BOARDMAN KEEPS PACE IN THE AAC

The All-American Conference (AAC) always has fun, energetic matchups amongst the five member schools consistently between both the boys and girls. However, when considering Austintown-Fitch and Boardman, there may not be a better rivalry inside the conference. When The Spartans anThe Falcons lock horns, it is bound to be a good matchup, the type you throw records and stats out the window. Wednesday night in Austintown was no different! With the first matchup of the season on the hardwood between the two programs occurring on the girls side.

Heading into Wednesday, both programs had a lot riding into this game when considering a conference championship. With Fitch dropping their first conference game, earlier this season, against The Canfield Cardinals. While The Spartans had a thriller, comeback, victory against The Howland Tigers in their only other conference bout. Meaning Fitch needed a win to keep pace in the conference and Boardman needed the win to keep hold of first place.

The Spartans came out with high energy! Knocking down multiple shots to quickly take an 11-0 lead on The Falcons. Fitch was able to battle back, hitting back-to-back shots from distance to cut their deficit to five after the first quarter of play. Leading into the second, Austintown continued chipping away at Boardmans lead, with girls like Sam Severn and Kylie Folkwein finding their shots from distance. The Spartans held a slim lead, 18-17, at the half.

By the second half, both squads were dead set on beating their rival. With one look at the rebounding battle, it was apparent, with Jocelyn Jourdan having a great night for Fitch both on the boards and as a scoring threat. On the other side, Cami Goske made life and Gia Triveri made life difficult from the elbows to the blocks, as the two owned the pain for The Spartans! The third quarter saw much of the same as the first half showed, with the two teams exchanging a dozen points each. Giving some drama for the final eight minutes, with the lead still favoring Boardman by a single point, 30-29.

By quarter four, The Spartans seized control of the ballgame. With Mackenzie Riccitelli continuing to impress with her scoring ability, the combo guard continued to be dangerous from all spots on the court. Paired with her passing ability, Riccitelli helped lead Boardman to a game-clinching, fourth quarter run against their rivals! Nailing down some big free throws to put the game on ice, Boardman outscored Fitch 17-8 in the final quarter to capture their second win in the conference.

After the loss, the next time Fitch (2-6)(0-2) will be in action will be in The South Range Holiday Tournament, starting on Wednesday, December 28th. Following the win, Boardman (5-3)(2-0) now has their weights set on a premier area matchup with The Salem Quakers (9-1)(4-1). As that non-conference matchup between The Quakers and The Spartans will occur in Boardman on Wednesday, December 28th.

Interviews with Spartans Head Coach Jeff Hammerton and Player of the Game Mackenzie Riccitelli can be found below!

Scoring (Boardman)

Mackenzie Riccitelli: 18 PTS. (Player of the Game)

Cami Goske: 12 PTS.

Ava Freeborough: 6 PTS.

Gia Triveri: 4 PTS.

Bella Martin: 4 PTS.

Reagan Smith: 3 PTS.

Scoring (Fitch)

Jocelyn Jourdan: 15 PTS.

Kylie Folkwein: 10 PTS.

Zayda Creque: 4 PTS.