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Struthers Wildcats give Poland a scare
Wildcats give
Bulldogs
a scare
By STEVE WILAJ
Struthers
Coming off 33-point drubbing at Poland High the first time Struthers met the Bulldogs on Jan. 10, the Wildcats understandably played with something to prove Friday night.
And while Poland once again came out on top, this time it was much more difficult.
The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats at the Struthers Fieldhouse, 62-57, in a game that suddenly changes the outlook of what could potentially be a second-round Division II tournament matchup.
If Struthers defeats West Branch in its first-round game on Wednesday, the Wildcats would again travel to Poland.
“We have a tough one against West Branch, but the kids are excited to maybe get Poland again,” Struthers coach Joe Savko said. “We’re not overlooking West Branch, but we got it in our heads that if we do somehow get to that Poland game, we can play with them.”
Struthers’ belief stems from trailing the Bulldogs just 31-27 at the half and entering the fourth quarter behind by just two points.
But Poland (19-2, 11-1 All-American Conference, American Division) eventually put the Wildcats (7-14, 3-8) away with a strong final period, as a Dan Black layup and two Nick Gajdos free throws opened the lead to 60-53 with 1:26 remaining.
“We just put enough points on the board tonight,” Bulldogs coach Ken Grisdale said. “We hit some free throws down the stretch and I think defensively — despite them getting on a streak — I thought we did enough defensively to contest some shots.”
Still, knowing a potential rematch looms in the future, Grisdale said the battle was an eye-opener.
“Give credit to coach Savko and their kids. They had a nice game plan and were unconscious shooting the ball at times,” he said. “I know we came to play. Our mental preparation needs to be a little bit better, but give a ton of credit to Struthers.”
The Bulldogs very well may have suffered the upset if it wasn’t for Jared Burkert’s hot shooting. The sophomore scored 21 points, knocking down 5 of 7 shots from long distance.
“My team really screened well for me, found me when I was open and I just hit my shots,” Burkert said. “It’s not every day you shoot that well, but it feels good when you do.”
Poland also received 11 points from Black, while Jacob Wolfe added nine points and seven rebounds.
Ray’Quan Phifer led the Wildcats with 21 points, while Kyle George added 14 points and connected on 4 of 5 shots from beyond the arc.
“We shot well and rebounded pretty well other than a couple spots here and there,” Savko said. “We’re proud of our kids — some that stepped up tonight and played pretty well. I think we played as a team tonight.”
With the win, Poland clinched the AAC’s American Division outright championship.
“It’s something we’re real proud of,” Grisdale said. “We’ve taken teams’ best shots and that’s a credit to these kids and the kids who’ve come before them and created a program people want to beat. We’ve taken some punches so far, but have been able to stay on our feet.”