Liberty gets physical, but Canfield gets a ‘W’

By Steve wilaj

sports @vindy.com

Canfield

After Canfield guard Mike Yourstowsky finished off a layup while being fouled midway through the second quarter, the senior flexed his right arm for a moment in celebration.

It was just another Liberty hit he fought through — just like he anticipated.

“They have a lot of football guys and want to play a physical game,” Yourstowsky said. “So we knew we had to prepare for that and we couldn’t let it get to us.”

The Cardinals took Liberty’s best shot, but finally pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Leopards, 55-43, on Saturday at James W. Watkins Gymnasium. Yourstowsky led Canfield (8-3) with 14 points, Mason Mangapora and Jake Cummings each scored 12 and Vince Leone added 10.

“We didn’t shoot the ball real well tonight,” Cardinals coach Todd Muckleroy said. “But we hit some shots down the stretch when we really needed it and thank goodness for that.”

Canfield led 40-35 entering the fourth quarter before the Leopards (3-6) cut their deficit to 44-41 with 4:14 remaining.

Yourstowsky then scored six of the Cardinals’ next seven points to help close the contest. His final basket — a layup with just 1:30 left — extended Canfield’s advantage to 51-43. The final run was assisted by three Liberty turnovers.

“For us, defense is always the difference,” Muckleroy said. “They missed some shots there and we rebounded better. That helped us in the second half.”

Canfield certainly had its hands full with Lynn Bowden. The Leopards’ sophomore guard finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Along with teammate Ben Phillips — who finished with 11 points — Bowden rallied Liberty to an 11-10 lead after the first quarter before the Leopards trailed by one at halftime.

“Lynn is a tough individual to stay in front of,” Muckleroy said. “We knew Ben and Lynn were the players we would have to stop. We did with one, but not Lynn, so credit to him.”

Liberty finished only 18 of 52 from the floor, though, as Canfield outscored the Leopards 14-10 in the third quarter and 15-8 in the fourth. Liberty coach Dan Bubon said his team missed its early opportunities.

“We didn’t shoot well all night,” he said. “We attacked the rim and never got to the foul line, though. I think that put it in our kids heads that if we go and get hit, we’re not going to go to the line. So we stopped attacking a little bit toward the end.

“We’re so young. We’re trying to find spots for everybody to score, but it’s just not happening right now. When we put it all together, I think we’ll be pretty dangerous.”

Liberty’s next contest is a home game against Girard on Tuesday.

Canfield, meanwhile, will play host to Austintown Fitch the same night. The Falcons defeated the Cardinals, 68-28, in their first matchup on Jan. 2.

“We have to put that in the past,” Yourstowsky said. “This is a new game at our place. So we’ll have to do some things differently now and just come out better and be ready to go.”