After flying high against the Boardman Spartans last Friday, the Austintown-Fitch Falcons came back down to earth. Austintown-Fitch took a 49-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers on Tuesday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Austintown-Fitch came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Tigers are ranked 312th).
Austintown-Fitch lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Allen Hill jr, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds. Marcel Finkley was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with three steals.
It was another big night for Alex Henry, who scored 17 points along with five assists and two steals for Howland. Another player making a difference was John Perry, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Austintown-Fitch's defeat dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Howland, their victory bumped their record up to 8-9.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Austintown-Fitch will take on the Fighting Irish at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ursuline is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games. As for Howland, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Spartans at 7:00 p.m. Boardman is no doubt hoping to put an end to a six-game streak of away losses.
