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Published: Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Canfield pulls out 49-41 win over Spartans

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CANFIELD — It took Canfield nearly three quarters to get the lead, but the Cardinals didn't let it go once they had it.

The Cardinals (2-1) shook off a miserable first half and rallied in the final 14 minutes to post a 49-41 victory over Boardman Tuesday night.

Canfield made only 2-of-14 field goal attempts in the first quarter and turned the ball over six times and trailed 29-21 at halftime.

But the Cardinals came out the second half and took its first lead with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter and then dominated the rest of the way to post the victory.

"We were pretty awful in that first half," said Canfield head coach John Cullen. "But we played better in the second half."

Leading the way

The Cardinals put three players in double figures led by senior Joe Carbon with 13, while senior Sean Baker and senior Pat Bellish each added 10 points.

"Baker and Bellish are starting to round into shape after football season, while Carbon is trying to shake off an early injury," Cullen added.

Canfield made just 12-of-36 shots from the field in the first three quarters, but shot 50 percent in the final quarter and made 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch after making just 7-of-14 in the first three quarters.

Struggled in third quarter

The Spartans (0-4) played well in the first half, but committed eight turnovers in the third quarter which led to their downfall.

"It's been our problem all year," said Boardman coach Jared Cardillo. "We just haven't played with any consistency this year.

"Give Canfield credit, they did what they had to do to win the game," he added. "John Cullen does a fine job and anytime you come here you had better be ready to play."

The Spartans were led by junior Nick Asimakopoulas, who tossed in 15 points, including three 3-point goals.

Canfield made the game's first basket, a jump shot by Baker with 7:10 left in the quarter, but didn't score another field goal until four seconds remained when Carbon scored.

Boardman, which jumped out to an 8-3 lead, couldn't take advantage of the Cardinals poor shooting and led only 13-7 after one period.

Eric Johnson's three-point play and a basket by Asimakopoulas put the Spartans up 18-7 early in the second quarter, but Canfield, behind six points from Carbon and a 3-point shot by Matt Keating closed the gap to 23-17.

Canfield had the margin back to six points, 27-21, when Dan Kubala rebounded and scored just before the buzzer to give Boardman a 29-21 halftime advantage.

Baker gets rally going

Baker got hot in the third quarter, scoring six points, including back-to-back buckets that tied the contest at 34 with 1:50 remaining. Carbon scored with 50 seconds left to give the Cardinals their first lead.

Baker opened the final quarter with a jumper and the Cardinals outscored the Spartans 8-1 in the first four minutes to build a 43-35 lead.

The closest the Spartans could come was 45-39 on a pair of free throws by Asimakopoulas with 3:43 remaining as the Cardinals slowly pulled away in the final minutes.

"We're still not a very good basketball team, but we're getting better and that's what important," added Cullen.

mollica@vindy.com

Wednesday, December 13, 2006