine points for Mooney, while senior Taylor Woytek added six points. Brie Ozenghar scored three points for Mooney, and junior Macy Marlowe and senior Katrina Larson each added two points for the visiting Cardinals.