Boardman takes down Mooney

Martin, Fryda power

Spartans past Cards

By MIKE mCLAIN

sports @vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Pat Birch is quick to say that the Boardman boys basketball team remains a work in progress.

The Spartans coach might have had a difficult time finding any believers in that statement from members of the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals. The Spartans fed off full-court pressure to score 27 second-quarter points on their way to a 66-48 win in a non-conference game Friday.

The Cardinals (1-2) were forced into 15 turnovers in the first half, including 12 in the second quarter. The mistakes in the second period turned a 19-18 Boardman lead after the opening quarter into a commanding 46-28 halftime lead.

“There was that five- or six-minute stretch where we threw the ball around and played a little too fast,” Cardinals coach Carey Palermo said. “It seemed to correlate to everything we did.”

The Spartans (4-2) began to pull away late in the second period. Leading 36-26, Boardman went on an eight-point run and scored 10 of the final 12 points before the half.

Daeone Martin, who scored 18 points, registered nine in the pivotal second quarter. Tommy Fryda added eight points.

Birch was clearly satisfied with the win. There wasn’t much that went wrong for the Spartans, with the exception of perhaps more consistency on the offensive end.

“In moments we showed exactly what we want to be,” Birch said. “We have great depth and great energy. Our next step is that offensively in the halfcourt we have to get better at sharing it early. We have guys that are good at attacking the basket, but we have to set ourselves up a little better offensively so we can extend that 18-point lead at halftime to whatever in the second half.”

Birch substituted freely throughout play, with 10 players scoring. The work in progress is beginning to jell as the holidays approach.

“We had some guys out early for some reasons, but we have a full squad back for the most part,” Birch said. “I think we’re showing some of the qualities we can be later in the year.”

The Cardinals have played three fewer games than the Spartans, but Palermo doesn’t believe that made any difference.

“That’s not an excuse,” Palermo said. “We played with them for three of the four quarters. We played South Range Saturday night. We were leading after the first and got beat by maybe 12 or 13 in the second. Won the third and fourth quarters and ended up losing by five.”

Mooney had a few leads in the first quarter before trailing by one entering the second period. The Spartans maintained an 18-point lead after three quarters, 54-36, before Birch began emptying the bench down the stretch.

Fryda added 13 points to Boardman’s scoring.

Pete Haas was the only Cardinal able to reach double figures in scoring with 11 points.

“Carey does a great job,” Birch said. “They have a veteran group. I wasn’t surprised early on that they were able to handle the pressure and knock down some shots. I was hoping in the later part of the first half and the second half you would see that depth kick in. I think it did in both quarters.”