Falcons rally to edge Tigers
Howland vs Fitch
Hunter, Price face off at Fitch
By GARY HOUSTEAU
AUSTINTOWN
Trailing for all but a few seconds in the second half, Fitch senior Natalie Lynn hit two clutch foul shots for Saturday’s 52-51 victory over Howland.
The Falcons took a 26-25 lead at halftime, then spent the final two quarters chasing the Tigers.
With 2:59 remaining, Howland appeared to be in control, ahead 49-44.
But the Falcons tied the game following two consecutive buckets by sophomore Sabria Hunter who went to the line for a three-point play after the second basket on a hustle rebound and put back.
Howland junior Kendyl Buckley made a bucket with 40 seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 51-49 lead before Fitch sophomore Jada Lazaro made one of her two free tosses.
After Howland missed on the front end of a one-and-one, Lynn went to the line with 10 seconds to go.
“I had to calm myself down to focus and make sure I put them in. So I kind of blocked everything out and just acted like it was nothing,” Lynn said. “It was definitely a very exciting moment.”
Howland tried to freeze Lynn after making the first one by calling timeout.
“I just had to keep focusing and try to block everything out,” Lynn said. “It was really exciting.”
Fitch coach Dan Schnurrenberger said it couldn’t have happened to a better player on his team.
“It’s very fitting for [Lynn] because she works so hard,” Schnurrenberger said. “It was just another day at the office for Natalie Lynn.
“She practices hard and she’s a great girl and good things happen to people like that.”
Wfter a slow first quarter, Howland senior Sara Price was on fire while Hunter was steady and consistent throughout the whole game.
Price finished with a game-high 28 points and six rebounds while Hunter had a team-high 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Neither player was guarding the other, however.
“We made stupid mistakes, we let Sabria eat us alive inside,” Price said. “We practiced those plays, their lobs, we knew they were coming.
“We just couldn’t execute them,” Price said. “She’s always been a good athlete and she’s been working with the same coach I have.
“And now she knows how to play, she knows how to execute, she knows how to drive the ball down, she knows how to make super plays, she knows how to take the game over, that’s what she did today.”
Howland coach John Diehl complimented Hunter who scored 15 of her 25 points after the intermission.
“That’s the best she’s played against us in four games,” Diehl said. “She’s a sophomore now and that’s the best she’s played against us, maybe she’s maturing to the point where she can do that all of the time.”
Diehl certainly knows a good big player when he sees one after coaching his great big girls for years.
“Sara can always keep you in any game you want,” Diehl said about Price who scored 16 of her 28 points after halftime. “She can bring the ball up the floor for us, she rebounds, she plays defense, she does a nice job.”
Hunter admitted that she brought her ‘A’ game against Price.
“I think that when we play against each other it motivates both of us. It kind of brings out the best in us,” Hunter said. “She’s a great player and it just pushes you to play harder.
“It’s great to play against players like that because you take all that you learn from it and it turns you into a better player.”
Schnurrenberger was elated for his girls.
“I told the girls after that I’m beyond proud of them, they really fought hard for the victory,” Schnurrenberger said. “Howland beat us earlier in the year and that is a great basketball team.
“They just play so hard and they play for each other and they’re all good teammates and friends, and they deserve a hard fought win like that.”
Diehl thinks his team will learn from the loss and recover.
“You never like to lose but this is a good loss for us, it’ll refocus us now before the tournament starts,” Diehl said. “It’s a good loss. It doesn’t hurt us in the league standings so it’s a good loss.”