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Fitch holds off Boardman to give Cepin her 100th win
By Brian Dzenis
Boardman
Normally, a coach would not be happy with a team nearly letting a double-digit lead wither away, but Austintown Fitch girls basketball coach Stacie Cepin was all smiles.
She took the unexpected Boardman comeback in stride because the Falcons escaped the Spartans’ gym with a 51-48 win after Krista Johnson’s buzzer-beater attempt was off the mark Wednesday night.
“These games are always fun. [Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton] and I have a great relationship. They always play hard and we always play hard,” Cepin said “It’s never a dull moment when Boardman girls face Austintown girls.”
It was a memorable game for a memorable milestone. With her parents watching in the stands, Cepin collected her 100th victory.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” she said. “I’ve been through so many experiences with so many kids. I’m just really proud of sharing it with the group tonight. This game has been really special to me and has brought me all over the country and given me so many opportunities.”
She isn’t kidding about the travel. After graduating from Campbell in 1994, she started her college basketball career at Youngstown State, but transferred to the University of Alaska-Anchorage after two seasons. She’s had assistant coaching gigs at Alaska-Anchorage, Ohio University, Clemson and Mercyhurst. She spent two years as a high school head coach in Shelbyville, Ind., before becoming the Falcons’ head coach in 2009.
“She didn’t tell us [that she was nearing 100 wins], but I’m really proud of her success,” the Falcons’ Sabria Hunter said. “I think we’ve done good as a team to get to that point.”
The outcome of Wednesday’s contest was hard to imagine. Fitch (7-7) entered the fourth quarter up by 10 points and had just limited Boardman to five points in the third quarter. Boardman (9-5) was scoreless through the first four minutes of the fourth before Franchesca Cardillo hit a 3-pointer. That three kicked off a 14-5 run that brought the Spartans within a point of tying the game with 15 seconds left. At that point, Allexis Sallee went 1-for-2 at the line to make it a two-point game. Jenna Vivo was then fouled and sent to the line with a chance to tie the game. She missed both free throws, but the Spartans’ Lauren Gabriele grabbed the rebound. Unfortunately for Boardman, her put-back attempt took a bad bounce.
“It’s a shot that nine times out of ten, I think she makes that shot,” Hammerton said.
Hunter was fouled with 5.6 seconds to play. She missed the first shot, but made the second. In Boardman’s final trip up the floor, the ball got to Johnson at the elbow, where the game ended following the miss.
“I’m just proud of the girls going through that adversity of withstanding that run from Boardman at the end, which was an outstanding run,” Cepin said.
Hunter led Fitch with 24 points and Sallee had another 10 for the Falcons. Johnson was Boardman’s top player with 16 points and Cardillo scored nine of her 12 points during that 15-4 run in the fourth quarter.
“Coach Cepin does a great job with those kids and we knew it was going to be a battle tonight,” Hammerton said. “It’s what every Boardman-Fitch game is. The only thing I’m upset about is the final score.”