Girls basketball: Former Cloverleaf assistant beats Colts as Springfield coach

WESTFIELD TWP. — High-octane Springfield girls basketball coach Lance Price exited the visiting locker room at Cloverleaf drenched in sweat Friday, but his smile was wider than nearby U.S. Route 224. The night was full of emotions as Price faced off against two of his best friends, Cloverleaf coach John Carmigiano and assistant Jeff Patterson, for the first time. The three spent 15 years coaching the Colts together, sharing memories, wins, losses and countless laughs before Price decided to coach son Kellen at the middle school for two years before taking the Spartans head job. Springfield nearly had an epic fourth-quarter meltdown but made two big-time shots in the final minute to preserve a 46-36 Metro Athletic Conference victory that was a three-point game with 1:04 to play. The Spartans (5-6, 4-3) are one win from matching their 2022-23 total with the Lafayette Township native in charge. "It's such a fixed feeling because this team and this community has really accepted me," Price said while fighting back a tear. "Knowing what was across from me, somebody I spent all those years with, the two of them, they mean the world to me. "I know they're not happy, but I know they're happy for me. I think it's mixed on both sides." The feeling certainly was mutual. "It was definitely odd to have him on the other side of the court," Carmigiano said. "We know he likes to yell and scream, and usually it's for our team. "They really work harder than anybody we've faced so far this year. That's a testament to his passion and emotion." The Colts (4-6, 2-5) were lethargic in the opening half, falling behind 21-6 against their scrappy foe. A banked buzzer-beater by Emma Hibler gave them life heading into the fourth quarter, when they cut the score to 37-32 before Springfield went back ahead by 12. A last-ditch Cloverleaf push behind great defense and offensive rebounding got to 39-36 on a Saige Foky bucket with 1:04 to go. Undeterred, the Spartans' Kendall Wilderman buried a gutsy 3-pointer from the corner instead of burning clock, then teammate Rhian Kendall followed with a three-point play to seal the deal. "It's effort," Price said. "They are giving me everything they have. We're Springfield. We're not supposed to be here, right? But they're playing hard and doing everything I've ever asked. "We may not be the cleanest team, but we're going to scrap, we're going to claw and we're going to fight. We're going to pull it out somehow, some way." The Colts shot 13-for-55 from the floor (.236), 2-for-16 from 3-point range (.125) and a ghastly 8-for-22 from the foul line (.364), including 4-for-17 through three quarters. Springfield was a whole lot better at 18-for-45 (.400), 3-for-10 and 7-for-10 but committed 10 fourth-quarter turnovers. Hibler led Cloverleaf with all 15 of her points in a chippy second half. Evie Barth finally got the Colts on the board 4:28 into the night and added nine points, while Kayla Shook had a productive non-scoring game with nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Springfield got 15 points from Winderman, 12 from Kendall (8 in the fourth quarter) and eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals from Cleveland State softball recruit Destiny Ruggiero. The Spartans' 7-for-12 shooting start ultimately allowed them to preserve a 14-5 lead after one quarter. It also preserved a memorable victory for Price. "Springfield was more composed than us," Carmigiano said. "They definitely shot the ball a lot better than we did." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Springfield 46, Cloverleaf 36 SPRINGFIELD &emsp;&emsp;14 9 5 18 — 46 CLOVERLEAF &emsp;&emsp;5 7 12 12 — 36 Springfield — Sydney Hillyard 3-0-7, Kayla Gaspar 1-0-2, Destiny Ruggiero 3-2-8, Rhian Kendall 5-2-12, Kendall Wilderman 5-3-15, Taylor Holmes 0-0-0, Grace Frient 1-0-2. TOTALS: 18-7-46. Cloverleaf — Emma Hibler 5-3-15, Mackenzie Seiwerth 1-0-2, Kayla Shook 0-1-1, Saige Foky 3-1-7, Evie Barth 4-1-9, Merrin Crow 0-2-2, Karoline Kreider 0-0-0, Madi Young 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-8-36. 3-point goals — Wilderman 2, Hillyard, Hibler 2. Rebounds — Springfield 32 (Ruggiero 10), Cloverleaf 32 (Shook 9). Assists — Springfield 7 (Wilderman 3), Cloverleaf 5 (Foky, Shook 2). Records — Springfield (5-6, 4-3), Cloverleaf (4-6, 2-5). Junior varsity — Cloverleaf 16, Springfield 13 (2 quarters).