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Road-tested Bulldogs prevail
By Greg Gulas
BOARDMAN
The Lakeview High School girls basketball team has yet to play a home game this season.
The Bulldogs (5-3, 2-2 All-American Conference Red Tier) are doing just fine.
After Saturday’s 52-45 victory over Boardman (2-3, 0-2), head coach Jason Senedak is hoping that his players can play equally as well when they return home Wednesday to host West Branch.
Annie Pavlansky scored 18 points, Lindsay Carnahan added 14 and the Bulldogs defense withstood a late Boardman charge.
Lakeview’s three losses have been by a combined nine points, which tells Senedak that his team is anything but road-weary.
“Every one of our games thus far has been very competitive and while you’re never happy with a loss, that point spread tells me that we were right there and going down to the wire,” Senedak said. “Boardman did a lot of good things this afternoon to fight back and while we were down a starter, we asked others to step up.
“Everyone pitched in for this win.”
Lakeview’s losses have come at the hands of Howland by four points, Madison by four points and Canfield by one.
“We’re a Division II school that played three Division I teams last week,” Sendak said. “Going 2-1 in those three games isn’t too bad and we’ll take that.”
Boardman raced to the early 6-1 lead on a bucket by Jenna Vivo, but Pavlansky and Carnahan keyed a 10-2 when they nailed back-to-back triples for an 11-8 advantage.
A lay-up by Boardman’s Lauren Gabriele with one tick left on the clock, however, gave the Spartans a 12-11 lead.
“All things considered and the teams that we have played thus far, we’re pleased to be 5-3 and heading home,” Pavlansky said.
Seven points by Pavlansky, six more by Carnahan and a stiff Bulldog defense that held Boardman to just five second-quarter points gave the Bulldogs a 31-17 margin at the break.
“At the half, we were in the exact situation that we were in against Austintown Fitch earlier in the week and that was down by 14 points,” Boardman head coach Jeff Hammerton said. “I told our team that there’s no 14-point play, just to focus on box outs and don’t allow any second or third chance opportunities.
“Originally, we didn’t want to press but ... that’s how we got back into the game,” Hammerton said.
Lakeview forged a 39-23 lead at 2:44 of the third quarter on back-to-back buckets by Jensen Silbaugh, but a Vivo hoop from beyond the arc with six seconds remaining finished off a 7-0 run as Boardman closed to within 39-30 with eight minutes remaining.
“Boardman is a really good team and this is a big win for us,” Carnahan said. “The game plan was to stop their shooters.”
The Spartans pulled to within 44-42 at the 3:03 mark on two charity tosses by Vivo, capping off a 12-5 stretch to start the final frame.
But a free throw by Carnahan and bucket by Leah Franks stretched the Lakeview lead to 47-42.
Two free throws by Boardman’s Lauren Pavlansky with a minute remaining pulled the Spartans to with 47-44.
The games’ final points, however, all came from the free throw line with Lakeview scoring five of final six points.