Pavlansky’s cool chills Fitch’s rally

January 5, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

AUSTINTOWN

When the Fitch girls basketball team’s offense finally caught fire, it wasn’t enough to offset the cool, calm demeanor of Lakeview’s Annie Pavlansky.

In the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s 44-36 victory, Pavlansky sank all 11 of her free throws to keep the Falcons at bay.

“She can stay calm under pressure,” Lakeview coach Jason Senedak said. “Every once in a while, it’s great to have that calming presence.

“Those free throws weren’t earned tonight or last week,” Senedak said. “Those free throws were earned in the summer, the amount of time she puts in the gym, the shots that she takes [then].”

The Bulldogs (7-4, 4-2 All-American Conference Red) led 29-23 after the third quarter.

Then Pavlansky made two free throws and Lindsay Carnahan hit a 3-pointer for an 11-point edge, forcing the Falcons (7-2, 2-2) to chase.

“There’s a reason why Annie Pavlansky is getting Division I offers,” Fitch coach Dan Schnurrenberger said. “She’s a complete basketball player. She plays defense, she can shoot it and she can get to the hoop.

“Good basketball players like her knock her free throws down when she gets a chance,” Schnurrenberger said.

Pavlansky scored 19 points and made four rebounds and blocked a shot.

“I like being in that situation,” Pavlansky said of the fourth quarter.

She credited her consistency to “muscle memory.

“It’s something we practice every day,” she said, adding that this victory was bigger than normal. “They are one of the best teams in our conference, they press really well.

“It was good to execute on defense and get the win.”

Limiting the Falcons to 36 points was impressive.

“Sabria Hunter is a great player and they have good shooters,” Pavlansky said.

Hunter finished with six points and eight rebounds. Allexis Sallee led with 14 points — 10 in the fourth quarter including a 3-pointer that sliced the Bulldogs’ lead to 37-30.

She then made a basket and free throw with about 50 seconds remaining for a four-point deficit.

Six more Pavlansky free throws and one by Carnahan sealed the victory.

Early on, it was a back-and-forth contest, with the Falcons grabbing an 8-6 lead.

Then the Bulldogs roared with a 15-0 run.

“Once the nerves wore off, we were able to settle in a little more,” Senedak said of the surge that featured balanced scoring (five points from Camie Becker, four from Pavlansky and Jensen Silbaugh and two from Carnahan).

“Some girls hit some nice shots,” Senedak said. “We were more confident in our offense.”

The Falcons responded with a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers by Camryn Constance and Jada Lazaro. That surge kept the game in reach.

“That was a game of runs,” Schnurrenberger said. “Unfortunately for us, Lakeview had more.

“They played a good game, they’ve got some good guards and they bothered us a little bit,” Schnurrenberger said. “When we needed to hit a big shot, we didn’t. But when Lakeview needed a big shot, they sure as heck [made it].

“It was a combination of Silbaugh and Pavlansky,” Schnurrenberger said. “Lindsay Carnahan hit a big 3.”