Tag Archive for: Jackie Grisdale

WARRIORS ESCAPE TO END POLAND’S SEASON

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Saturday’s district championship game definitely lived up to the hype. Poland stormed back from an eight point fourth quarter deficit but just missed victory. West Branch took it 44-43.

The Warriors, who struggled to score in last year’s district matchup with Poland found good shots early and often, and they hit them. Their only points in the first quarter were made threes. On the other end, Kailyn Brown paced the Bulldogs in the first quarter scoring all 9 of Poland’s points. She would go on to score 13 of the Bulldog’s 16 first half points. Trailing 22-13 Jackie Grisdale got a three near the buzzer of the half to make it a 22-16 deficit at half.

That shot is all Grisdale needed to get going. In the third quarter while West Branch kept shooting well from deep, Grisdale seemed to match every bucket they made. She did a great job making sure Poland just stuck around to make a run. After three Poland felt good just being down 36-29.

The fourth quarter was gut check time for the Bulldogs. The found themselves down 41-33 with 4:00 minutes left it didn’t look too promising. Grisdale buried a three to make it 41-36. She then got fouled shooting her next three and made all shots from the line to make it 41-39. After a West Branch bucket, Poland came right back down and scored. Then Grisdale found some space underneath and tied the game up with a layup with 1:08 to go. Both teams traded an empty possession and Poland ended up with the ball with and 9.1 seconds left. West Branch made a great play to jump in front of the inbound pass that led to a fast break. Poland fouled the shooter, who hit 1 out of 2 free throws. On the insuring possession West Branch fouled Grisdale and put her at the line with 3.1 seconds left. Grisdale’s first free throw stuck on the back heel of the rim. West Branch would secure the inbound and the narrow one point victory.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs with 22 points, 19 of which came in the 2nd half. Kailyn Brown finished with 13.

Poland finished the season at 22-3.

CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS

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The success of Poland Girls Basketball over the last two years is well known throughout the area. People can debate back and forth what makes them great. But if you talk to coach Blanch it all boils down to one thing, leadership. Last seasons senior group has been described by coach Blanch as the best leaders he has ever coached. Surely, this year’s group of leaders would have a lot to live up to. However, the captains of today have done a great job in balancing the lessons learned from years past, and embracing their own personalities and leadership skills.

The three captains this season for Poland are seniors Kailyn Brown, and Brooke Bobbey alongside junior Jackie Grisdale. Put in this position by coach Blanch, he believed that these three could step up and lead this team by example. The responsibilities for a captain go way beyond meeting at half court in Poland’s program. These three are in charge of keeping the delicate family bond of the team as strong as its always been. They have to do things the right way not just in the games, but in practice. The captains must be the rocks the team can lean on in times of adversity.

For these three they will all admit it didn’t get off to a great start. They felt in the preseason scrimmages and practices they weren’t doing enough of what was required. Coach Blanch was not afraid to call them on it either. But before the season started they got themselves together and decided how much they wanted this team to succeed. It was the little things the girls improved on throughout the season. For example being able to adjust a tone of a conversation based on which teammate they were talking to. Kailyn says it was easy to lead when she has such a good example of how Coach Blanch leads her. That makes the phrase “it all starts at the top” truer than ever in this program. Coach Blanch’s lead and attitude has trickled down into his player leadership and that’s why his program has become a force to be reckoned with in all of northeast Ohio.

The season is winding down as Poland heads into the district championship against West Branch Saturday night. We couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the season of Player Profiles than taking a look inside the Captains Quarters. Anthony Hartwig sat down with all three captains this week to discuss the season, the leadership dynamic they bring to the table, and so much more. Please enjoy the final Poland Girls Basketball Player Profile of the season!

POLAND PUNCHES THEIR TICKET

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AUSTINTOWN OH- The Poland Lady Bulldogs are going back to the district championship game with a 47-36 win over Southeast on Wednesday night.

It was not a walk in the park for the Bulldogs as they found themselves up only there at the half. The third quarter is when they found their footing and their hold on the game. Poland outscored the Pirates 13-5 in the third quarter. That was all the separation Poland needed as their strong defense kept the Pirates away.

Poland was led by Jackie Grisdale with 19 points. Brooke Bobbey also got into double figures with 11.

Poland advances to the district championship game on Saturday against West Branch at Austintown Fitch. Start time is set for 7:00.

POLAND PUSHES PAST WILDCATS

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POLAND OH- The third matchup of the season between Struthers and Poland carried the most weight. The winner of this game moved on to the Fitch district semifinal, the loser would end their season. Poland needed every ounce of energy to beat a hungry Wildcat team 56-43.

The first half of the game was very competitive. A back and forth affair. Struthers made a statement out of the gate as Emma Elia knocked down a long two for the first points of the game. Poland would eventually grab the lead back, but not by much. The Bulldogs kept the lead for the rest of the half but Struthers never let it get over four. Poland held on to a 26-24 lead at the break. Much different than the first two matchups which were dominated by Poland.

The third quarter is when Poland began to create some separation. They got tremendous toughness inside from Kailyn Brown who finished through contact a couple times. They also got strong hustle plays off the bench from Ella Harrell. Brooke Bobbey has a key steal and fast-break layup near the end of the third to keep Struthers at bay. In the final frame, Poland’s depth took its toll as they slowly but surely pushed past Struthers. Harrell got half of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Jackie Grisdale became the seventh player in the Poland program to reach 1,000 points tonight. It came in the third quarter on her thirteenth point. She led the offense with 19 points in total. Three other Bulldogs were in double figures. Ella Harrell used a strong final frame to finish with 12, Kailyn Brown contributed 11 and Brooke Bobbey added 10.

Chloe Neider led the Wildcats with 13. Emma Elia put together a strong night with 10.

Poland advances to play Southeast Wednesday at Austintown Fitch in the district semifinals. The tip is set for 6:00.

POLAND EXACTS REVENGE ON CARDINALS IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

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On December 28th Canfield went in to Poland and handed the Bulldogs their 2nd loss of the season 46-42. It was a loss that stayed with Coach Blanch for a while. He felt they left the win out on the court. The Bulldogs have gone a 13 game winning streak since that loss and they came in to Canfield Thursday night and avenged their early season loss with a 48-38 victory.

Poland jumped ahead quickly leading 9-2 out of the gates. Canfield stabilizes a bit to end the first frame, only trailing Poland 13-8. The second quarter is where Poland would flex their muscles. Their offense hit timely shots, and their defense locked the Cardinals down. The Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 28-14 lead thanks to a three in the final seconds by Connie Cougras.

With clear momentum out of the half Poland kept their foot on the gas. They kept pace with a Canfield team that seemed to figure things out a bit on offense. Poland won a competitive third frame by just a point, not letting Canfield gain any ground. They would have to endure one last gasp from the Cardinals in the fourth quarter but it was too little too late, and the Bulldogs came away with a ten point win.

Jackie Grisdale has a huge 23 point performance to lead the team. Brooke Bobbey started to get shots to fall and finished with 8.

Poland now can focus on their first tournament game. The sectional final against the winner of Struthers vs Niles will be on Thursday February 20th at Poland.

POLAND SEND TIGERS PACKING IN HOME FINALE

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POLAND OH- The Poland Lady Bulldogs Player their final regular season home game Monday night, and they didn’t disappoint their fans. They dominated a good Howland team 59-28.

It was all Poland from the tip as their defense dominated the Tigers. They held Howland to just 8 first half points. A huge part to the Bulldogs success was their gritty rebounding. Howland has the clear height advantage. Five girls on Howland’s roster were taller than Poland’s tallest. None of that mattered though as the Bulldogs put rebounded Howland by a ton. Howland could never get easy buckets off of offensive rebounds.

The third quarter was probably the Bulldogs best on offense. They nearly doubled their halftime total. Kailyn Brown was a big reason as she started to hit a stride out of the gates in the second half. She scored 11 of her 19 in the third.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20, Brown finished with 19.

Poland plays their regular season finale Thursday night as they travel to Canfield. The Cardinals best Poland 46-42 in December.

POLAND CLAIMS NE8 TITLE ON SENIOR NIGHT

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POLAND OH- Four seniors wee recognized before the game at Poland on Thursday night. Brooke Bobbey, Kailyn Brown, Sarah Bushaw, and Katie Masucci all took in their moment of honor as the program thanked them for their many years of service. The Bulldogs sent the seniors out with a bang, grabbing a 52-21 win over Niles and securing their second straight NE8 Championship.

All four seniors were in the starting lineup on Thursday, and they definitely started fast. Poland scored 20 points in the first quarter, 17 of which came from their four seniors. Kailyn Brown lead the way with 7.

With that first frame as a standard, the offense slowed down in the middle of the game. Only scoring 16 points in the next two quarters. However, in the fourth quarter when Coach Blanch put all four seniors on the floor again the Bulldogs doubled that and added another 16 to their total. It was truly a night of senior dominance. Each senior was individually subbed out in the final quarter and given a wonderful ovation. In a even more special moment, Katie Masucci was subbed out by her sister Hannah who got to be the first person to hug her coming off the floor.

Poland win completes a two season 28-0 record in the NE8. It’s been all Bulldogs since the leagues birth last season.

Jackie Grisdale led the way offensively with 17 points. Katie Masucci was also in double figures with 10. 30 of the final 52 points for Poland were scored by seniors.

Nae Fryer led Niles with 14 points.

Poland looks ahead to their home finale against Howland on Monday.

POLAND EXTENDS WIN STREAK SMOTHERS EAGLES

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HUBBARD OH- Poland kept their eleven game winning streak going on Monday night with a 60-20 win over Hubbard.

It was another balanced night for Poland’s offense as they had eleven different players score. Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Katie McDonald picked up a career high 8 points, Morgan Kluchar also finished with 8.

The win is the Bulldog’s 27th straight inside the NE8. Poland will look to complete their second straight season sweep of the league on Thursday as they host Niles. With no JV game on Thursday, Poland’s senior parent night will start at 6:30, and tip off for the game will be at 7:00.

POLAND CAGES FALCONS

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Poland,OH- The Poland Bulldogs continie their streak with a 64-37 win over a young Jefferson Falcons team. Jackie Grisdale led Poland with 20 points while Megan Jacobs had 10 points for the Falcons.

Poland took a commanding lead in the first quarter and never let up finishing the quarter with a 21-10 lead. Grisdale had 10 points in the first quarter alone. Jefferson’s Ava Contenza had 5 points in the quarter. Morgan Kluchar and Kailyn Brown both paced the Bulldogs in the second quarter to a 38-19 lead going into halftime. Both Kluchar and Brown had 8 points going into the half.

Poland added to their lead in the second half by taking advantage of turnovers and creating points. Grisdale finished the night with 20 points in a 64-37 win to continue their winning streak. Poland will face Hubbard Monday on YSNLIVE.COM.

* Story Contributed by YSN’s Anthony Melone

GRISDALE SHOOTS POLAND PAST GIRARD

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Poland put their 23 NE8 game winning streak on the line Thursday as they welcomed in a Girard team that was on a 5 game winning streak. Poland raced away from Girard with a 62-31 win.

Poland set the tone early opening the game on a 12-0 run. All twelve points were from three point land. It was a night where the Bulldogs shot the lights out of the gym, especially in the first half. Through two quarters the Bulldogs shot 10 of 19 from beyond the arc. That’s 53%, well above their season average. Jackie Grisdale was a huge reason why. She hit five threes in the first half alone. The Bulldogs took a 34-17 lead into the locker room.

Poland continued to roll in the third quarter as their 17 point lead ballooned to 30. Defense was a big reason as they held the Indians to just six points in the third frame. Jackie Grisdale hit her seventh three of the game which tied the program record for threes in a game held by her mother Kim Grisdale. In fourth quarter Poland ran consecutive sets that were meant to get Grisdale open trying to give her a record breaking performance, but she missed her last three shots of the game. With about five minutes left in the fourth, Coach Blanch made the call to the bench which ended the day for Jackie and the rest of the starters. Poland would go on to win 62-31.

Poland had 10 different players score in their balanced attack. Grisdale led the way with 25. Morgan Kluchar added 9.

Marissa Cave led Girard with 8.

Poland returns to action Monday night as they stay home to host Lakeview.

Girard will look to bounce back Monday hosting Niles.