43
Poland’s Suess stops Neshannock surge
By Tom Williams
POLAND
After making the defensive play of the game, Poland junior forward Liz Suess was confident the call would go her way.
With 10 seconds remaining and the undefeated Bulldogs clinging to a two-point lead, Suess backpedaled then planted her feet while Neshannock’s Madison McHale drove to the net.
Their collision sent Suess sprawling to the floor, McHale was called for charging and Poland hung on for a 48-44 victory in the opener of Saturday’s four game United Way Holiday Basketball Classic at Poland High.
“I knew it was going to be a charge,” said Suess, who admitted that “it’s very rare that you get a charge, it’s usually a [blocking foul], but I knew what I had to do.”
Suess said her instincts were confirmed when she looked into the stands and saw her father.
“He was jumping in the air,” Suess said.
Senior guard Rachael Robertson and Suess each made a free throw in the final seconds to seal the Bulldogs’ seventh-straight win.
The game was a roller-coaster affair, with the Lancers (1-4) responding to a 13-4 deficit with a 15-0 run.
“We were a little frustrated, but we knew we had to calm ourselves down,” Robertson said.
Head coach Nick Blanch said the Bulldogs (7-0) had some jitters, probably because the game was televised live on MyYTV.
“The TV cameras bring more than just TV here and publicity,” Blanch said. “The TV cameras also bring in extra nerves. And it was a bigger crowd than normal.”
Early on, a rout seemed conceivable as the Lancers struggled with turnovers while the Bulldogs missed 15 shots in the opening quarter.
McHale came off the Neshannock and sparked her teammates by scoring nine points during the surge. But with five minutes to go in the half, McHale picked up her third foul and returned to the bench.
Two free throws by Cassidy Burrelli gave the Lancers a 28-22 lead, but a free throw by Suess and a 3-pointer by Kasie Serich sliced the lead to two at halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 10-2 run but the pesky Lancers kept clawing back. Baskets by Tayler Grybowski and Alexandra Fischer sliced Poland’s lead to 45-44 with a minute to go.
Blanch said he wasn’t surprised that the Lancers were able to keep it close.
“We knew they are a solid team,” Blanch said. “They are very similar to us — a young team, a very inexperienced team. We knew it was almost like looking in the mirror.”
McHale led the Lancers with 15 points and Fischer scored 10.
Despite having to replace five seniors from last year’s team, the Bulldogs are off to their best start in years.
“It’s a good feeling because no one expected us to come out like this,” said Serich who led the Bulldogs with 13 points and four steals.
Robertson scored 12 points while sophomore Aleah Hughes contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.
“We’re growing as we go,” said Blanch, whose goal is to find as much time as he can for his underclassmen.
Hughes was a member of the Poland softball team that played in the Little League World Series championship game that was televised on ESPN2 a couple of summers ago.
“While playing, I tried not think about it,” Hughes said of the TV coverage. “Now that it’s over, we appreciate it.”