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Sefcik, Melfe help Fitch come from behind
By TIM CLEVELAND
AUSTINTOWN
Down for most of the game and with defeat only a couple of minutes away, Austintown Fitch turned to a pair of seniors to help turn the tide and defeat Boardman.
The Falcons trailed 41-39 late, but Megan Sefcik and Sarah Melfe combined to score Fitch’s final nine points in a 48-46 comeback over the Spartans on Monday night.
“This team is just relentless and they have a lot of trust in each other,” Fitch coach Stacie Cepin said. “I don’t think (trailing for most of the game) fazed them. What a tremendous program Boardman has run over there for years.”
Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton said he knew it would be a tough game for the Spartans.
“It’s Boardman-Fitch, and when it’s Boardman-Fitch you’re going to get the best of both teams,” he said. “Melfe and (Cassie) Custer killed us today. They hit some big shots down the stretch.”
Boardman (1-1) had a chance to tie the game as the Spartans earned a held ball and gained possession with 1.8 seconds left.
With no timeouts left, Hammerton called a quick play from the sideline. Senior Kelly Tomcsanyi got an open look from the baseline, but her shot at the buzzer failed to go in.
“We ran a play that we bunch everybody up and we take Kelly, who was shooting it pretty well, and we pop her out for a little jumper,” Hammerton said. “We thought maybe she could get that.”
Tomcsanyi had 12 points and seven rebounds for Boardman.
Sefcik had six of the final nine points for Fitch (1-0), with a steal and a pair of free throws tying the game at 41. She later hit two more free throws for a 46-41 lead with 22.2 seconds left and then two more for a 48-44 advantage with 12.8 seconds to play.
“That’s one thing I work on in practice is shooting free throws,” Sefcik said. “Those are easy, free points to get, so I definitely try to make those, in this case, to be a game changer.”
Cepin said the fact that Sefcik failed to make a field goal didn’t affect her clutch abilities.
“She could be frustrated because they played great defense on her in shutting her down,” Cepin said. “For her to step up there and seal the deal, she’s just a tremendous player. Under pressure like that was a big moment.”
Melfe led all players with 19 points for Fitch, including 16 in the second half as she keyed the comeback. She had 10 points in the third quarter as the Falcons nearly erased a six-point deficit to pull within 32-30 at the conclusion of the quarter.
“It wasn’t just me, it was most definitely a team effort,” Melfe said. “Without them, I couldn’t get open. I wasn’t really thinking about it at the moment. It was just my job to get out there and do that.”
Melfe had a crucial 3-pointer with less than a minute left that gave Fitch a 44-41 lead they would never relinquish.
“That was definitely exciting, but I think I was too focused on the game,” she said. “It was definitely exciting, but no time to celebrate on the court.”
“Sarah’s come a long way over these past couple years,” Cepin said. “She really has a lot of confidence right now. Just to balance what Megan does for us, we have so many people stepping up, and tonight Sarah Melfe led us back in.”
Megan Volosin led Boardman with 15 points and added five rebounds. She had a 3-pointer, then had a steal and a layup that gave the Spartans a 41-39 lead in the fourth quarter, their last advantage of the game. She later added another 3 to bring Boardman to within 46-44 with 14.3 seconds left.
“Megan Volosin’s a great shooter, but not only is she a great shooter, she plays so hard,” Hammerton said. “She’s really worked on the other aspects of her game. She’s a great competitor.”
Custer added 13 points for the Falcons, including seven in the second quarter that helped give her team a temporary 16-15 lead.