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Fitch’s Sefcik divine at the line
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Fitch’s Megan Sefcik (11) has made 88 percent of her free throws this season (79 of 91), which is better than all but four players in the NBA. The Falcon senior will lead Fitch against Lakeview tonight in one of the area’s most anticipated games of the season.
By Steve Ruman
When it comes to all-around skills, few area players can match the resume of Megan Sefcik. Through 19 games, the Austintown Fitch senior is averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game.
When it comes to hitting free throws, Sefcik is in a league of her own.
Sefcik has converted 79 of 91 free throw attempts this season. At 88 percent, her accuracy is actually just a tad down from where it was a year ago, when she made 67 of 74 foul shots (91 percent).
To put Sefcik’s ability to convert free throws into perspective, she currently owns a better shooting percentage than all but four players in the NBA.
“I look at free throws as opportunities to give my team free points, so I put a lot of emphasis on that part of the game,” Sefcik said. “Free throw shooting is a big part of the game. In close games, it often decides the difference between a win and a loss.”
Sefcik says there is no secret to her success. She said that concentration and the ability to develop and maintain a comfortable routine is the key to free throw accuracy.
“Every time I step to the line, I take three dribbles, pause a second and shoot,” Sefcik said. “Once you develop a routine, you just have to keep practicing. The more you practice, the more comfortable you become when you have to make the shots that count.”
Today, Sefcik and her Fitch teammates will be involved in perhaps the area’s most highly-anticipated game of the regular season. The Falcons (18-1) host Lakeview (19-1), which is led by senior Alli Pavlik, who averages 28.3 points per game.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Sefcik said. “Alli is one of the best out there, and Lakeview is an awesome team. It’s going to be an exciting atmosphere and a huge challenge for both teams.”
TIMING IS RIGHT
The All-American Conference experimented this year with new starting times for its junior varsity and varsity games. All league games tip off at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, as opposed to previous years when they began at 6 and 7:30.
The new tip-off times are now here to stay.
AAC commissioner Rick King confirmed this week that the earlier start times will carry over to schedules next year and beyond.
“We just had a meeting with league athletic directors and principals, and the principals overwhelmingly agreed to stay with the current format,” King said. “We’ve had a ton of positive feedback from fans and from parents who like the idea of their children getting home earlier, especially when we have games on school nights.
“There are always some headaches involved. The biggest challenge is with officials who work during the day and have to rush to get to the game. But overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives.”
King said the current start times in basketball make for a more uniform all-around league schedule. Football games kick off at 7, as do varsity soccer games.
“Fans have become used to the 7 o’clock start times, and I think it makes for a smooth transition from one sports season to the next,” King said.
DID YOU KNOW?
There will be no Division II boys tournament this year at Boardman. Warren Harding will now host the Division II district tournament, which includes 10 schools from the Mahoning Valley. ... Teams are permitted to play regular-season games even after the start of the tournament. Girls games can take place until Feb. 22, while boys game can tip off as late as March 1. ... State-wide, 58.6 percent of girls coaches are teachers, while 75.3 percent of boys coaches also work in the education field. ... Just 3.3 percent of boys high school basketball players will play NCAA ball, while 3.7 percent of girls participating in the sport will play at the collegiate level.