GIRLS BASKETBALL Mroski hits mark, but Salem snaps Hubbard's streak

The Eagles' senior passed the 1,000 career point plateau in the loss.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- Quietly and methodically, the Salem High girls basketball team is staking a claim to being one of the best Division II squads in the Mahoning Valley.
Saturday, the Quakers (7-1, 1-0 Metro Athletic Conference) raised a ruckus at the Eagles' Nest, snapping Hubbard's eight-game winning streak with a 50-40 triumph.
Salem's victory spoiled the celebration for Hubbard senior Katy Jo Mroski, who scored her 1,000th career point with her second first-quarter basket. Mroski made one more basket plus six free throws for 12 points and 1,008 in her career.
Stepping up
Salem senior Tiffanie Heestand netted her first seven attempts for 14 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the Quakers to their seventh-consecutive triumph.
"This is a pretty good feeling," Heestand said, "because this is one of the best teams we're going to see. It pumped us up knowing we were ahead the whole game."
Struggling on offense with just 22 points on the season, Heestand said she was amazed at how well she was playing "because in warm-ups I was missing."
Salem coach Steve Stewart admitted Heestand hasn't been playing well on offense but noted that she averaged in double figures last season.
"Obviously, she can score," Stewart said. "Today, I thought she was explosive [going] to the hole. We need her to do that. She always gets matched on the key defensive player, but we need her exploding to the basket because she's so quick on the first step."
Jami Duvall led Trumbull Athletic Conference-leading Hubbard (8-2, 7-0) with 15 points.
Pulling away
The Quakers broke open a tight game with a 15-6 run in the second quarter that led to a 26-17 halftime advantage.
"This was a huge game for us," said Stewart, citing seeding implications for the Div. II tournament at Fitch. "I expect both of these teams to be in the thick of things for the tournament draw and if we're weighted fairly even, you're going to look at a head-to-head matchup.
"More important for us is that we needed to play a good game," said Stewart, referring to last week's 25-21 win over MAC rival Canfield. "Twenty-five points had us a little distressed -- to put 26 on at halftime had us feeling a little better."
The Eagles wouldn't get closer than eight points in the second half.
"We were very impatient offensively," Hubbard coach Dave Konczal said. "Salem did a nice job of jamming everything up in the paint, and we were to quick to try to take the first pass or the first shot.
"We didn't reverse the ball and we didn't swing the ball around -- we didn't make them play defense for any period of time," Konczal said. "We were content to shoot the ball and pass the ball too quickly.
"Defensively, we did a good job -- 50 points should be [good] enough to win," Konczal said.
Salem juniors Alyson Cotter and Lauren Teal scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Milestone
Mroski joins Kacie Coonce (1,140) and Brian Conklin (1,180) as the only athletes in Hubbard High history to achieve the 1,000 milestone.
"A lot of things go into scoring 1,000 points," Konczal said. "One, you have to be blessed and a talented player.
"Secondly, you have to play with good players who can get you the ball, especially when you're the post. It's not like [she's] a guard who can dribble down and shoot it.
"Thirdly, you have to be injury free and Katy hasn't missed a game in four years," Konczal said. "Although they announce an individual's name, I think it's a team honor because there are a lot of Jami, Anna [DeJulio] and Lynle [Cornell] assists in those 1,000 points."
williams@vindy.com