IRISH SHOW TOP LEVEL AGAINST GIRARD

YOUNGSTOWN, OH- The Youngstown Ursuline Fighting Irish boys basketball team hosted the Girard Indians at the Cafaro Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The Fighting Irish, fresh off a thrilling victory over the Bristol Panthers, carried the momentum to a 93-47 routing of Girard. For the Irish, much of their success came from three-point shooting. 

Astonishingly, six players scored in double-digits for the Fighting Irish. The leading man was Will Burney, who has been a standout on the Fighting Irish JV squad. In the last two games, Burney has received heavy playing time from head coach, Keith Gunther. Burney scored 14 points, nailing his first four attempts from three. Burney also snagged a rebound in the 4th quarter. 

In yet another breakout performance, Dean Boyd dropped 13 points, along with three rebounds. Terrance Pankey showed off his tremendous athleticism in the game, scoring 12 points, along with five rebounds. Brady Shannon used his size to his advantage, clinching a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Vince Armeni and Tyler Beck each scored 10 points, with Beck finding his groove beyond the arc. Along with 10 points, Armeni was able to collect five rebounds.

The leading scorer for Girard was Christian Graziano. Graziano reached 19 points and grabbed one rebound. Graziano’s great ball-handling skills were matched by strong defense and traps by the Irish. However, Graziano was a wizard in the paint, scoring and-1’s and getting to the line. Graziano finished the game 10-13 from the charity stripe. 

The Fighting Irish were 48% from the field and a stunning 59% from three-point range. As for Girard, they were 32% from the field, and 24% from three. The teams were fairly even at the free-throw line, the Fighting Irish going 15 of 21 and Girard going 14 of 23. The Fighting Irish outrebounded Girard 43 to 22. 

The Fighting Irish advance to 7-8 overall; however, a challenging six-game road trip is ahead. Their next matchup will come against the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers, a 7-5 program. Girard falls to 5-9, with a home game against the Jefferson Area Falcons next. 

*Story contributed by YSN’s Dom Joseph