Poland clicks, 67-60, will play Benedictine

The Bulldogs and
Benedictine will meet in a rematch of last year’s regional final
at 3 p.m. Saturday.

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CANTON — The Poland student section wore its 1980s workout gear on Thursday night, but for the fans it wasn’t leg-warmers that made them sweat.

It was Pirates.

The underrated Perry High boys basketball team held the Bulldogs to a season-low 67 points and were within one point with just over a minute remaining before Poland clamped down on defense, winning 67-60 in a Division II regional semifinal at the Canton Civic Center.

“The key to this is staying alive,” said Bulldogs coach Ken Grisdale, whose team will face Cleveland Benedictine in a rematch of last year’s regional final at 3 p.m. Saturday. “We get to dance at least one more time.”

District co-player of the year Ben Umbel played a spectacular game, recording game-highs in points (22), steals (11) to go along with eight rebounds for Poland (24-0), which is one game away from its second straight trip to the state tournament.

Umbel saved his biggest play for the final minute. After splitting a pair of free throws to make it 62-60, Umbel came up with a big steal on the other end. After a basket by Ben Donlow made it a four-point game, Niko Fatimus added another huge steal and made two free throws to clinch the game.

“Our defense generates our offense,” said Umbel. “We rely on those steals.”

With Perry’s offense geared toward taking away Poland’s baseline 3-pointer shooters (Fatimus in particular), Umbel relied on his dribble penetration to score key buckets the entire game.

When asked if he needed to urge Umbel to be more aggressive offensively, Grisdale said, “He knows.”

Fatimus finished with 15 points for the Bulldogs, who made just 11-of-22 at the line — one of the big reasons the Pirates were able to stay in the game.

It was the second straight close game for the Bulldogs, who slipped past West Branch 72-71 in the district final after blistering opponents for much of the season. Through Poland’s first 22 games, only one team (Boardman) finished within 15 points of the Bulldogs and only the Warriors kept them under 80 points.

“We’ve needed these past couple games,” said Umbel, one of two returning starters from last year’s state semifinal team. “Pretty much every game of the season has been a [blowout].

“I think it’s going to help the young guys get more mature.”

Senior point guard Kevin Siegel scored 13 points and dished out six assists to lead four starters in double figures for the Pirates (20-4), who scrimmaged the Bulldogs before the season and executed their game plan to near perfection.

Although they committed 27 turnovers — most of them due to Poland’s full-court pressure — they were repeatedly able to break the press and create on the fast break.

“I hope the 3,000 people here understand how hard Perry basketball plays,” said Pirates coach Chad Frazier. “I think we did earn some respect.

“We knew we could play with them.”

Added Grisdale, “You don’t win 20 games by showing up. They can play.”

The Bulldogs now go from a fundamental, half-court team to an athletic group that likes to push the ball in Benedictine. The Bengals lost to the Bulldogs 69-58 in this game last year.

“They’re a very athletic team, very talented,” said Grisdale. “It’s a totally different challenge. Perry is a solid, fundamental basketball team. Benedictine relies more on their athleticism, penetrating and getting to the glass.

“It’s going to be a big challenge.”

scalzo@vindy.com