Boardman holds off East’s rally

February 11, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Holden Lipke’s hot shooting start and Travis Koontz’s dominance on the boards in the third quarter helped the Boardman High School boys basketball team open up a 16-point lead on East.

Those performances came in handy as the Panthers climbed back into Friday’s game, twice cutting the lead to four in the Spartans’ 68-62 victory.

“I’m not surprised it turned into a possession game in the fourth quarter,” Boardman coach Pat Birch said. “We played them earlier in the year at home in a very similar game [60-51].

“You know they are going to keep coming after you, challenging you,” Birch said. “I thought we did a good job of answering those challenges.”

Lipke also wasn’t shocked that the game tightened up.

“We all knew that we were going to have our run and they were going to have their run,” said Lipke who led the Spartans with 14 points. “We have had a lot of tight games recently and before the tournament that’s [good].”

Lipke connected on his first three shots. After his opening basket and a free throw by East’s Ce’andre Backus, Lipke made back-to-back 3-pointers for an 8-1 lead that the Spartans never lost.

“It was nice to get into the flow [early], relax,” Lipke said. “Getting comfortable early helps.”

Birch wasn’t surprised at his fast start.

“It kind of sets the tone a little bit, especially on the road,” Birch said. “Hitting those first few shots kind of settles everyone into the game. He’s done that a few times this year, come out really aggressive.”

East coach Dennis Simmons was disappointed his team dug a ditch too deep to escape.

“Worst game we played,” Simmons said, adding with a laugh that his assistant coaches were debating if another contest might have been less impressive. “We weren’t ready to play early and you can’t spot a good team [16] points.”

For most of the first half, the Spartans (15-3, 8-2 All-American Conference Red) nursed with a double-digit lead. The largest margin was 12 when Austin Barone scored a second-quarter basket for a 29-17 lead.

The Panthers (10-9, 5-7) closed the half with a 10-5 run to slice the deficit to seven (34-27).

Koontz, who has a football scholarship to Bowling Green, took charge in the third quarter, making his second dunk, six rebounds and a steal.

“His presence has really made a difference for us all year, there’s no question,” Birch said. “Even when the stats don’t always show, his size and his athletic ability really give us an interior [presence].”

Sebastian Heinonen’s 10 points included three 3-pointer. Mike Melewski also scored 10 while Koontz and John Ryan had nine apiece, and Che Trevena contributed eight. Koontz also made 11 rebounds.

Koontz called it a “good game, especially with the crowd going crazy.”

Of the scoring balance, Birch said, “We’ve done that throughout the season. Holden has been our leading scorer but the four guys beneath his are all averaging nine points. That tells me we’re sharing the basketball and we’re pretty unselfish.”

Terrell Weaver led the Panthers with 18 points and Tim Williams came off the bench to score 16 including four 3-pointers.

Simmons said his young players are contributing.

“We’ve just got to put it all together,” Simmons said. “Our focus now is to be ready for March.”