Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. Boardman junior Sarah Bero drives and scores during the second half on Monday vs. JFK. A strong second half in the post led to 16 points for Bero.

BOARDMAN — With the OHSAA girls basketball tournament looming just over a fortnight away, the time for local teams to focus on details is now. That became the case for Boardman, who used a high octane offense to cruise past Warren JFK 62-47 on senior night.

All three Spartan seniors reached double figures in scoring — with Sam Duble scoring 16 points, alongside fellow seniors M.C. Werth, who had 15, and Mackenzie Riccitelli, who had 10. Junior Sarah Bero added to the mix with 16 points.

“It’s how we were scoring the ball. It wasn’t just one person. We moved the ball. Duble would hit a three, Werth would hit a three, (and) Sarah would get a rebound inside. Mackenzie would hit a shot, Ava (Freeborough) would get us into things,” Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton said. “It helps when everybody is scoring, four girls in double figures — when we do that we’re going to be a very tough team to beat.

“It was a game where both teams were scoring the ball, and I don’t know if it was our defense, or if they were just that good. So we were trying to get stops. It was one of those games where both teams were feeling pretty good on the offensive end, and it was nice to see.”

Following the senior day pomp and circumstance, Kennedy had celebrations in order as well. Within the first minutes of the contest, Eagles senior Ava Darney lined up and made a three-pointer on the left side of the arc to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. She came into Monday night only needing two points to achieve the goal.

“It’s been a goal of mine since freshman year, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and my teammates. I just couldn’t be happier. It’s a big accomplishment and I’m proud of it,” Darney said. “(Worked) in the offseason, working on my three and being able to get that down a little bit more. Then my teammates trusted me and let me shoot those shots to get it. It’s always been in the back of my mind. Am I going to get it? Of course team first, but now that I got it, I can just play and enjoy my senior season.”

Boardman (16-5) led 18-15 following a high scoring first quarter, notably with help from Werth who netted three triples early on to help her team build its edge. All 15 of her points came by way of the three.

“I’ve always struggled with my confidence when it comes to shooting. Recently my coaches have been just busting my back trying to get me to shoot, so today I saw the first one go in and I’m like, you know what, it’s my senior night, I’m going to let them fly,” Werth said. “When you’re sped up, you don’t think, you just play. After playing in so many close, tough games, we’re just kind of used to it and able to remain calm in those high-intense situations.”

After suffering a broken hand back in January, Werth now has a majority of her left hand in a black cast, an adjustment that the senior has had to make.

“It was a little awkward for a little bit. But in my first game back, I probably drained two threes. Since I broke my hand, everyone has told me I’ve probably played better with it,” Werth said with a laugh.

Kennedy (13-5) retook the lead early in the second at 20-18, following a successful and-1 conversion from junior Addy Odille. But a Bero make in the post quickly knotted the contest back up. The Eagles took their final lead of the night following a drive by freshman Didi Ryan, who made a few crafty steals to earn some buckets in transition, but Boardman managed to piece together a 25-24 edge at halftime following a bucket off the hands of Riccitelli.

Duble began the third quarter with a three in front of the Spartans bench. Bero also became an x-factor in the post, scoring seven points in the third quarter to help Boardman build a lead.

“This is what we wanted to do for our seniors, and it’s satisfying to give them a win,” Bero said. “Sometimes, I struggle finishing, but tonight it was all for the seniors and I felt that it needed to go in for them. This was their game. It’s a great feeling when everybody is scoring and hitting their shots, and everybody is playing good defense. That’s how we win games, everybody is a part of it.”

Darney paced Kennedy with a game-high 17 points. Ryan scored 10, and sophomore Gianna Pompelia added eight.

Now that the postseason is within sight, games like Monday evening’s contest are the type that helps teams find their groove prior to the dance. Kennedy coach Marc Morgan saw an inspired effort despite the loss.

“We can score, but when someone is hitting threes back-to-back-to-back, it makes it kind of tough. We did a good job on Mackenzie, keeping her at bay a little bit. I thought we accounted for the people we needed to account for and match them, but I can account for the stuff they made outside of it,” Morgan said. “It’s the nature of the beast, they’re playing their schedule, it’s better than ours so they’ve been in that dog fight every night where they’re playing that type of game.

“We needed that game. That’s a game I love — the way we played, our intensity, our defense, I couldn’t be happier. Obviously after a loss, you’re )think) it’s terrible, but it’s not. I thought we played above our level today and we need to carry that forward.”