BOARDMAN — The Poland Bulldogs made the short trip down 224 to tangle with the Boardman Spartans on Friday for a boys basketball showdown.

The undefeated Spartans stood tall in a defensive duel, 49-36, staving off a Poland comeback that tied the game.

Boardman (6-0) led 13-5 after one quarter behind six points from senior Derrick Anderson and a pair from downtown by Charlie Davis and Ethan Anderson.

Derrick Anderson was the player of the year last season as a junior in the All-American Conference. He finished with a game-high 23 points.

“I think we just capped off 2019 in a really good way,” Boardman coach Pat Birch said. “Poland is a very well-coached team. They threw a great game plan at us. We struggled for a while to crack that. We have to be ready for everyone’s best shot.”

Poland outscored the Spartans, 9-8, in the second and trailed 21-14 at halftime. Adam Kassem hit a 3 and scored five of his 10 points in the quarter to pace Poland. Daeone Martin tallied six of the eight Spartan points.

The Bulldogs put on a strong showing coming out of the break. Michael Cougras nailed a 3 from the corner, and Poland trailed 23-21. Derrick Anderson was a presence down low for Boardman, but Zach Kassem completed an and-one for Poland. Cougras followed with another 3 and the game was tied at 29.

Then, in a wild series of events, each team made a big defensive stop. Poland’s Andrew Centofanti stole the ball and raced to the hoop for the go-ahead lay-in. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Boardman’s Zach Ryan didn’t give up on the play and followed with a huge block from behind, swatting the ball out of bounds.

The game stayed tight until midway through the fourth quarter. Adam Kassem drilled another one from long distance and Cougras had a big block for the Bulldogs as the score was 35-34 Spartans, with just over 4 minutes to play.

“My kids busted their tail,” Poland coach Ken Grisdale said. “They put themselves in position. We had a chance to take the lead a couple times toward the end of the third and fourth quarter. The ball just wouldn’t fall. I think Boardman is the best team in our area. By putting the clamps on them, and changing the way they play, and putting ourselves in a position to take the lead in the end, I’m very pleased with our effort. Our goal is to get better everyday.”

Boardman senior Tommy Fryda helped the Spartans pull away late by nailing back-to-back buckets from behind the arc. Fryda followed by drawing a charge on defense, and the momentum was in the Spartans’ favor.

“We needed to get something going right then,” Fryda said. “My teammates really helped me, and I give them all the credit. This is a long season and we have big goals. This was one of the first steps as we move on.”

Poland couldn’t buy a basket down the stretch, and Derrick Anderson poured in seven free throws in the closing minutes to seal the victory.