GIRLS BASKETBALL Hubbard rallies to top Salem for fifth win

The Eagles dealt the Quakers their third loss in nine games, 63-55.
By GARY HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SALEM -- In what might turn out to be a pivotal non-conference match-up when it comes to selecting tournament seeds, the Hubbard High girls basketball team rallied Wednesday to defeat Salem, 63-55.
The Eagles (5-2) and Quakers (6-3) could meet again in the Division II tournament at Fitch High School.
"Our league is always foremost important, but I think non-conference-wise this is a game for seeding in the tournament," Hubbard coach Dave Konczal said. "To get support from the other [Metro Athletic Conference] schools you'd have to beat the MAC schools."
The Eagles used their stingy defense in the second half to hold the Quakers to six points in the third quarter.
Salem's Alyson Cotter and Abby Markovich combined to score 25 of Salem's first-half points, as the Quakers opened up a 35-31 lead. Tiffanie Heestand added seven.
With 5:23 remaining in the second quarter, the Quakers had a nine-point bulge (26-17).
Tactics: "We were in man and zone the first half and obviously that wasn't working," said Konczal. "Cotter and Markovich were just ripping us to shreds."
"So we came out with a triangle-and-two on Cotter and Markovich, and I think we did a much better job, especially in the third quarter," Konczal said.
Cotter, despite the added attention from the Hubbard defense, led Salem in scoring with 20 points, hitting four three-pointers. She had a career-high 16 rebounds as well while Markovich was shut out in the second half.
Hubbard's Katy Jo Mroski led the third-quarter surge by scoring 11 of her team's 18 points.
"At halftime, we had 31 points on offense on the road which is really good, but we were letting them score just as much as us," Mroski said.
Scoring run: Trailing for the last time at 39-37 at the 4:01 mark of the third quarter, the Eagles soared on a 12-0 run.
The Eagles, who made just three foul shots in the first half, made a living at the line in the second half and finished 13 of 23.
Mroski led all scorers with 22 points. She even hit a long-range three and had 14 rebounds.
"On their end of the floor, it seemed like we gave them way too many offensive put-backs so those hurt us a great deal," Salem coach Steve Stewart said. "And we put them on the foul line too much."
"On the other end of the floor, they took out Alyson and Abby on us and as a result of that, we needed to get some other scoring going," Stewart said.
"We need to get some of our other people to have some confidence and step right up and shoot the ball," Stewart said.