Boardman defeated Cardinal Mooney, 61-43, last Friday night, as Spartan senior Holden Lipke notched 27 points. His output placed him at exactly 1000 points during his prep, hoop career.
      “I couldn’t be more proud of Holden’s accomplishment. He has gotten better each season and has really been consistent for us the past two years. We know each night what Holden will bring for our team. Reaching the 1,000 point milestone is not an easy accomplishment, Credit goes to Holden’s ability and consistency, along with his teammates of the past four years for helping contribute, whether it’s a pass or a screen to get him open, a lot of guys contributed along the way.
      “As a coach, I have been fortunate to have a player like Holden, who I have been able to rely on for the past four seasons,” Boardman Head Coach Pat Birch said.
      As Lipke scored his 1000 point on a layup, tempers flared when Mooney’s top scorer in the game, Pete Haas, appeared to shove Boardman’s Dom Stilliana. Haas and teammate Terrell Brown were benched for what was left in the contest, as was Stilliana.
      It wasn’t the only conflagration as tempers reportedly flared between some parents and students outside of gym after the game.
      If that wasn’t enough for the night, Boardman’s Ryan Archey reportedly quit the team, walking off the bench while the game was in play.
      Asked if Archey quit, Coach Birch replied, “Unfortunately, yes he did. I have not spoken with him since he left our game the other night. No official reason why.”
      Mooney came out of the gates strong and built a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
      But the Cards couldn’t sustain their momentum, as Boardman limited Mooney to just two points in the second quarter and the Spartans held a 28-22 lead at the half.
      The third quarter wasn’t much better for Mooney, as they managed just eight points in the stanza.
      Lipke ended his ‘1000-point night’ with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Behind him was a strong team effort as Derrick Anderson contributed 9 points, Cam Kreps posted 6 points and snared 5 rebounds. Mike Melewski added 5 points and 4 assists. JaJuantae Young, Che Trevena and Ryan Archey each chipped-in with 4 points. Connor Miller rounded-off the scoring with 2 points.
      Mooney, now 4-10, was led by Haas’s 17 points. The Cards played the final three quarters of the game without starter Vinny Gentile, who left the contest late in the first priod with a leg injury.
      Rounding out the scoring for Mooney were Tony Fire, 9 points; Brown with 8 markers, Johnnie Mikos, 3 points, and Brandon Mikos and John Murphy, 2 points each.
      Boardman is now 7-11 on the season, coming off a 20-5 log a season ago.
      With their record, the Spartans have received a #13 seed in upcoming tournament competition and open play against Wooster on Feb. 27.
      “While I was a little disappointed in the seeding, I thought we would be a few spots higher, we have no one to blame because we were not able to win some close games which would have affected our positioning. Traveling to Wooster is not ideal, however I like our chances against any team. As long as we play hard and unselfish, we will compete with anyone in the district,” Coach Birch said.
      “As we have seen all year, we are capable of playing at a very high level. Our goal over the next two weeks is to be more consistent and be prepared to make a postseason run,” he added.