Staff photo / Dan Hiner McDonald’s Juliana Krumpak, center, has the ball ripped out of her hands by Springfield’s Mariana Tuscano, left, while Regan Rogenksi assists on a trap during the first quarter of a game at Springfield High School on Thursday.

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Over the course of a season, there are few nights that bring a community together like senior night.

Fans, parents, coaches and alike got a chance to spotlight four Springfield seniors – including three McDonald seniors – just before tip-off. And one senior Tiger took control on the way to a 42-35 win over the Blue Devils on Thursday.

The Blue Devils tried running a zone defense, hoping it would stop Springfield forward Jameka Brungard. It had its moments, but it couldn’t completely take her out of the game.

Brungard finished with a game-high 21 points, but the most important marks came in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers held a slim 32-29 lead going into the final quarter. Their defense helped create some turnovers, limiting the Blue Devils’ possessions while working methodically on offense.

Springfield’s players swung the ball around the 3-point line, using Brungard as a pivot point. This allowed her to choose when to pass back out or attack the rim, and it resulted in Brungard and fellow senior Mariana Tuscano scoring five points each to help put the game away.

“(Brungard’s) somebody we want to have wherever we can,” Springfield head coach John Matisi said. “But her handling pressure at the end, a couple big layups at the end, she’s someone we’ll always lean on.”

The Tigers (9-7, 6-1 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier) won their fourth straight game.

“You want to be playing your best ball going into the tournament, and we still have some big league games in front of us. But four in a row against some very good teams here, very encouraging, and another good win tonight,” Matisi said.

Springfield scored the first six points, but the Blue Devils started getting shots to fall in the final four minutes of the first quarter. A pair of free throws by Brungard put the Tigers ahead 12-10 with under two seconds to play in the opening frame.

The Tigers, again, scored the first six points to start the second quarter. But once again, the Blue Devils (10-7, 5-5 MVAC Scarlet) battled back. The Tigers held a 23-20 lead at halftime after a last-second 3-pointer by McDonald fell short.

McDonald was in good shape in the third, but three straight turnovers led to two Tiger baskets, extending Springfield’s lead to 32-24. However, the Blue Devils scored the final five points of the quarter to cut the deficit to 32-29.

However, turnovers and missed shots limited the Blue Devils’ offense in the fourth. They were held to four points in the quarter and were unable to put together a comeback.

Grace Callow led the Blue Devils with 16 points. Juliana Krumpak added nine points, and Cierra Shiley scored six.

Despite the loss, head coach Tyler Kilbourne was pleased with what he saw out of his Blue Devils. They limited Brungard impact on the game, and they worked their way into open shots, they just didn’t fall.

“I think it’s gonna be really important to see how we end the season,” Kilbourne said. “We kept saying we wanted to get one of the top three in the conference, whether it be (Mineral) Ridge, Springfield, (Western) Reserve. We only got one of those left, but when you play as hard as we did today, I’m still proud of ’em.”

Tuscano scored nine points for the Tigers, and Kendall Maughan chipped in eight more.

In addition to Brungard, the other Tiger seniors honored were Tuscano, Maughan and Karigan Mullen. Afterward, flowers and recognition were given to McDonald’s Olivia Colarich, Gianna Costantino and Callow.

“I’ve been playing with these girls since I was 7 or 8 years old. We used to play at the (YMCA) in little rec leagues,” Brungard said. “So to have this special moment, it really meant a lot.”