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Sefcik, Fitch pull away from Lakeview
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Fitch’s Megan Sefcik, right, battles Lakeview’s Abby Pavlik for control of the ball as Rebecca Mansell (20) watches Monday. Sefcik took control in the second half as Fitch won, 69-47.
By Ryan Buck
CORTLAND
The long, dark, and foggy bus ride headed southbound on Route 11, back into Mahoning County, was actually a pleasant journey for the Austintown Fitch girls basketball squad Monday night.
Behind a dominant performance from junior standout Megan Sefcik, the Falcons pulled away from host Lakeview in the second half to post a 69-47 victory in an inter-divisional All-American Conference clash.
“Any road win is a good win,” said third-year Fitch coach Stacie Chepin. “Lakeview’s playing well this time of year and we’re just trying to prepare every game right now for the tournament. Being on the road and just getting a different matchup is nice.”
Early on, it looked as if Lakeview guard Allie Pavlik would single-handedly wear down the Falcons on her own. The junior poured in 18 first-half points en route to a game-high 29.
Five straight points from Pavlik midway through the second quarter gave Lakeview a 28-26 lead, the seventh lead change of the half.
“Allie performs amazing every night,” Lakeview coach Adam Lewis said of his leading scorer. “I know she wanted this one. She leaves it all on the floor.”
Sefcik, who leads the AAC in scoring at nearly 20 points per game, returned the favor and controlled the game in the second half for Fitch.
A 5-foot-8 guard who can handle the ball as well as create shots, Sefcik scored 16 points in the final 16 minutes as Fitch built on a five-point halftime lead.
“I hate coming off slow starts, so I knew that I had to help my team out,” said Sefcik, who missed several shots early before getting into a groove late in the first half with a key rebound and put-back as time expired.
“My teammates found me with the open shots so I was able to hit them. My shot was off a little bit at the beginning, but I was able to come back.”
No play was more indicative of Sefick’s all-around brilliance than a pivotal sequence late in the third quarter. With Fitch ahead 44-41 with the game’s pace quickening to Lakeview’s liking, Sefcik lunged to deflect a pass intended for Pavlik at the Fitch end, into the waiting arms of teammate Brenda Thompson.
Thompson drove left and found Sefcik open at the Lakeview foul line.
She calmly sank a short jumper to push the lead to 46-41 with 2:35 left in the quarter.
“Making that stop, I knew it was huge for the team because we needed that,” Sefcik said. “It was still a close game at that time so I knew I had to make up defensively. That’s our motto — defense turns into offense.”
With time winding down in the third, Sefcik glanced at the clock, stepped back and drilled a long 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded to put Fitch up 53-45.
The Falcons kept the momentum, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-2 in the final period.
They also found a way to minimize Pavlik’s impact, allowing her no points in the fourth.
‘They were playing a lot of man defense,” Lewis said, referring to Fitch’s strategy in the first half that allowed Pavlik to get loose.
“They adjusted and went to a zone that really slowed us up in the second half.”