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Cards use 3-pointers to take down Spartans
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By Greg Gulas
CANFIELD
Canfield boys basketball coach Todd Muckelroy encourages his players to take open shots, especially when they are from behind the all too tempting 3-point line.
Zach Tinkey and Ethan Kalina are two of the Cardinals players who appreciate that coaching logic.
Tinkey scored a game-high 21 points, Kalina added 12 and the two combined for seven of their team’s nine 3-pointers as Canfield defeated Boardman 55-45 in All-American Conference, Red Division action Tuesday night at James W. Watkins Gymnasium.
It was the fourth straight win for Canfield (5-1, 3-0) as it remained atop the division standings while Boardman (4-1, 1-1) lost for the first time this season.
“Coach Muckelroy and our entire coaching staff believe in us as shooters and my teammates always seem to find me when I am open. My teammates give me all the confidence in the world,” Tinkey said. “The game plan tonight was to shade their shooters and make sure that they didn’t get good looks. The goal was to also box out, especially with [Travis] Koontz in the middle. That’s an area where I felt that we did an excellent job tonight.”
In a fast-paced opening session, the Cardinals hit five of their first six buckets from beyond the arc and when Tinkey nailed his third triple of the quarter at the 2:31 mark, Canfield built a 17-11 advantage.
Triples by Boardman’s Coleman Stauffer, Mike Melewski and Che Trevena helped the Spartans close the quarter on a 9-5 run as they pulled to within 19-17 heading to the second period.
In a low-scoring second quarter, Trevena’s jumper at the 3:45 mark knotted the game at 22, but triples by both Kalina and Tinkey extended the Canfield lead to 28-22 before a John Ryan rainbow behind the line as time expired helped Boardman pull within one, 28-27, at intermission.
“We wanted to punch them in the mouth and take the early lead so we didn’t have to play catch-up. Boardman is an aggressive team, especially on the defensive end so we needed to box out and prevent second chance opportunities,” Kalina said. “Also, we had to be aggressive, drive to the bucket and make our open shots on the kick out.”
Boardman scored the first five points of the third quarter on a layup by Sebastian Heinonen and conventional three-point play by Holden Lipke for a 32-28 margin, but a free throw by Canfield’s Spencer Woolley and Tinkey’s fifth and final triple knotted the game once again at 32 with 3:01 remaining.
Ryan maintained his touch from behind the line as well as his triple with 2:33 left helped Boardman regain the lead, 35-32.
A steal and subsequent lay-up by Kalina and five points from Ian McGraw helped Canfield score the final seven points of the session as it forged a 39-32 lead with one quarter remaining.
“We tried to play fast tonight, but credit Canfield and coach Muckleroy with an excellent game plan,” Boardman head coach Pat Birch said. “They went to a zone and that was something that they hadn’t show much of thus far. It’s early in the season and this is a really tough place to play, but we’ll be alright. It’s how we respond now as we move forward that counts.”
Buckets by Koontz and Lipke a little over a minute into the final quarter knotted the game once again, this time at 39 but Tinkey’s two jumpers helped Canfield on an 8-0 run as it opened a 47-39 lead and held on for their second home win.
“It’s a big win for us with a lot of hope for both programs,” Muckleroy said. “This has turned into a really nice rivalry, being that we are so close to one another. Pat is building a great program at Boardman and that’s why this win means so much, because we beat a great team tonight. Some of our identity is to be able to shoot the ball and be able to rebound a miss and when we’re on, it is fun to watch.”