Preparation whirlwind

Ken Grisdale's Bulldogs are getting ready for another big night in Columbus.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
POLAND -- It's been a hectic 36 hours for Ken Grisdale and his coaching staff. The next few days don't promise to get any easier.
Grisdale guided his Poland High boys basketball team back to the state tournament Saturday with a 69-58 victory over Cleveland Benedictine. Sunday, he drove to Columbus for a meeting with OHSAA officials to firm up plans for Thursday's Division II semifinal against Upper Sandusky.
Then he drove back and started watching tape of the Rams and their Ohio State-bound standout, Jon Diebler.
Early Sunday night, Grisdale didn't know anything more than what he's been told about the favorite for this year's Mr. Basketball award.
"All I can tell you is, I can't tell you anything," quipped Grisdale, who's guided the Bulldogs to two state finals appearances in five years.
Then and now
In 2002, Poland's reward was facing LeBron James and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. The Bulldogs lost 76-36.
Thursday at 8:30 p.m., the Bulldogs (22-3) will play 10th-ranked Upper Sandusky (22-3) at Value City Arena.
Diebler has led the Rams back to Columbus two years after winning the Division II state crown. In that season, the Rams finished 27-0 as Diebler scored 32 points in the final.
Saturday, Upper Sandusky rallied from a 79-72 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Olmsted Falls 91-81. Diebler finished with 32 points and a broken nose while getting a shot blocked.
A 6-foot-7 guard, Diebler averages about 41 points per game -- he topped 1,000 for the season Saturday night -- and has 3,136 for his career. The old record, held by Jay Burson of New Concord John Glenn (and another Buckeye) was 2,958.
Grisdale said one of the reasons Poland is in the state tournament is the team's chemistry.
"They truly care for and respect each other," Grisdale said. "Lou Coppola could average 20 points a game and Chris Lovell could score more than he does, but they sacrifice their numbers for the team to be successful.
"And this group of kids just hate to lose."
Double-digit rally
That determination was evident in Saturday's victory over Benedictine, when the Bulldogs rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half and dominated down the stretch.
"We were very lucky to be keep [the margin] at 10 at halftime," Grisdale said. "Everything was going wrong.
"In the second half, we were able to force their guards to make some bad decisions with the basketball; that allowed us to get some easy baskets and once we got the lead we were able to take some time off the clock and force them to foul us."
And don't discount the victory over Canfield in the district championship game.
"That [win] took the weight of the world off our shoulders," Grisdale said.
Poland's seniors had lost twice in football to their rivals, and both basketball games this season after taking 10-point leads in the second half both times.
In the district final, the Bulldogs again had a 10-point lead with eight minutes to play before losing most of it, before hanging on for a 49-45 win.
"After that they just let it go," Grisdale said. "They feel like, now, they've got nothing left to prove, other than to themselves."
The Bulldogs have adopted a motto for the weekend, courtesy of junior guard Ben Umbel.
"Umbel is one of our leaders," Grisdale said. "He keeps telling them, 'Why not us?' "