RICCITELLI CROSSES 1000 IN THRILLER OVER CANFIELD

BOARDMAN, OH- It was a memorable day in the Spartan Dome to say the least.  With storylines seemingly cascading from every crevice of Boardman High School, along with the standings in the AAC, it was only fitting that the Lady Spartans and Canfield would need not one, but two extra frames to decide a 63-60 Boardman victory.

Senior Boardman standout and Wooster hoops commit, Mackenzie Riccitelli came into the contest just 4 points shy of the 1000-Point Club, a feat that had only been performed a dozen times before in the history of the program.  It might have been the worst kept secret in the public sector, and Canfield had their eyes set on not allowing the feat to be against them.

With every shot Riccitelli had, the crowd held their breath in anticipation and would release on uncharacteristic misses, as if everybody in the gym could feel the pressure Riccitelli carried on her frame.  The Lady Cardinals held Riccitelli to 3 points going into the third quarter, opening up an opportunity for the likes of Sarah Bero’s powerful performance in the post.

While the anticipated moment came in the third quarter for Riccitelli with an up-and-under layup, you could almost read her body language that there was much left work to do with her teammates to walk away with the bigger accomplishment the day had in store- the season sweep against Canfield.

Canfield’s Camie Dill hit a huge shot at the end of regulation to force overtime, and give the Lady Cards a shift of momentum to their side of the gymnasium, and many thought with six seconds left in overtime that Canfield would spoil the day, until the Lady Spartans found Riccitelli from long distance and 41 splashed one of the biggest shots of her career to send the crowd into a frenzy, and the game into double overtime.

Riccitelli finished with 25-points on the afternoon, Sarah Bero had a big day as well with 17 points and 12 rebounds.  MC Werth gutted out a memorable performance with 12 points to her credit as well.  The duo of Ava Freeborough and Sam Duble each chipped in five points, respectively.

Boardman outrebounded Canfield 44-27 overall, and 20-4 on the offensive boards.

For Canfield, who lost Jenna Triveri just moments into the contest with an ankle injury, Camie Dill (23) and Cami Hritz (15) carried the load for the Cards with 38 points combined.  Carly Fleming had an outstanding performance on both sides of the floor while dropping 8 offensively.  Marina Koenig showed up to the tune of six points, and Grace McQuiston had five.

With the victory, Boardman takes over the top spot in the AAC at 4-1, and 11-4 overall.  Canfield drops to 2-3 in conference and 9-6 on the year.