Tag Archive for: Morgan Kluchar

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.

POLAND CONTINUES TO ROLL IN WIN OVER STRUTHERS

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The Poland Lady Bulldogs were business as usual Thursday night as they beat Struthers 59-39.

In the first half Poland quickly grabbed a ten point lead 14-4 but struggled to push the lead fifth than that. Struthers did a good job staying around and keeping their deficit at eight or ten throughout the first half. Poland put in a few buckets before the break though to make it 31-17 going into the half.

Poland started the third quarter on a 10-0 run and grabbed control of the game. Jackie Grisdale got going as she scored 15 points in the second half to help Poland propel forward. Poland also did a great job on the boards as they had four players with at least 4 rebounds. Morgan Kluchar led that category with 8.

Jackie Grisdale led the way with 24 points 6 rebounds for Poland.

Emma Elia led Struthers with 14.

Poland returns to action Saturday as they travel to Mooney.

BLUE’S KLU’S

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Last season the basketball world had to be informed of Morgan Kluchar’s presence. As a freshman, she had to prove that she belonged on the court with the upperclassmen. She did just that. Now as a sophomore, it’s a different feeling for Morgan. She has earned her spot and her respect, and now it’s all about continuing to grow as a player. She says that this season she is grasping a lot more of the fine details of the game. That comes from all the time she got on the varsity floor her freshman season. She also says nerves have really gone down from last year to this year. They’re still there for sure, but not nearly as strong. Two main goals are at the top of Morgan’s list. The first is to improve her defense. She admits that last season her defense did not reach her own standards and definitely wants to improve on that. Second is to become more of a threat from the outside. That would make her a more well rounded offensive player. Last season we asked you to get a clue about Morgan as a freshman, and now the clues are there for you, so figure it out that Morgan Kluchar is a one of a kind talent. 

Anthony Hartwig went on down to Poland to sit down with Morgan. They discuss the team dealing with adversity, taking a leadership role, and much more. Get to know the Lady Bulldog sophomore with the latest Player Profile Blue’s Klu’s.

 

BULLDOGS FLY AHEAD OF EAGLES

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The Poland girls got back to NE8 play on Monday night with a 64-24 win over Hubbard.

It was all Poland from the jump as the Bulldogs started the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back from there. It was once again their defense leading the way who suffocated the Eagles offense all night. It was the third time this season they’d held an opponent below thirty. The Bulldogs got contributions from a lot of players on the night. 12 Bulldogs got on the stat sheet. Only one player that got into the game didn’t score.

Jackie Grisdale led the team with 21 points 5 rebounds. Morgan Kluchar added 7, three players finished with 6. Kailyn Brown, Brooke Bobbey, and Arianna Daniels.

Poland returns to action Thursday as they travel to Niles.

Hubbard hosts Struthers on Thursday night.

POLAND VICTORIOUS IN CLASH WITH RAIDERS

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Two girls basketball powerhouses met in Poland on Monday as the Bulldogs hosted South Range. Last season these teams were one and two in the final NE8 standings, although both matchups between the two were double figure wins for Poland. That would not be the case this time as Poland scratched and clawed to a close 37-29 win.

It was a back and forth game of runs. Poland opened the game fast on a 10-2 run and looked to be cruising. The majority of the 2nd quarter belonged to South Range though as Bree Kohler got a couple of steals and fast break layups in a 14-5 run taking a 16-15 lead. Poland would not be silenced however as they ended the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 22-16 lead into the locker room.

The Raiders came out swinging to open the third. They spurted out to a 7-0 run themselves to go-ahead 23-22. Poland responded yet again however, they answered the Raiders run with an 11-0 one to close out the third frame.

With a ten point lead going into the final frame Poland looked poised for a win. But the scrappy Raiders team would not go away. They made it 33-29 closing quick before Poland’s defense locked down during the final stretch. Four free throws would seal the deal for the Bulldogs and they escaped a physical fight with the Raiders 37-29.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Lizzy Herdman has a strong night on the boards with 9 rebounds. Morgan Kluchar was also in double figures with 12.

Izzy Lamparty was the statistical leader for the Raiders with 10 points 5 rebounds. Bree Kohler added 8.

South Range returns to action Thursday as they host Hubbard.

Poland gets back on the floor Saturday as they host Boardman as part of the United Way Classic. Their trip is scheduled for approximately 5:15.

POLAND DEFENSE SILENCES STRUTHERS

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Defense was the story of the night for Poland. They got their first NE8 win Thursday night over Struthers 50-40.

Poland still is trying to find a solid rhythm in their young season. Lucky for them they have a suffocating defense to hold teams down while they find it. In the first three-quarters of the game, the highest-scoring frame for Struthers was 10. And in the first and third quarters they were held to 2, and 3 respectfully.

On the offensive side of the Ball, the Bulldogs got started quickly with 8 fast points. But then they stalled for a bit as the first quarter bled into the second. Poland’s perimeter game was not as on as it was earlier in the week vs Champion. Poland went 2/11 from three point land on the night. That didn’t stop sophomore Morgan Kluchar from having a great night on the glass. She led the team in rebounds with 10. Helping Poland limit Struthers to one opportunity, and giving them some extra opportunities on the other side. Poland rebounded well as a team totaling in 26, with 4 players having at least 5. The Poland lead was 40-15 in the 4th quarter before a majority of the varsity starters subbed out. Struthers made a fierce rally to close the gap, but Poland still came away with the 50-40 win.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldog charge with 14 points. Kailyn Brown had a strong night with 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Emma Elia finished with a game high 19 for Struthers.

Poland returns to action Monday as they host South Range.

BIG TEST NEXT FOR POLAND

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In their first tournament game, Poland took care of business beating Alliance in four sets. (25-18 25-8 24-26 25-11)

Right out of the gates Poland did a tremendous job getting swings over the net. In the first set, they had 52 total attacks. With that high number they also hit pretty efficiently, the Bulldogs hit .135 in the set. The first and second sets were completely controlled by Poland. In the second set, the Bulldogs hitting percentage jumped way up. Poland totaled 15 kills in the set and had just 2 errors. Their hitting percentage was .361.

In the third set, Alliance showed some fight. They jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and maintained it until it reached 20-11. Then Poland came all the way back with a 9-0 rally to tie the set up at 20-20. The Bulldogs, however, just didn’t have enough momentum to push all the way to 25. They dropped a close set 3 24-26.

In set 4 it was back to business for the Bulldogs. They made quick work of the Aviators in a statement 25-11 set 4 wins. The Bulldogs only had 1 error in the set and hit at a .255 clip. Lauren Melillo has 6 kills in the set.

Lauren Melillo had a monster match with 18 kills, 4 digs, and 2 aces. Morgan Kluchar also got into double digits with 10 kills and a block. Maddie Wess tallied 33 assists, 3 kills, and 3 digs. Kenzie Szolek finished with 21 digs and a kill.

Poland advances to the sectional final on Saturday against Canfield. That match will be at 5:00 at West Branch High School.

POLAND TAKES THRILLER AND REVENGE OVER SOUTH RANGE

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On August 22nd South Range beat Poland in four sets. Over a month later the bad taste of the early season loss was still in Poland’s mouth. They took a five set thriller from the Raiders this time around. (25-16 16-25 25-22 7-25 15-8).

In the first two sets, both teams traded poor hitting performances. The Raiders hit a negative percentage in set number one, and Poland returned the favor in set number two. Each team won a set by a score of 25-16.

Set three was maybe the most important set because both teams were clicking. Lauren Mellilo has a tremendous set for the Bulldogs. Three straight kills at the ladder end of the set helped Poland pull through a tough set 25-22.

In set number four, the Raiders hit the lights out of the gym. Everything was finding it’s way to the floor. Marina Schneider set the tone for the Raiders early with two strong kills from the outside and the offense never looked back. The Raiders hit .348 in the set. They had 11 kills and only 2 errors in the set. They seemed to have all the momentum forcing a set five with a 25-7 win.

If you were to survey everyone in the stands after set four, everyone would say the Raiders had the momentum. However, Poland had other thoughts. They came out in the fifth set and were the more energetic team. Led by the tremendous defense the Bulldogs frustrated the Raider offense not letting anything fall. Morgan Kulchar was getting a hands on just about everything that was coming over the net. Poland found a way to bounce back from a 7-25 loss in set four to win set five 15-8 and avenge the earlier loss to the Raiders.

Anna Primavera led the Raider offense with 11 kills, 5 digs, and 5 aces. Izzy Lamparty also has a strong night with 10 kills and 5 aces. Emily Irons finished with 34 assists, 5 digs, and 3 aces. Reagan Irons had a season-high 35 digs.

The Raiders look to bounce back Thursday night hosting Girard. Poland travels to Lakeview on Thursday night.

Photo credit Seminary Sports+

GET A KLU

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Great teams always have a mix of experienced leadership, and young talent. The senior leaders of the Poland Lady Bulldogs have been well documented, but as far as the young talent goes look no further than freshman Morgan Kluchar.

PHOTO CREDIT: SEMINARY+

Not too many players can say they started their high school varsity careers by having an undefeated regular season and playing for a trip to the state playoffs. Morgan Kluchar is one of the few who can. After some preseason injuries thrusters Kluchar into the starting lineup, the young stud has shined bright. Now a consistent starter on the number 1 team in the state, her confidence is sky high.

YSN’s Anthony Hartwig sat down with Morgan before the team’s regional championship game to talk about the emotions of her first start, how much the seniors and other experienced members of the team have done for her, and what keeps her so loose in high-pressure situations. Join us in learning about the Bulldogs young pup Morgan Kluchar in the latest Player Profile Get a Klu.