Staff photo / Brian Yauger Boardman senior Ethan Andersen, right, and Brock Henne of Hoover battle to try and grab a rebound.

BOARDMAN — Going into Saturday’s game, Boardman boys basketball coach Pat Birch said the Spartan offense needed to take advantage of every opportunity if his team was going to walk out of the gym with a win.

In the end, missed opportunities early sank the Spartans as they lost 52-30 to North Canton Hoover in a Division I sectional bracket final.

“In the two games we played them, we averaged 31 points,” Birch said. “Their bigs defend well inside, they don’t make mistakes, and they don’t get out of position. We knew coming in that we were gonna have to take advantage of the opportunities when they were there.

“I think early in the game we had some pretty good chances that didn’t go, and that kind of set the tone for the night.”

That tone led to multiple stretches when the Spartans were held scoreless, including a 15-minute span between the first and third quarters when the only points Boardman registered were from the free throw line.

The Spartans were led on the scoresheet by junior Trey DePietro, who had 10 points. Cade Henne led Hoover with 19.

If there was a bright side to be had from the game, it was Boardman’s defense. The Spartans were able to rush Hoover’s offense, but weren’t able to score enough to keep the pressure on.

“We weren’t doing things bad defensively,” Birch said. “I felt like we were playing pretty good, we were speeding them up when we finally did score but we didn’t score consistently enough to keep our pressure on them.”

When looking back on a season, most people just remember the end. Birch emphasized in the locker room that this game doesn’t tarnish the season the Spartans had and the impact the senior class left on the program.

“I told them that this game doesn’t define who they are,” Birch said. “They had a successful year. One of the things that really sticks out when you talk to other coaches, is how hard the season has been for everyone. I feel like everyone feels like it’s just a success to get through the season.”

With how difficult the season has been for teams nationwide, Birch is grateful for the leadership of his upperclassmen.

“This group has been great,” he said. “They’ve never been down. They’ve shown leadership. They showed a lot of unselfishness. Guys that probably sacrificed their role which isn’t easy for a kid to understand, but they took it in stride ,and they were really good leaders, and I really really appreciate that.”

Boardman wraps up its season at 15-6 and graduates a class of six, including D.J. Evans and Ethan Andersen.

“Big E is gonna be really hard to replace,” Birch said. “Ethan’s been the centerpiece for us for three seasons. Kid’s never lost a league game. He’s been the anchor and you just don’t replace a kid like that. I’m gonna miss them, but that’s high school sports.”

Hoover advances to the district round where it will host Green on Wednesday.