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Season of giving
By MIKE McLAIN
BERLIN CENTER
Christmas break might be welcomed by students, but high school basketball coaches lean more towards the Scrooge side.
Gift giving and time away from school often plays havoc with the proficiency of many teams. Coaches can only hope that the players haven’t forgotten all that was learned since day one of practices.
There appeared to be a little of the holiday hangover Thursday as the Springfield girls team edged Western Reserve, 46-42. There were a combined 45 turnovers, including 12 in a fourth quarter in which 13 combined points were scored (nine by the Tigers and four by the Blue Devils).
All that mattered to Tigers coach Jim Schuler was watching Sara Cheszeyka make two free throws in the waning seconds to put the game out of reach.
“As a group, we talk about pressure situations all the time — making free throws and taking care of the basketball and giving us chances,” Schuler said. “I think we did a nice job of that at the end, carrying the ball a little better, and we were able to get to the line a few times.
“I know we didn’t convert a couple of times, but when we needed them, we did.”
Marlie Applegarth scored 16 points and pulled down three offensive rebounds for the Tigers. Six other players scored on a balanced showing for Springfield, which trailed 16-13 after one period and 38-37 through three.
“We’re starting to jell as a unit,” Schuler said. “Now we’re talking about executing to make us an even better team.”
Alexis Hughes had a strong showing for the Blue Devils with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Hughes scored all four of Western Reserve’s fourth-quarter points, but she wasn’t able to get many good looks.
Gabbie Baranowski added 11 points to Western Reserve’s scoring.
The Tigers (7-2) struggled at the line, making 12 of 26 free attempts. Springfield was 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter before Cheszeyka made the deciding foul shots.
What helped the Tigers was their ability to avoid costly turnovers in the fourth quarter. They committed four turnovers in the quarter, while the Blue Devils (5-5) turned the ball over eight times.
The mistakes stifled Western Reserve’s offense. After scoring 31 points to lead by three at halftime, the Blue Devils were limited to 11 in the second half.
“I don’t want to beat them up, because after a loss you’re disappointed,” Devils coach Steve Miller said. “I’m extremely disappointed because I don’t think we gave ourselves a chance with some careless turnovers.
“Quite frankly, a couple of them were unforced. There were two or three where we had an open look and the ball went through our hands.”
Miller was also disappointed with the performance of the Blue Devils under the boards. Springfield had a 39-29 rebounding advantage, including a 17-9 edge on the offensive end.
“I felt that Springfield wanted it a little more than we did,” Miller said. “They attacked the offensive glass relentlessly. When you give up second-chance shots and then have those crucial turnovers, I can’t believe we had a chance to win.”