CANFIELD, OH- The Canfield Cardinals met the Boardman Spartans for the final time in the regular season on Saturday night. Canfield took the first battle in Boardman by a final of 54-44. The Cardinals held the Spartans scoreless in the first quarter, and kept the defensive pressure up all game to sweep the season series with the Spartans.
Canfield climbed out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter after Carlie Harmon and Grace McQuiston both hit triples in the first quarter. Canfield kept the momentum churning in the second quarter as they outscored Boardman 13-7 to take a 23-7 lead at the half. Harmon led all scores after one half with 11 points.
In the third quarter, Boardman came alive outscoring Canfield by six points with the help of free throw shooting. In the third quarter, the Spartans hit 6 free throws to cut the deficit to 10 points entering the final eight minutes of play. The Spartans made it tight in the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals struggles to put the game away at the line going 6-13 at the charity toss in the fourth quarter. Canfield would get some key defensive stops down the stretch to take care of the Spartans by a final of 40-32.
Canfield was led by Harmon who scored a game high 15 points. Macey Kalina had a great night shooting, knocking down two three-pointers while scoring 10 points. For the Spartans, Mackenzie Riccitelli scored 8 points, knocking down two three-pointers, while Cami Goske added 8 points as well for the Spartans.
Canfield sweeps the season series against Boardman to move to 16-1, while Boardman drops to 10-8 and will host North Canton Hoover on Monday night at 7 P.M.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/D6N_4136-e1675101122769.png14341944Richie Julianohttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngRichie Juliano2023-01-30 17:53:232023-01-30 17:53:23CARDINALS SWEEP SEASON SERIES WITH SPARTANS
A cold Wednesday in January canceled school across multiple counties in Northeastern Ohio, but it did not keep all the basketball teams out of the gyms! As The Boardman Spartans hosted their long-time rival in The Austintown-Fitch Falcons for girls basketball night on the network! The one and only previous matchup of the season between the two squads saw The Spartans pull away as a part of a 47-38 win over Fitch on December 21st, 2022. Wednesday night would also be a critical in-conference game for Boardman, trying to keep pace being one game back of conference-leader Canfield at the time, while Fitch was just looking to play spoiler and garner momentum before the tournament.
The first quarter saw what many other games prior had seen, with both teams exchanging in back and forth scoring to start. Mackenzie Riccitelli has become a Falcon nightmare in recent years, as she got off to a hot start for Boardman, scoring The Spartans first five points out of the gate for a 5-0 run, finishing with 10 points in the first quarter alone! Ayla Ray and Jocelyn Jourdan would muster up an offensive response for The Falcons, cutting the Boardman lead, leaving The Spartans up 14-11 after a quarter. The second quarter wound up being a turning point in the ballgame, with Boardman having a lid on the bucket, despite good looks from the field. Fitch would capitalize with good defense and translating defense into offense getting Zayda Creque involved and Ayla Ray connecting on two more deep shots! A 17-5 second quarter run allowed Fitch to take a 28-19 halftime lead, capped off by an impressive Zayda Creque buzzer-beater three pointer!
Out of the half, Riccitelli tried willing Boardman back into the ballgame, scoring 8 of her team’s 10 points in the third quarter; however, Creque carried over her momentum from the previous half, scoring 9 points herself in the third. Allowing Fitch to extend their lead to 15 points heading into the final period. Out of the fourth, The Spartans hunkered down and attempted mounting another signature comeback to add to the season highlights. Riccitelli and Sarah Bero each scored a half dozen in the final eight minutes, enabling Boardman to outscore Austintown in the final quarter. However, a different Falcon stepped up every quarter, including Destanie McCullough in the fourth! Scoring 11 points on the night, with 9 of them coming in the final quarter. Splitting the defense like chopped wood, McCullough helped put the game on ice for a Fitch victory 58-51, to draw even at one game a piece in their season series with their rival.
Player of The Game honors went to “The Ray Gun” Ayla Ray for her consistent outside shooting and scoring overall. Always a great all-around ball player, Ray contributed with four three pointers on the night in a 16 point performance. Creating a “Splash Sisters” duo with her teammate Zayda Creque as The Falcons gear up for the final stretch of the regular season. Boardman (10-7)(4-2) will now hit the road in a conference matchup with Canfield (15-1)(5-0) on Saturday, January 28th. Fitch (9-10)(3-4) will also be away on Saturday, in their final regular-season matchup with Harding (8-11)(0-5). Interviews with winning Head Coach Natalie Lynn and Player of The Game Ayla Ray can be found below!
Scoring (Fitch)
Ayla Ray: 16 PTS. (Player of The Game)
Zayda Creque: 15 PTS.
Destanie McCullough: 11 PTS.
Jocelyn Jourdan: 8 PTS.
Kylie Folkwein: 4 PTS.
Samantha Severn: 2 PTS.
Rachel Spalding: 2 PTS.
Scoring (Boardman)
Mackenzie Riccitelli: 25 PTS.
Sarah Bero: 8 PTS.
Cami Goske: 4 PTS.
Ava Freeborough: 4 PTS.
Bella Martin: 4 PTS.
Reagan Smith: 3 PTS.
Faith Walston: 3 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Fitch 11 – 14 Boardman
Q2: Fitch 17 – 5 Boardman
Q3: Fitch 16 – 10 Boardman
Q4: Fitch 14 – 22 Boardman
Final: Fitch 58 – 51 Boardman
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CDB639BB-6994-4226-938A-4C829991603A.jpeg10121750Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-27 03:25:102023-01-27 03:25:10RAY LEADS THE FALCONS TO HUGE ROAD WIN
BOARDMAN, OH – For the second straight time, the Boardman Spartans girls’ basketball team did the unthinkable against the Howland Tigers. After a come-from-behind win against the Tigers back on December 14th, they wanted to do it again. Trailing by fifteen late in the third, the Spartans would score 19 unanswered points and hold off Howland as they stole one from the Tigers by a score of 38-36.
Boardman started off strong as they took a 15-4 lead late into the first. That was mostly successful thanks to four successful treys, and 8 first-quarter points by junior Mackenzie Riccitelli. It would be a tale of two quarters, though, as the Tigers turned the game completely around and outscored the Spartans in the second quarter 19-2 to take a 25-17 edge at intermission.
Howland had a well-paced scoring effort from individual players, but their bread and butter was inside the paint with junior Mia Barrish grabbing key offensive rebounds and getting putbacks. Alyssa Massucci and Gia Hoso also had their fair share of two-point buckets, as Massucci led the Tigers with 9 while Hoso picked up 8. Howland continued their momentum from the second quarter, starting the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 34-19 advantage.
It was the Spartans’ time to return the favor, and it would start with Reagan Smith sinking a corner three to give the Spartans a huge burst of momentum. Transitioning into the fourth period, Riccitelli went off for the Spartans, as she piled up 10 of the Spartans’ 14 fourth-quarter points to finish the afternoon with a game-high 19 points. Gia Triveri went alongside Riccitelli with the other four tallies, including two pivotal foul shots, to finish with 9 overall. It is also important to note that Boardman only gave up two points in the final stanza off of Howland free throws.
Boardman (10-5) completes a season sweep of Howland with the epic win, with both victories coming from late-game rallies. The Spartans will now prepare for a grueling week ahead as they will go to Uniontown Lake on Monday. They will then play Fitch on Wednesday, as well as traveling out to Canfield on Saturday for their second meeting with the Cardinals in ten days. Howland (8-9) will look to rebound on Wednesday when they travel out to Warren Harding for a rematch with the Raiders. The Tigers will seek a season sweep of Harding as they won the first meeting in the Toni Ross Tournament back on December 21st 43-39.
YSN’s Noah Ricks got a chance to speak with Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton following the thrilling victory. The full interview can be watched below.
*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/E7FAABE2-166A-452A-85A9-57C23D2CC6F8.jpeg7621203Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-22 07:04:452023-01-22 07:04:45DEJA VU FOR THE SPARTANS
The Lady Tankers won their 9th straight AAC Conference Championship with an impressive TEAM performance. “This is a great local conference with talented swimmers from all of the teams. In order to have a chance to win this Championship meet, every athlete must contribute. Some of our younger swimmers were asked to swim some difficult events and they answered the call. Coaches Chelsea DeAngelo and Mark Brooks have worked very hard with our developmental group and these kids have become a pivotal part of our team strength,” mentioned Coach Cordon.
Off the blocks, the Spartans were led by seniors Madison Murphy and Lexxi Mihok. Murphy, who was named AAC Swimmer of the Meet, broke a Boardman High School Team record, an AAC meet record, and the Warren G. Harding pool record in the 50 free with a time of 24.42. Murphy also won the 100 Free with a time of 53.49. Lexxi Mihok won the 200 Freestyle (2:01.00) and the 100 Back (1:00.42). Murphy and Mihok, along with Petra Crnjak and Gina DiNapoli, also set a new AAC Meet mark in the 200 Medley Relay time of 1:50.74.
Single event winners and AAC First Team Awards for the Spartans include: Gina DiNapoli in the 100 Butterfly (59.42). Gina also nabbed 2nd in the 50 Free (26.12). Aly Murray won the 500 Free (5:39.23) and placed 2nd in the 100 Back (1:02.22). Petra Crnjak won the 100 Breaststroke (1:11.02) and placed 3rd in the 100 Free (59.36).
The Spartan Tankers also nabbed 1st in the 200 Free Relay with DiNapoli, Crnjak, Lexxi Mihok, and Murphy with a time of 1:42.65.
Other Top 3 places include: 2nd place for Sam Murray in the 100 Free (58.50) and 3rd in the 200 Freestyle (2:09.62), 2nd place for Julia Basista in the 200 IM (2:28.14), 3rd place for Morgan Russo in the 200 IM (2:31.54), Abbi Mihok 3rd in the 50 Free (26.56) and 3rd in the 500 Free (5:51.26), Mazie Kauffman 2nd in the 1 meter diving (337.15) and Lily Warren 3rd in the 1 meter diving (227.50).
The Spartans are back in the water at YSU Beeghly Natatorium with a meet on Wednesday January 18th against Poland, Austintown, and Champion.
*Contributed by Chelsea DeAngelo at boardmanathletics.org
BOARDMAN OH- Two teams that were in the midst of a season turnaround matched up on Saturday afternoon. Boardman had won 5 of the last 6 coming in to the day, and West Branch came in winning 3 of the last four. This Warriors team was also drastically different than the one on tape for most of the season. That’s because West Branch star Sophia Gregory was back in the lineup. Gregory had been out the entire month of December.
West Branch jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Boardman could score a point. With the Warriors up 13-5, Boardman went on a 14-0 run between the first and second quarters and led 19-13. The Spartans led the rest of the game, but their margin varied. West Branch kept battling back from multiple deficits, and eventually Gregory would hit a pair of late free throws to tie the game at 50-50. In what might have been the play of the game, Mackenzie Riccitelli stormed back on defense after Chloe Dennison leaked out for the Warriors in transition. In what seemed like would be a game winning layup, ended up being a massive defense play as Riccitelli stripped the ball out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. The Warriors maintained possession, but couldn’t get a shot off in time. The overtime period was a patient one, both teams didn’t rush their offense. The Warriors earned a couple of trips to the free throw line and kept the game deadlocked. Boardman had one final try to win the game as Cami Goske got fouled down low with 3.3 seconds left in overtime. Goske was 0-6 at the line at the time, and admits her confidence was low. She missed the first of two, putting all the pressure in the world on one free throw. She took a breath, gave herself a pep talk, and knocked down her only free throw of the game, but the most important one. Boardman pulled off the thrilling 55-54 win.
Riccitelli led the way for the Spartans with 23 points on the day. Gia Triveri was also in double figures with 11. Bella Martin had a good day in the paint scoring 9 points. Goske’s free throw that won the game brought her total to 7.
West Branch was led by Gregory with 15 points. She went 6/8 at the free throw line. Hannah Egli scored all of her points from beyond the arc as she hit 4 threes and finished with 12. Cami Campbell and Mikalyn Fitts both scored 7.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/98033A58-2707-4FF1-B351-D296627405DC.jpeg6551134Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-01-08 06:20:212023-01-08 06:20:21GOSKE PLAYS HERO ON THE FOUL LINE IN OVERTIME
On the first Friday of The New Year, boys basketball filled The YSN airwaves with 17 games, on the boys side alone, that entertained multiple counties throughout northeast Ohio. January also means conference play, which there was no shortage of, including that which occurred in Austintown, Ohio when two All-American Conference (AAC) foes met. When the reigning, defending, undisputed four-time consecutive conference champions in The Boardman Spartans traveled across town in their first matchup with Austintown-Fitch on the hardwood this season.
When speaking of The Spartans, they have been a conference juggernaut to say the least. Winning The AAC four straight years, two of which (2018-19, 2019-20) were in the old AAC-Red and the other two (2020-21, 2021-22) in The AAC we know today. But when speaking of Boardman against Austintown in particular, it has been a one-sided matchup. With The Spartan emerging victorious against The Falcons in 11 of their last 12 meetings, including a nine-game winning streak against Austintown heading into Friday night! The last time Fitch tasted victory against their foe? December of 2017, a five-year plus drought!
Through the first nine games of the season for both teams, it looked like a potential shift in the conference may be on the horizon, as teams such as Canfield (7-2), Fitch (6-3) and Howland (6-3) sporting solid records, while Boardman was 4-5. However, The Spartans looked to take that change of script, crumble it up and toss it directly in the trash on Friday night. Jumping out to a quick double-digit lead, Boardman led 16-6 after one quarter of play.As guys like senior Demarr Clark playing take over ball out of the gate on both sides of the floor. The second quarter saw The Spartans keep that same energy, while sophomore David D’Altorio joined the fun, knocking down a handful of threes as a distance deadeye that helped extend the Boardman lead to 14 points, 31-17 at the half.
Out of the half, Fitch looked to battle their way back in the conference bout. Falcon sophomore Carter Owens started to find his rhythm from the arc out to start the third, as Fitch started to finally see some shots fall and be able to throw some offensive punches back at The Spartans. Boardman was able to hold Austintown back enough after three, still maintaining a 43-34 lead entering the fourth quarter. To start the final eight minutes, Boardman had started to give the ball up by way of turnovers that propelled Fitch on an 11-0 run to start the final quarter, capped off by Austintown senior Gianni Maley converting an and-one, allowing The Falcons to take their first lead of the night 45-43! Boardman showed poise after the large run, with Brady DiPietro nailing down a response three pointer to reclaim the lead 46-45! Fitch was loaded with a counter response though, as Freshman Allex Hill muscled home a bucket to give The Falcons the lead back late in the fourth at 47-46! Turnovers continued to plague Boardman, allowing Austintown to get extra possessions and forcing Boardman to send their adversary to the line in the expiring minute of the fourth. Fitch would make enough free throws down the stretch, claiming the win 50-47 for the first time in over five years against Boardman!
Boardman (4-6)(0-1) will look to get back on track in the conference, facing another set of birds, this time hosting Canfield (7-3)(0-0) on Tuesday, January 10th. Also on Tuesday, Fitch (7-3)(2-0) will head to Warren Harding (6-4)(1-0) in their first matchup with The Raiders of the season. Interviews with winning Head Coach Brian Beany and Player of The Game Gianni Maley can be found below!
TALLMADGE, OH- The Boardman Girl’s Basketball Team went on the road to close out the 2022 portion of their schedule and came away with a 50-38 victory over the Tallmadge Lady Blue Devils.
The Spartans jumped out quickly in the press to force turnovers and raced to a 17-8 lead after one. Tallmadge regrouped in the second quarter to cut the lead to just 25-22 at the half. Boardman came out in the second half and outscored the Blue Devils 25-16 to finish off the victory.
With the win, the Spartans move to 6-4 on the season. Leading the way for Boardman was Mackenzie Riccitelli who finished with a career-high 27 points. She also was huge on the defensive end as she had 10 steals alone. The defense produced 19 live ball turnovers. Gia Triveri also finished in double digits scoring 10 points which included 2 three-point field goals. Bella Martin had 4 points and 5 rebounds. Cami Goske scored 2 points, but lead the team in rebounding along with Sarah Bero who each had 7 boards. Reagan Smith came off the bench to provide a spark with 5 points and some great second-half defense.
M.C. Werth rounded out the scoring with 2 points. Ava Freeborough, Ally Fleming, Faith Walston, and Natalie Davis all contributed to the total team effort to get the win. The girls will start up 2023 action on Wednesday in a huge conference game between undefeated teams in the league when they get the Canfield Cardinals at home.
*Contributed by Jeff Hammerton and boardmanathletics.org
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3I4A2374-scaled-e1672501010136.jpg7741305YSN Staffhttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngYSN Staff2022-12-31 15:40:162022-12-31 15:40:16BOARDMAN BOUNCES BACK
BOARDMAN, OH- The Quakers finish their 2022 season with a win against Boardman in a 43-28 contest to move them to 10-1 on the season.
The Spartans really struggled in the first half to find their offensive rhythm against the Quaker’s defense by only mustering 7 points. Boardman’s defense kept them in the game in the first half by limiting the high-scoring Quakers to 15 points. In the second half, both teams found some consistency at the offensive end with Salem outscoring the Spartans 28-21 in that half to reach the final margin.
For the Quakers, Rylee Hutton had game-high 15 points while Abbie Davidson added 9 points and 3 assists and Kami Rohm had 8 points and 8 boards. The Quakers also had contributions from Kaylee Carlisle (5), Lauryn Barton (4), and Zoie Reid (2).
Leading Boardman in scoring was Mackenzie Riccitelli who again scored in double digits with 10 points. Riccitelli also led the team in steals with 4. Cami Goske added 7 points, while Gia Triveri chipped in with 6. Reagan Smith hit a three-pointer for her 3 points and Ava Freeborough rounded out the scoring with 2. Bella Martin was the team’s leading rebounder with 6 boards. Ally Fleming, Sarah Bero, Faith Walston, Mary Catherine Werth, and Sam Duble provided valuable minutes and defensive pressure.
The girls get a chance to get back on the winning track with a quick turnaround game at Tallmadge.
The Quakers will open the 2023 year hosting Alliance on January 4th.
BOARDMAN, OH- Lady Spartan standout Mackenzie Riccitelli has chalked up her second Baird Brothers Big Dog of the Valley title in her career.
Riccitelli broke away from the crowd with over 25,000 votes in the Week 2 contest and now becomes eligible for the Big Dog of the Year at the season’s end.
Mackenzie and her teammates have the Lady Spartans off to a 5-3 start to the year and look to return the program to its championship roots.
Congratulations to Mackenzie and her family, friends, and fans for this achievement, and good luck throughout the rest of the season.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/MVS_3285-scaled-e1669743084121.jpg10301816YSN Staffhttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngYSN Staff2022-12-27 17:16:222022-12-27 17:16:22RICCITELLI GETS IT DONE AGAIN; TAKES BIG DOG VICTORY
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.
Sam Severn: 3 PTS.
Kara Pirone: 3 PTS.
Rachel Spalding: 2 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Boardman 11 – 6 Fitch
Q2: Boardman 7 – 11 Fitch.
Q3: Boardman 12 – 12 Fitch
Q4: Boardman 17 – 8 Fitch
Final: Boardman 47 – 38 Fitch
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/D7BCB8E8-744E-413E-A71D-C8BD591488B2.jpeg486847Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-22 20:35:232022-12-22 20:35:23BOARDMAN KEEPS PACE IN THE AAC
