The Howland Tigers fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Austintown-Fitch Falcons on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 54-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Falcons. Howland's defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Howland lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Mia Barrish, who scored 11 points. Alyssa Massucci was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Austintown-Fitch was led to victory by Rachel Spalding and Ayla Ray. Spalding scored 17 points along with two steals, while Ray almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ray has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kylie Folkwein, who scored seven points.
Howland's defeat dropped their record down to 13-5. As for Austintown-Fitch, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-6.
Howland will be playing in front of their home fans against the Spartans at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Ohio (Boardman is ranked 49th, while the Tigers are ranked 63rd). Austintown-Fitch is on the road again on Saturday and plays the Warriors at 1:15 p.m. on February 3rd. West Branch will be looking to keep their three-game home win streak alive.
