POLAND SURVIVES OVERTIME THRILLER TO MOVE ON

BOARDMAN, OH – During tournament play it is hard to stay calm under the pressure, but when you have to go into sudden death OT, it becomes a different animal to handle. For Poland and Chardon, who matched up in the Division II District Semifinal, they had to face the nerves of OT in the playoffs. For the Bulldogs, it came down to hitting the little shots that matter.

For Senior Ross Dedo, those little shots, like free throws, were going to be the deciding factor. Dedo went 10-14 at the charity stripe, helping him get a career-high in points. As the game went on, you were able to see where this game was headed with both teams trading blows. Towards the end of regulation, Poland had a 64-58 lead and was hoping that their defense could hold off the late attack from the Hilltoppers. Luckily for Chardon, a late three that was followed up by a forced turnover led to a buzzer-beater to send it to OT. Although the overtime period started out slow, blows were traded again. Chardon tied the game at 67 with just a little over a minute left, which led to the game deciding play for the Bulldogs. Senior Christian Colosimo hit a huge three with 40 seconds remaining to put them up once again. That would eventually lead to foul shots that gave some breathing room for Poland to hold onto a thrilling win, 73-67.

For Poland, Dedo led the Bulldogs with 37 points. Colosimo added 19 on the night for the Bulldogs.

For Chardon, Nathannel Sulka led the way with 19 points. Josh Bruce finished with 18 on the night.

With the win over Chardon, Poland will advance onto the Division II District Championship on Saturday as they will take on the winner of Chaney/Chagrin Falls. Don’t miss it on YSN!

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller.

Postgame interview With Eric Fender: