GIRLS BASKETBALL Hubbard survives triple-overtime fright

Eighty-two free throws were attempted by the Eagles and Champion.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Following the second overtime, Hubbard High girls basketball coach Dave Konczal turned to assistant coach Ron DeJulio and reflected on the amazing game in progress.
"You know," Konczal said. "This is kind of fun."
Especially when you win.
In the third meeting between Trumbull Athletic Conference teams, third-seeded Hubbard outlasted Champion in three overtimes, 69-60, in a Division II sectional final at Fitch High.
"All I can say is 'Wow,' " Champion coach Jeff Thompson said.
Rare numbers
Take a deep breath and relax. That's what Konczal and Thompson certainly did following a game that included 58 fouls, 82 free throws and six players who fouled out.
"It kind of became a battle of the benches," Konczal said. "Who ever expects a sectional championship game to become a battle of the benches? You expect it to be won by your stars and your seniors and people who play all the time."
That wasn't exactly the case this time. The Eagles (16-5) were able to prevail despite senior standout Lynle Cornell, who scored a team-high 20 points, fouling out in the first overtime.
Bench to the rescue
Instead, it was players such as Tressa Scahill, Callie Oyler and Sheila Drummond who contributed down the stretch.
"We've played seven kids all year. We're not very deep," Konczal said. "We just had a bunch of kids make plays that didn't get the opportunity to play much all year."
But in one of the most pressure-packed situations, lesser-known players came through for the Eagles, who will face Liberty in Thursday's district semifinal at Fitch.
Scahill, just a freshman, made a jumper with 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime to tie the score at 57-all and force another session.
"She's probably played six minutes all year," Konczal marveled.
Hubbard's victory was more impressive if you consider the circumstances. The Eagles fell behind by 15 points (21-6) early in the second quarter before climbing back and taking their first lead early in the fourth.
That's when the game really got fun.
"There's no 10-point shot. We just had to take it two points at a time, one basket at a time," Konczal said. "You just have to keep playing and keep battling and hopefully things will turn your way."
Missed opportunities
The game went to overtime when Cornell missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation. Champion senior Jessica Carpenter couldn't get a clean shot off to end the first overtime, and Hubbard senior Loni Sargent just missed a running shot at the second-overtime buzzer.
"It just came down to -- for both teams -- the ball bouncing the right way at the right time," said Thompson, whose team was led by Carpenter's 22 points, freshman Elizabeth Ghindia's 12 and junior Jessica Wood's 11.
Sargent had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Hubbard while making 9-of-13 free throws, many in clutch situations late in the game.
Junior Danielle DeJulio added 10 points and junior Shari Bullock 16 rebounds for the Eagles, who pulled away in the third overtime to complete a season sweep of the Golden Flashes (8-13).
richesson@vindy.com