Saturday, February 17, 2007
The Cardinals overcame a 10-point deficit to retain sole possession of first place in the MAC.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
POLAND -- A putback basket by Chris Lovell and two free throws by Ben Umbel gave the Poland High basketball team a 10-point lead in the third quarter of Friday's showdown with archrival Canfield.
A Poland victory over first-place Canfield would have created a logjam at the top of the Metro Athletic Conference standings.
Instead, the Cardinals (15-2, 11-1) bounced off the ropes before a capacity crowd and outscored the Bulldogs 10-3 for the rest of the third quarter.
Sparked by a pair of 3-pointers by Mike Hoelzel, the Cardinals won the final quarter, 17-11, for a nailbiting 55-52 victory and continued sole possession of first place.
"It never gets old," said Canfield coach John Cullen of playing tight games against Poland and coach Ken Grisdale. "I'm 56 years old, he's 43 and we've been fortunate all our lives to coach in games like this. That's a pretty good Poland team."
The win keeps Canfield a game ahead of Campbell in the MAC standings with two league games to play. A Canfield win tonight against Salem will clinch a tie. The Cardinals and Red Devils will play on Thursday in Campbell.
"It's just as special because it's a different team and the rewards are just as rewarding," said Cullen of the title chase. "That kind of thing never grows old -- watching kids overcome obstacles."
Poland needs upsets
Poland (14-3, 9-3) hasn't been eliminated but needs some upsets to create a three-way tie.
Grisdale, a Canfield graduate and Poland's coach for 14 seasons, credited the fans for positive comments in the heated contest.
"The way both communities support their teams, it's such an honor for our kids," Grisdale said. "The fans were classy and enjoyed the game, and made it a great high school athletic contest."
Grisdale credited Cullen's staff and players for making adjustments to close off territory underneath the Poland basket.
"We executed unbelievably well in the first half," Grisdale said. "In the second half, I think our decision-making at times was a little poor, but you have to give the Canfield kids and Coach Cullen credit for making adjustments. We didn't handle them as well as we could have."
Trailing 47-44 with a little more than two minutes to play, Canfield's Sean Baker, who scored a game-high 20 points, made a basket.
Hoelzel hits again
Moments later, the Cards had the ball again and Hoelzel connected for his second trey to put the Cardinals ahead for keeps with 1:35 remaining.
"Percentage-wise, he leads the league in 3-points, but he's been on a cold streak," Cullen said.
Hoelzel agreed.
"I haven't been getting my shot off quickly," said Hoelzel, who said recent game postponements have given him a chance to fine-tune his technique in practice. "Making that first one really helped my confidence. If the first couple go in, you feel like you can make anything."
The foul lines became hot spots as the next seven points were scored on free throws, five by the Cardinals.
With 5.5 seconds remaining, Poland's Anthony DeFelice sank a 3-pointer to cut Canfield's lead to 54-52. Baker was fouled on the inbounds play. He missed his first toss but made the second for a three-point lead. DeFelice drove upcourt but his last-second shot was short of the net.
Carbon sparkles
Last month, Canfield rallied for an overtime victory over Poland. Joe Carbon, who scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, said that experience kept the Cards from giving up despite a double-digit deficit.
"Because we came back in the first game, we knew we could come back if we stuck together," Carbon said. "We knocked down some shots and made some steals, and that really boosted our momentum."
Grisdale said, "Baker and Carbon played well, and Hoelzel stepped up and made some big shots."
Lou Coppola led Poland with 14 points, with 10 being scored in the first half.
"In the second half, Pat Bellish worked his tail off deflecting a lot of balls," Cullen said of Canfield's inside defense.
Umbel scored 12 points and Lovell 11.
williams@vindy.com