Tag Archive for: Poland

POLAND GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EPISODE 12 WITH NICK BLANCH)

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The train keeps rolling in Poland as the Lady Bulldogs advance in the tournament. After a hard fought win against a familiar Struthers team, Poland now turns their attention to Southeast. The Pirates are a newcomer to the Fitch district, but not to success. They are the reigning division 3 Struthers district champions. Now moved up a Division, they have plenty to prove. A tough task is in front of the Dogs with a trip to the championship on the line.

Anthony Hartwig got to catch with Coach Blanch this week before their semifinal match up against Southeast. They talked about the current atmosphere in practice, dealing with adversity, and much more. Can’t wait for Wednesday’s game? Get ready for it with Episode 12 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch.

A WOLFE AMONG BULLDOGS

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Another week, another great young talent comes across our view for the Poland Lady Bulldogs, This time around its Emma Wolfe. Emma says she watched a lot of this program last season. She knew what kind of success they were having. That may be an intimidating factor for most. Emma handled the pressure though and was excited to start to be a part of this program. Like most of the freshman we have talked to, Wolfe says that the family atmosphere of the program embraced her immediately. Partly because of her first couple interactions with Coach Blanch. He says the biggest thing he’s seen change in her game this season is her confidence. Not just in her game, but in her work ethic, and in the program’s standards. A multi sport athlete, Wolfe has found a seamless transition into high school athletics. The time management demands grow, but Wolfe has adapted to the challenge, and she’s done enough to letter in basketball this year. Wolves travel in packs, and this Wolfe has a pack of Bulldogs next to her for the next three seasons.

Anthony Hartwig went down to Poland and caught up with Emma before the team’s first tournament game. They discussed the program’s family atmosphere, transitions between sports, and much more. Kick up your feet, and take a listen to the latest Lady Bulldogs Player Profile A Wolfe Among Bulldogs

POLAND GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EPISODE 11 WITH NICK BLANCH)

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It’s officially tournament time in Poland. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a decisive win over rival Canfield. Now their sights are set to their first tournament game against Struthers. It will mark the third meeting between the two schools. Poland won the first two, but they are not taking the Wildcats lightly.

Anthony Hartwig caught up with coach Blanch before the Struthers game. They talk about winning in Canfield, the feeling around tournament time, and much more. Get all the info you need before tournament time in episode 11 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch

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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 POACHES FALCONS ON SENIOR NIGHT

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POLAND, OH- Poland playing their final home game of the season against the Austintown Fitch Falcons, were looking for victory momentum before playing their rival on Friday. The Bulldogs would do just that on Senior Night. Poland Seniors Michael Cougras and Adam Kassem both finished in double figures in points. Bulldogs beat the Falcons 53-44.

First-quarter was a defensive dominate 8 minutes with Fitch taking the early lead 11-10. Devin Sherwood for the Falcons lead all scorers with 6 points at the end of the quarter. The Falcons regained the lead going into halftime 24-23 after getting some support from the bench. Ross Dedo helped the Bulldogs keep close with the Falcons with 8 points going into halftime.

Poland regained the lead in the third quarter and went back and forth with the Falcons for the lead until the end of the game. Poland comes away with a victory 53-44 on Senior Night. Kassem led all scorers at the end of the night with 15 points while Todd Simons had 14 for Fitch. Poland (15-6) will travel for its final game of the season on Friday against rival Canfield. Fitch will travel to Boardman on Friday for their final game of the season.

*Story contributed by YSN’s Anthony Melone

GAME PHOTOS: HERE

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 GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP10 WITH NICK BLANCH)

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The regular season is coming to a close for the Bulldogs. They are fresh off their second consecutive undefeated NE8 season. The new champions then took it to Howland in their home finale. They now look to find revenge on their rival Canfield who beat them by four earlier this season. A loss that Coach Blanch still is sour about. He feels they left the win out on the court and is excited for another shot at the Cardinals. 

Anthony Hartwig went down to Poland and caught up with Coach Blanch after their win against Howland. They discuss going through senior night, the Poland Canfield rivalry, and much more. Gear up for the regular season finale with Episode 10 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch.

THE FORSYTH TO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT

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The transition between being an eighth grade student athlete, and a high school one is not always easy. The game is faster, it demands more dedication and focus, and school work demands more time. For Poland freshman Sarah Forsyth the transition took a little bit of time to adjust to, but once she did she hit the ground running. Coach Blanch says it’s hard sometimes for players to immediately make the change over to the high school level. He says once Sarah figures it out she quickly grew as a player. Sarah also says that initially she felt the pressure of coming in to a program that had so much success last season. The family bond that this program has built quickly did away with any pressure she had about being on the team. Now she gets to just be herself go out and know that her entire team is behind her. That is a freeing feeling for the freshman. Foresight is defined as the ability to predict future events, and Coach Blanch has the foresight to know something great is on the horizon with Sarah Forsyth. 

Anthony Hartwig sat down with Sarah this week after the team’s big win over Howland. They discuss coming into the program as a freshman, first interactions with Coach Blanch, and much more. The regular season is winding down but the player profiles are heating up. Enjoy the latest one in the Poland series The Forsyth To Make Something Great.

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.