POLAND SECURES TOP SPOT IN NE8

CANFIELD OH- First place was on the line on Monday night as it always seems to be when South Range meets with Poland. The Bulldogs escaped a fourth quarter rally to win 35-34.

The Raiders jumped out in front early, going up 4-0 in their first couple of possessions. Katie McDonald stemmed the tide for Poland though scoring their first six points. McDonald would finish with 8. The 2nd quarter was an offensive stand still as the two teams combined for 6 points. Poland went into halftime with a 16-12 lead. They’d balloon that lead to as much as 27-17 in the 3rd quarter. The Raiders weren’t done yet though, they came storming back in the fourth quarter to make a game of it. Lexi Giles hit a pair of free throws to make it a 35-34 Poland lead with 5.5 to go. Poland would miss the following free throw, but the Raiders couldn’t get a look at the game winning shot.

Mary Brant led the Bulldogs with 12 points. Abby Farber contributed 7, including an important three pointer in the 3rd frame that seemed to give Poland’s offense some flow.

Lexi Giles finished with a game-high 18 points to lead the Raiders. Hannah Heikkinen was very important in the Raiders comeback scoring all 6 of her points in the final frame. Emma Cunningham hit the only three of the game for the Raiders.

The two teams will meet again on January 24th in Poland. They both hope that their spots in the league will stay where they are now. There’s a lot of basketball before then though, Poland will stay on the road to face Girard on Thursday and South Range will stay at home to host Hubbard.

Postgame Interview With Nick Blanch: