NEW MIDDLETOWN Poland rallies to beat Springfield

The Bulldogs hit key free throws down the stretch to key the victory.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Jamie Dunn scored seven of his game-high 17 points in the final quarter and the Poland High boys basketball team overcame an early six-point deficit to defeat host Springfield 55-48 Friday.
"You got your money's worth if you stuck around tonight," Poland coach Ken Grisdale said. "This has become one of the biggest basketball rivalries in the area.
"Our game tonight featured two teams getting after each other at both ends of the court," he said. "Great defense and turnovers played a big part in this game."
David Rispinto and James Mash each had two 3-point goals for the Tigers (1-1) in the opening period as they sprinted to a 16-11 lead. They increased their lead to 24-18 at the 3:19 mark of the second period when Rispinto canned the last of three free throws.
Keeping it close: The Bulldogs (2-1), however, scored seven of the last 11 points of the quarter to trail just 28-25 at intermission.
"This was a very physical game for us, a game that will benefit us later in the season," Springfield coach Jeff Brink said. "They forced a couple of key turnovers in the fourth period and were able to get to the foul line, while we got in the paint but couldn't find our way to the free throw stripe. Our lack of execution down the stretch really cost us tonight."
A Mash layup just 1:04 into the second half increased the Tigers' lead to 32-25, and they led 39-35 with 2:18 remaining in the quarter on Daniel Schuler's three-point play.
But free throws by David McGarry and Jonathan Habuda, and a bucket by Chad Fender in the lane, rounded out the scoring. The score was knotted at 39 with one period remaining.
Hitting the free ones: The Bulldogs then canned 10-of-15 free throws in the final period, five by Dunn and four by Fender (who was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 14), while Fender's brother, Eric, added a bucket and a free throw to seal the Poland victory.
"Our only loss this season was to Beaver Falls in overtime and that was because we couldn't hit our free throws," Grisdale said. "We had a chance to win that game in regulation but could not put it away at the charity stripe. It was nice to see us hit some clutch free throws tonight when we really needed to."
The Bulldogs canned 17-of-36 (.472) field goal attempts, while the Tigers were 17-of-42 (.405). Each team hit five shots from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were 16-of-23 from the foul line, while the Tigers managed to connect on 9-of-14. The Tigers held a 33-23 advantage on the boards.
Schuler tied Dunn for game-high scoring laurels with 17. Rispinto added 11 for the Tigers, while Rispinto, Birch and James McLaughlin each hauled in five rebounds for Springfield.
Poland's Neil Harris had eight points and a game-high eight rebounds. Dunn had a game-high four assists.