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Early aggressive play pays off big in Fitch victory
By Brian Dzenis
CANFIELD
The Austintown Fitch boys basketball team made sure its rematch with Canfield wouldn’t be decided in the final seconds.
The Falcons took a commanding lead early in the second half and rode it to a 65-52 win.
The victory avenges a 48-47 setback on Dec. 29. That game was decided when Fitch missed a potential game-winning shot with seven seconds left.
“We came out a little sluggish and we kind of gave them the game,” Fitch senior Anthony Pangio said. “We had a lot of turnovers with the game on the line and today we got up a little bit and forced some pressure.”
Fitch coach Brian Beany stressed playing at a faster pace against the Cardinals and the strategy worked as the Falcons (6-5) led 19-13 by the end of the first quarter. The flip side of that was that the aggressive play put Pangio and starting point guard Scott Duffy in foul trouble and Canfield (10-3) in the bonus early.
“It’s scary when some of your starters get in foul trouble and you obviously have to play the foul game a little bit,” Beany said. “I thought our two sophomores, Jakari Lumsden and Randy Smith, did a fantastic job stopping in both Duffy and Pangio.”
The extra trips to the free-throw line helped Canfield cut its deficit to four points at halftime.
Pangio made up for lost time in the third quarter, scoring his team’s first two baskets and earned calls from his coach to take over the game.
“I couldn’t let it bother me. I couldn’t play weak,” Pangio said of his early foul trouble. “I stayed aggressive and just played my game.”
Pangio scored eight of his team’s 17 third-quarter points as the Falcons took a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. By the time Pangio fouled out near the end of the game, he had 16 points.
“I told him it was time for him to take over and he did,” Beany said. “Duffy gave him nice looks and Pangio finished. He was a monster around the rim and that’s what we expect from him every game and that’s what he expects from himself every game.”
The fourth quarter played out in similar fashion as the second. Canfield reached the bonus early, but the Cardinals’ final run brought them no closer than seven points away from tying the game. Canfield saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.
“Any time you get on a roll like that, you might start to think you’re invincible,” Canfield coach Todd Muckleroy said. “As bad as it seems coming out of this locker room right now, we need a little dose of this medicine and we’ll be OK.”
Duffy made six free throws in the final quarter to finish with a team-high 17 points. Derek Gunter added 13 points. Mason Mangapora and Sam DiGiacomo each scored 12 points as they had their Senior Night spoiled by Fitch. Also finishing in double figures for Canfield was Julian Vitto with 11 points.
“They’re a good team and they’re going to make you pay on defensive breakdowns, which they did at times,” Beany said of Canfield. “Overall, our guys hung in there. The effort was fantastic and it was a good game.”