Poland clinches fourth straight crown

The Bulldogs beat Salem to wrap up the MAC title.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SALEM -- His players managed a few high-fives, but Poland coach Ken Grisdale stayed glued in his chair, not even really taking the time to crack a smile.
A league title? Sure. Great.
It is great, right?
"I'm worn out," Grisdale said, cracking a slight smile. "I've been working too hard."
That's how it is in Bulldog country, where a fourth-straight Metro Athletic Conference title barely merits a smile, much less a celebration.
Not that Grisdale isn't happy. The previous three titles weren't necessarily expected, but they weren't shocking either.
This one -- which the Bulldogs clinched with a 79-60 victory over Salem on Tuesday -- was a surprise.
"At the beginning of the season, we really thought that Canfield would be first, followed by Howland," Grisdale said. "We thought we'd be somewhere in the middle. But we thought that with Chad [Fender], we'd have a chance until the others grew up."
Rebuilding year
Poland lost five seniors from last year's team, which lost in the regional final. The Bulldogs lost two of their first five games this season, and they didn't look good doing it.
"If you saw us in the first month, you might not have thought we'd win 10 games," Grisdale said.
But they didn't lose hope.
They had history. They had tradition. And they had the sort of blind optimism that only teenagers can have.
"We anticipated a championship," said junior Jim Shurilla.
Then they went out and grabbed it.
"I think a lot of it was because they believed they can win," Grisdale said. "I think a lot of times confidence is more important than ability."
Of course, ability helps. And Fender certainly has that. The junior guard had 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Salem.
He dished out five assists in the third quarter alone -- most of them to Shurilla, who stunned the Quakers with a 15-point outburst that turned a close game into a double-digit deficit.
Quaker's lapses
"We just had too many lapses on defense," Salem coach Jeff Brink said. "Shurilla made those three 3s in a row, but it was because of three mistakes we made defensively. To his credit, he took advantage."
Salem (7-12, 5-7) played tough early, taking a 10-3 lead in the opening minutes. But Poland answered with a 22-4 run and the Quakers never regained the lead. They got within three early in the third quarter, but Shurilla's hot hand and some good fourth-quarter free throw shooting broke the game open for Poland (14-3, 11-1).
"We've put in a lot of hard work," Shurilla said. "Even after we lost to Alliance, the coaches were always telling us to keep our heads up. There's always a game tomorrow."
May meet again
There may even be another one against Salem. If the Quakers beat Wilson, and Grisdale thinks they will, Salem will meet Poland in the sectional final.
"When I saw that, I said, 'Oh [no],' " Grisdale said.
Sure. Why not? Brink has transformed the Quakers into a team that scares people, and Grisdale knows his team is more vulnerable -- especially defensively -- than years past.
But that doesn't make this year's title any more special.
"They're all special," Grisdale said. "Just to win your league one in four years is a big accomplishment. To do it four times in a row is pretty impressive.
"I'm happy for all of them in a different way. I'm happy for this group and I'm happy for the groups that came before them that set the stage for what was to come."
scalzo@vindy.com