Tag Archive for: Bulldogs

FIRST PLACE STILL BELONGS TO POLAND

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STRUTHERS,OH- The Struthers Wildcats took on the visiting Poland Bulldogs, in a game that both teams were tied for first in the NE8. With everything on the line the Bulldogs got the lead early and scored 22 points in the first quarter and added another 16 points in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs held the Wildcats to just 12 points in the first half as they led 38-12. The Bulldogs were led by Mary Brant, who dropped 22 points including going 8 for 9 at the free throw line. Katie Mcdonald and Ariana Daniels each added 10 points for the Bulldogs.

The Wildcats made a valiant effort to climb back into the game as Chloe Neider and Katelyn Kimble combined for 28 points, but it was not enough as they fell to the Bulldogs 60-44.

The Bulldogs sit alone now in first place in the NE8. They have won eight out of their last ten games will travel to Hubbard to take on the Eagles this Thursday as the Wildcats will try to get back on track when they take on Niles at home also this Thursday night.

*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison

SAUERWEIN SETS THE TONE FOR SOUTH RANGE

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CANFIELD OH- In a game where the offensive start was slow, it was South Range point guard Devin Sauerwein that set the tone and scored the first 4 points of the game for the Raiders on steals, and transition layups.  The offense relaxed after that slow start in a 43-30 win.  The Raiders used a balanced offense to get the job done.  4 players scored at least 8 points for the Raiders.  The Raiders defense was lock down as usual. They held Lakeview to 4 points in the third quarter to firmly take control of the game.

Sauerwein led the way for South Range finishing the night in double figures with 10 points.  Emma Cunningham was right behind her scoring 9 points on the night. Maddie Dado and Taylor McClish both were able to contribute 8 points.

Lakeview was led by Izzy Haines finishing with 8 points on the night. Next on the stat book for the Bulldogs were both Maggie Pavlansky and Brooke Schneider both finishing with 6.

South Range will stay in league play on Thursday as they’ll host Girard. Lakeview will try and bounce back as they host Jefferson.

IN THE NICK IF TIME

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POLAND OH- The greatest leaders in any walk of life are the ones that put in their time to be great. It’s hard to lead when things are handed to you from the beginning.  Poland’s senior Ava Nicholudis has definitely worked her way to where she is.  The development that she has shown since her freshman season might just be the most we’ve seen out of the Poland roster. Now she is a staple in the Bulldogs success.  Nicholudis is a sure ball handler that can easily facilitate the offense through the guard position.  With a schedule that features a lot of very good defenses, you won’t find a lot of turnovers charged to Nicholudis.  It is because of that care of the ball that Nick Blanch is able to trust her to be on the court in the biggest times of the game.  She isn’t a stranger to scoring either, Nicholudis is one of Poland’s deadliest shooters from the outside.  When she is on, she really opens up the floor for her teammates that thrive on taking the ball to the hoop.

Beyond all of the things she brings to the X’s and O’s of the game is Ava’s leadership on the floor. It’s a long basketball season, and it is impossible for a team to go through it without dealing with some kind of adversity. Nicholudis is a player her teammates can turn to to calm things down when the waters get shaky.  Her calmness in the chaos always shines bright when Poland needs it the most. She has developed into a player that the Bulldogs can rely on at any time.

Ava took the time to catch up with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to talk about her senior season. She also talks about stepping up as a leader, what some of her favorite memories with Poland have been, and so much more. Check out the latest Poland Girls Basketball Player Profile only on YSN.

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POLAND GRINDS IT OUT IN JEFFERSON

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JEFFERSON OH- Poland has a tendency to get in to defensive battles with the style of basketball they play. That was never as true as it was on Thursday as they traveled up to Jefferson. The Bulldogs needed every bit of that branded defense as the Falcons held them to 2 points in the fourth quarter. There was no comeback to be had though as the Bulldogs held Jefferson to 0 fourth quarter points.  That let Poland get out of Jefferson with a 39-27 win.

Ava Nicholudis and Mary Brant both led the way for Poland scoring 11 points each.  Katie McDonald wasn’t too far behind as she chipped in 9 points.
Darbie Skytta and Tatum Bordeaux both led Jefferson with 7 points a piece.

Poland now looks ahead to a huge matchup on the road in Struthers as they try to protect first place in the Fieldhouse.  Jefferson will get right at it on Monday as they host Girard.

LAKEVIEW FURIOUS IN THE FOURTH

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HUBBARD, Ohio –

Led by seven Maggie Pavlanksy points, the Lakeview Bulldogs erased a fourteen point Hubbard lead in the final quarter to escape The Nest with a win.

The Hubbard Lady Eagles (3-14) had dominated most of the ball game, lighting in up from beyond the arc and stifling the Lakeview offense. However, the fourth quarter seemed as if there were two completely different teams on the floor.

Lakeview’s offense had only mustered eleven points through the first three quarters of play and trailing by fourteen, they would have to score more than double their previous output just to draw the game even.

The Bulldogs would ramp up the pressure defensively forcing turnover after turnover in the fourth turning the stolen possessions into five points off giveaways while holding Hubbard to just two points in the final quarter. An outstanding 14-0 would see the game drawn even before two Eagle free throws would give Hubbard the lead once again. Lakeview still had some left in the tank, finishing the game on another 4-0 run to complete the comeback and grab the win 29-27.

 

TOP PERFORMERS –

HUBBARD:

Sophie Murphy – 9 points

Mary Frangos – 7 points, 4/4 FTs

Livia Reese – 6 points, 2 made threes

LAKEVIEW:

Maggie Pavlansky – 15 points, 3 made threes

Mackenzie Stowe – 5 points

WHAT’S NEXT –

Hubbard: Now losers of their last four matchupsthe Lady Eagles will look to get back on track with another NE8 conference foe in the likes of the Niles Red Dragons (3-13). These two schools last met on December 22nd, a matchup that went the way of the Eagles 51-21. Hubbard will host Niles Monday, January 26th at 7:00 pm.

 

Lakeview: Collecting their fourth road and ninth overall win of the season, the Bulldogs are back to .500 and will look to break above even for the fifth time this season when they travel to take on the South Range Raiders (8-8). The Bulldogs and Raiders matched up back on December 22nd, in a game that saw South Range leave Cortland with a 39-34 win. The game will take place on Monday, January 26th at 7 o’clock.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

WILDCATS KEEP THEIR CLAWS ON THE TOP SPOT

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CORTLAND OH- Everyone in the NE8 knows how hard it is to play in Lakeview. The small gym can get awfully hot and provide a massive home court advantage for the Bulldogs.  The brand of defense Lakeview plays makes it even harder. Struthers learned that the hard way on Monday night as they had to use every ounce of energy to hold of the Bulldogs 42-32.

Adrionna Rudzik led the way for Struthers busting in to double figures with 14 points. Chloe Neider scored some key points down the stretch and finished with 8.  The ever reliable Faith Stellato also dropped 8 points.

Struthes has a big stretch of games coming up. It all starts on Thursday as they host Girard who just one game behind Struthers and Poland in the hunt for first place.  Lakeview will try to bounce back on Thursday as they travel to Hubbard.

POLAND MAKES THE PLAYS DOWN THE STRETCH

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POLAND OH- A new week brought a new challenge for Poland in conference play. A hungry South Range team came to town hoping to make some noise in the second half of conference play.  The last time the two teams played, the Bulldogs used a 13-0 second quarter to run away to a 21 point victory.  This time around the Raiders tried their best to win with a strong defensive effort, and it definitely was working.  After one quarter of play Poland only had 4 points. The thing about getting into a defensive battle with Poland though, they can give it as much as they can take it.  The score after the first frame was 4-3.  Offense went a little faster in the second quarter with Poland taking a 15-12 lead into the break.  The Bulldogs tried to push forward out of halftime. They came out on a tear.  They opened the 2nd half on a 10-0 and extended their lead to 25-12.  But South Range had a counter punch ready as they fought and clawed their way back to make it 27-24 before the end of the frame.  Poland would bounce right back though and keep the Raiders at bay down the stretch. The game came down to free throws in the final two minutes as the Raiders tried to extend the game. The Bulldogs were up for the task this time around though going 7/10 in the fourth from the line. Poland held on to win 41-31.

No one got in to double figures for Poland, but Ariana Daniels set the tone by scoring the first 4 points of the game and leading the way with 9 total. Mary Brant and Sarah Forsyth both finished with 8 points for Poland.  Elliana Thompson had a couple of timely shots and contributed 6.

South Range was led by Emma Cunningham who gave everything she had to the Raiders.  She finished in double figures with a game-high 12.  Taylor McClish was also in double figures for the Raiders as she finished with 10.  Gwen Lowry put in a solid night as well chipping in 7 points.

Poland will hit the road on Thursday as they trek to Jefferson.  South Range will also be on the road trying to bounce back against Niles.

POLAND GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 3) WITH NICK BLANCH

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POLAND OH- We are gliding down the final stretch of the basketball season, and here’s a news flash, Poland is right in the thick of relevancy on the girls side.  After tons of questions on what the Bulldogs would look like without the players they graduated a year ago, Poland is still sitting on top of the NE8.  It hasn’t been without adversity though. As head coach Nick Blanch says in this interview, it’s a long basketball season.  If anyone thinks they are going to get through it without some dips, they are going to be shocked.  Poland saw Girard give them their first conference loss of the season, and just their third conference loss as a member of the NE8.  The Bulldogs didn’t sulk in despair however, they got right back on the horse and started winning again.

Coach Blanch took the time to check in with us ahead of a big week of conference games. He talks with Anthony Hartwig about bouncing back from the loss, the process of tournament voting during the season, and much more.  Check out Episode 3 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch only on YSN.

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POLAND COMPLETES SEASON SWEEP OF DRAGONS

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POLAND OH- The last time Poland found themselves in a conference game, they ended it on a sour note.  Girard handed the Bulldogs their first conference loss of the year just 7 days ago.  Poland was itching to get back to their conference dominance, and they wasted no time jumping on Niles.  The Bulldogs cruised their way to a 59-35 win.

It was a balanced Poland attack as eight different Bulldogs scored in the game. They were led by Sarah Forsyth who got in to double figures with 13 points.  Mary Brant matched her jersey number as she put in 11.  Katie McDonald had a solid night as well scoring 8.

Alaina Thigpen put up a fantastic effort for Niles despite the loss. She paced the Drsgons with 12 points.  Katie Heinselman and Abbey Reed both scored 6 for Niles.

Poland has a big NE8 game on tap as they’ll welcome in a streaking South Range team on Monday.  Niles will return home on Monday to host Jefferson.

POLAND REFUSES TO LOSE

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POLAND OH- It was only two days ago that Poland suffered their first conference loss to Girard. They were happy that they didn’t have to sit on a loss for long, but they also understood the United team coming to town was no pushover.  The Eagles gained everyone’s attention as they led most of the way through three quarters. Although their biggest lead of the day was only 5, the Eagles never gave in to Poland throughout the day. That was until the final frame.  Trailing 31-29 heading into the last 8 minutes, the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 13-4 and walked away with a 42-35 win.

Sarah Forsyth paced Poland on the day with a hard fought 13 points. Katie McDonald played an excellent 4th quarter and finished in double figures with 11 points.  Mary Brant contributed 6 points to the Poland offense.

United was led by Grace Knight with 12 points. Maddie Kibbler had a solid day getting in to double figures with 10 points.  Taylor Cope chipped in with 7 points on the day.

Poland returns to NE8 play on Thursday as they host Niles.  United will also get back to their conference on Thursday as they travel to Leetonia.