MIDLAND, PA. Blackhawk rebounds to snap Canfield's streak

The Cardinals were ahead by nine points when the Cougars rallied for a one-point win.
By JOHN BUTERA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MIDLAND, Pa. -- Just when it appeared that the Canfield High girls basketball team would stretch its unbeaten streak to seven games, Murphy's Law kicked in.
Leading by nine with 5 minutes, 10 seconds to play Saturday at Midland High School, Canfield was struck by disaster as Blackhawk pulled off an improbable comeback for a 44-43 win.
The defeat was only Canfield's second since Jan. 31. The other came in the Ohio Division II state championship game last March 17.
"We think we have a really good team, but we're still new to each other and it showed that we needed to take care of the ball a little better in the last five minutes," Canfield coach Pat Pavlansky said. "Obviously, we hate to lose, but I think we'll learn some things from this."
Trailing 27-16 at halftime, the Cardinals soared in the third quarter behind the scoring of senior guard Erin Martin. Martin, who scored 20 points and was named the game's Most Valuable Player, scored 13 in the turnaround as Canfield outgunned the Cougars 19-3 for a 35-30 lead.
Nine-point lead: When junior forward Jill Vertanen scored back-to-back baskets, Canfield had a nine-point margin with 5:22 to go.
In the third quarter, Blackhawk made just one of 11 shots, while Canfield hit for seven of 11.
A buzzer-beater by Martin capped Canfield's 10-0 run.
Canfield's unraveling began when the Cardinals (6-1) chose a poor shot on one trip, then turned the ball over on the next three possessions.
"When we had the lead late in the game, I think we got too excited and didn't focus on what we needed to do," Martin said.
The Cards also were penalized for stepping into the free-throw line during a Blackhawk miss, giving the Cougars another shot. Alison Cananzi converted on her second chance.
The Cougars (6-1) made only two baskets the rest of the way. It was their work at the free-throw line that made the difference. Blackhawk connected on 10 of 16 free throws in the final 5:08.
Reversal: As Blackhawk surged, the Cardinals missed a layup and committed two turnovers as Blackhawk moved ahead, 44-41, with 2:11 to go.
Canfield's bad luck continued with a missed one-and-one free throw.
At the end, the Cards missed two inside shots.
Of Martin's MVP honor, Pavlansky said, "That doesn't happen too often with a losing player, but she was the best player on the court."
Canfield trailed 25-10 in the first half as the Cougars went on a 12-3 run. Junior Kelly Williams' 3-pointer was Canfield's only score during that stretch. Baskets by sophomore Corey Hoffman and senior Nicole Vlajkovich cut the Blackhawk lead to 27-16 at halftime. Dani Hamilton led the Cougars with 14 points.
Vertanen netted 12 for Canfield.