Salem’s Scullion sisters impress in loss to Bath

Amy scored 20 points and Katie 14 in the 63-48 defeat.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

BERLIN — Salem High girls basketball coach Jeff Andres admitted a few of his players were a little wide-eyed at the beginning of Monday’s game against Lima Bath at the Classic in the Country at Hiland High School.

Amy Scullion, however, wasn’t one of them.

Scullion, a 5-foot-11 small forward who is ranked in the top 25 nationally among sophomores, put on a show against the state’s second-ranked team in Division II, scoring 20 points on 10 of 13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds in a 63-48 loss to the Wildkittens.

“She’s a big-time player,” Andres said. “She’s a fierce competitor and she doesn’t get outworked.”

Added Bath coach Greg Mauk, “She’s quite an athlete.”

Scullion, along with senior sister Katie, missed the first four weeks of practice due to the Quakers’ run to the state semifinals in volleyball. It obviously put the Quakers behind — they only played one scrimmage, Andres said — but at this point of the season, Salem doesn’t resemble a typical 8-6 team.

Some of that is due to its schedule — Salem’s losses are against some of the best in the region, including Canfield, Howland, Canton McKinley and Uniontown Lake — and some of that is because the Quakers have gotten better.

“I’d like to be 14-0, obviously, but we’ve show some progress,” Andres said. “We’re hoping to make noise in the tournament.”

Added Mauk, “I saw them play one time, against Canfield and that was unfair because Canfield is so good. It was hard to get a read on them, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that the [Amy] Scullion girl was a terrific athlete.”

Salem was missing a starter on Monday in junior Brittney Ritchie, who is out with an ankle injury but should be back by tournament time.

Her absence hurt, but not as much as Bath’s pressure. The Wildkittens forced 22 turnovers — the Quakers couldn’t get the ball past half-court on their first three possessions — and Salem’s guards never fully solved the full-court trap.

“We’re deep enough to go eight or nine and that allows us to rest some girls and keep everyone fresh,” Mauk said. “The game kind of went the way we wanted it to go.

“I think fatigue was a big factor.”

Still, the Quakers stayed close for most of the game. After falling behind by 14 midway through the third quarter, they rallied to cut the deficit to four, 49-45, early in the fourth quarter. But Bath held a 14-4 edge the rest of the way.

“We knew they were going to bring pressure,” Andres said. “That pressure got to us a little bit.”

Katie Scullion added 14 points and seven rebounds — the Scullion sisters had 15 of Salem’s 23 rebounds — and Kelly Roelen had 11 points.

Stephanie Mauk led Bath (16-0) with 22 points and nine rebounds, while her sister Rachel had 20 points, six rebounds, six steals and three assists.

Still, even the Mauks came away impressed with the Scullion sisters.

“I’ve never seen a set of sisters that good,” Stephanie Mauk said. “They’re very good.”

Amy Scullion wasn’t fazed by the atmosphere — she’s played in tournaments across the country — and although she’s a near-lock to earn a Division I basketball scholarship, her better sport is probably volleyball, where she’s good enough to earn a tryout for the Olympic team, Andres said.

“She’ll be able to do whatever she wants,” he said.

scalzo@vindy.com