BOARDMAN WINS NINTH STRAIGHT OVER FITCH

AUSTINTOWN OH- Boardman and Austintown, two teams that are synonymous with one another. Rivals in every sport they encounter, The Spartans and The Falcons renewed it on a Tuesday night in Austintown.

Boardman came in leading their conference, while Fitch was looking to play spoiler to their rivals in conference championship hopes.

As most games are, both teams came out with a high intensity and energy with the student sections rocking for both teams.

With the heightened intensity of Austintown’s senior night, the roof was ready to blow off the top of the gymnasium.

Both teams came out jockeying for position on one another, scoring back and forth, looking to establish their offense.

The Spartans had to get out of the woods early on, as both Allen Underwood and Devin Sherwood were getting it going early for Fitch. Underwood finished with 15 points and Sherwood was Fitch’s leading score with 18.

However, despite the lead changes and the battling down the stretch, it was senior Trey DePietro’s play that stood out in the fourth.

Scoring 23 points on the night, including nailing down some last second free throws and going 8-9 behind the stripe, DePietro was quite simply clutch.

Using his height and length, DePietro grabbed 12 boards on the night as well. Leading both teams in total points and rebounds was more than enough to earn him Player of the Game.

Anthony Hightower pitched in with 12 points of offense for The Spartans to help secure the 60-56 win over The Falcons.

The win marks now nine straight for Spartans Basketball against their rival, as their revenge from football season is complete!

Fitch (5-12) will look to turn it around against conference opponent Warren Harding (9-5) on Saturday, February 5th.

For Boardman (10-6) they get to battle Canfield (7-8) for the second time this year in a home matchup with The Cardinals. That game is set to take place Friday, February 4th.

With the impending bad weather, stay tuned to YSN for all local area matchup changes and cancellations!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame Interview With Pat Birch: