Staff photo / Preston Byers Cardinal Mooney’s Grayson Dubos (1) attempts a field goal between a group of Boardman defenders during the Cardinals’ win Friday in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — Basketball is a game of runs, they say, and few games showcased that better than Friday’s clash between Cardinal Mooney and Boardman.

The Cardinals made their run first, and despite sluggish stretches in between, made the final run and finished strong to earn a 56-50 home win.

“Just a great team win,” Mooney head coach Carey Palermo said. “I’m proud of all of our players, our whole program. It was a great program win. … We needed a win where things were tough, maybe where we deliver a blow like we did in the first quarter and maybe the second quarter, they punch back, which they did.”

While both teams came out with full-court presses, Mooney’s proved more effective early on, as the Spartans struggled to consistently get into their half-court offense thanks to the swarming Cardinals. Mooney forced numerous turnovers from Boardman, which managed to make only one field goal in the opening quarter. Meanwhile, Mooney’s offense flourished, five different scorers contributing to a 17-6 first-quarter lead.

The Spartans needed a spark to avoid being run out of the gymnasium, and Jayce Varley provided more than enough of one.

Varley scored seven straight points in a span of 90 seconds as part of a 9-0 Boardman run to start the second quarter, and after a Ford Stacy basket – Mooney’s only field goal of the quarter – the Spartans continued their run all the way to halftime. Having outscored the Cardinals 16-3 in the second, Boardman went to the break with a 22-20 lead.

“I thought we had good shots early; we just didn’t put them down. They hit their shots. And I think our defense was a little more effective [in the second]. We had seen on film that they struggled with zone a little bit in their first game, so we went to that,” Boardman coach Steve Flores said.

Both teams battled for control of the game in the second half, with the Spartans holding on to their advantage until just over the midway mark in the third quarter, when a Stacy triple put the Cardinals ahead again 30-28.

Before the end of the period, Mooney extended its lead to as much as six points, although a Varley jumper with 35 seconds remaining cut it to a 35-31 deficit. The shot by Varley was the only made Spartan field goal in the final 4:45 of the third quarter.

Much like Varley in the second, Boardman got a much-needed spark from Sam Moritz; coming off the bench, the sophomore guard scored seven unanswered points within the first 70 seconds of the fourth quarter to give Boardman a 38-35 lead. With baskets by Braiden Bulkley, the Spartans went ahead by five and appeared in good position to pull off their first win of the season.

However, Boardman went cold right when Mooney warmed up; after falling behind 43-38 with six minutes to go, the Cardinals held the Spartans scoreless for nearly three minutes, during which time Mooney scored nine points and established a 47-42 lead.

Although Varley and Vince Butto made shots down the stretch to keep them within striking distance, the Spartans weren’t left with enough time to mount a game-winning run.

“Whoever was going to make the toughness plays was going to win,” Palermo said. “Whoever can execute their offense down the stretch, who can get enough consistent stops and keep them off the glass, and I think when they went up five in the fourth quarter, I thought we did that.”

Varley finished with a game-high 19 points, while Jerry Smith added 10 of his own. For the Cardinals, Stacy led the way with 12 points. Dubos and Dante Turner each scored in double figures as well.

Mooney improved to 1-1 with the win. The Cardinals will remain at home for their next game, a Tuesday tilt with Niles.

Boardman (0-2) will remain on the road to play at Poland on Tuesday.