Staff photo / Greg Macafee Austintown Fitch’s Rachel Spalding drives to the basket during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s matchup against Boardman.

BOARDMAN — Austintown Fitch got some payback when it visited Boardman on Wednesday in an All-American Conference rematch.

The Spartans (10-7) earned a nine-point win in their first meeting on Dec. 21st. But, the Falcons returned the favor with a 58-51 triumph this time around.

Three players scored in double-figures for Fitch, including senior Zayda Creque, who tallied 15 points.

“Last time we played Boardman, we, unfortunately, lost,” Creque said. “It feels great to get the win, especially in conference.

“It was a hard-fought game the first time we played. We couldn’t close it out. We practiced on closing out games. I think it really paid off.”

Boardman led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter, but the Spartans scored just five points in the second quarter and trailed 28-19 at halftime.

“It’s never a good thing to lose to a conference opponent,” said Boardman junior Mackenzie Riccitelli, who finished with a game-high 25 points. “We really wanted this one. I don’t think Fitch could’ve played any better. They played great.

“We had a few adjustments that we made a little too late. We had a five-point second quarter. That just can’t happen. Now, we’re getting ready for Canfield on Saturday.”

Fitch built a 44-29 lead heading to the fourth quarter, and pushed it to 50-31 before the Spartans came back.

“I’m proud of the girls for coming back,” Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton said. “They cut a 19-point lead down to seven in the fourth quarter. I take the blame for not having them cover the high post. That made it easy for Fitch. Plus, they shot the ball really well.

“We were 4-for-21 from 3-point range. Fitch made double that, and that was the difference right there.”

Senior Reagan Smith banked in a 3-pointer, and Faith Walston got a shooter’s roll from the corner during Boardman’s comeback, but it wasn’t enough.

Jocelyn Jourdan (9 points) had a big-time blocked shot. Destanie McCullough (10 points) used a nice dribble move in the lane to score, and Creque found Ayla Ray (team-high 16 points) down low as the Falcons hung on.

“We fought hard,” said Ray. “We built a good lead. They came back a little bit. But, we continued to fight, and we were able to pull out the win. We’ve been playing tough against good teams.”

First-year Falcons (9-9) coach Natalie Lynn was happy to come away with the victory, and she’s looking to get the girls ready for the tournament.

“We were able to shut everybody besides Riccitelli down tonight,” she said. “We clogged up the middle. We’re a different team than we were in the first half of the season. We played a rough schedule early to prepare us for tournament time. If we wouldn’t have played some of the teams we’ve played, we never would’ve won this game tonight.

“Our next three games are going to be tough. It’s almost like the beginning of the season again. We can’t take any steps backward. Hopefully, they prepare us for the first game of the tournament.”