GIRLS DIVISION II Strong 3rd quarter helps lift Leopards past Poland, 49-39

Senior Brittny Humphrey led Liberty with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- They call it the mental factor.
Liberty High girls basketball coach John Hritz never really knows the type of team he'll see on a day-to-day basis.
But when the Leopards decide to be at their best, Hritz said, "We feel we can beat anyone on a given day."
After Saturday's Division II sectional final at Fitch High, in which Liberty ousted second-seeded Poland 49-39, Hritz can rest his case.
Measuring the magnitude
"This is big, especially for the seniors," said Liberty senior Brittny Humphrey, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
"Since my freshman year, we hadn't won two games in the tournament."
The Leopards (16-6) made it happen by giving a good effort at practice. That gave Hritz a good feeling about his team, which will now play Hubbard in a district semifinal on Thursday.
"We preached all week that we were quicker than they were, so let's use our quickness and let's play them man-to-man," Hritz said.
Hritz knew the Leopards had to contain Poland's shooters -- namely, senior Steffi Graf.
Graf got free several times in the first half to score 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give Poland (13-8) its first lead, 21-19.
But Poland coach Jamie Dunn sensed something that he didn't like.
"I could tell when they came in at halftime," he said. "They were not even excited."
Containing Graf
It didn't get much better in the second half for Poland when Liberty -- and sophomore Ashley White -- held Graf to just two points to gain the edge.
"We just lost track of [Graf in the first half]. We didn't know where she was," Humphrey said.
"We were like, 'We need to pick her up man-to-man and don't let her out of your sight.' "
Hritz added, "We told them that if we stop Steffi Graf, then we stop their offense because they rely on her so much."
Liberty made its biggest statement in the waning seconds of the third quarter when it reeled off seven straight points to turn a two-point deficit (30-28) into a five-point lead (35-30).
"Those points really helped us think this is our game, that we need to get back into it and play like we can play," Humphrey said.
Poland could never recover in the fourth quarter.
"That gave them the momentum going into the fourth quarter and it deflated us," Dunn said.
Junior Dee Muransky added 12 points and six rebounds for Poland, while Graf finished with 15 points and four assists. Liberty also got 10 points from junior Chenelle Mills and 10 rebounds and five blocks from senior Lena Esmail.
richesson@vindy.com