12/7 Most Valuable Thoughts, Part I: WCV/Poland Girls Hoops

Poland 59, West Canada Valley 42

Last year, I was a girls basketball coach. Made it to way more girls’ hoops than boys. This year, I’m running a boys basketball summer league. Therefore, my girls basketball attendance is suffering. This was my first one of the season, but it was certainly an interesting one. Poland worked their way up to a 15 point lead at two different junctures, had all of it wiped away, and then used a 4^th quarter run to get it all back.

Poland is a team possibly still getting into basketball mode after making the state finals in girls soccer. West Canada is a team getting used to not having a Fauvelle on the roster – with Alexis just graduated after 5 years on the varsity level and Desi before her playing for 4, and only one non-Fauvelle year between them, that’s a name you just get used to seeing on the roster. The 2^nd year in the last decade without one running the show. Also, a familiar face on the sideline has been replaced by another familiar face. Meg Cullinan retired from coaching after something like 3 decades at the helm. WCV’s new coach? Brian Ellis, who made a name for himself when making all-football Dolgeville care a little bit about hoops. He’s also JV coach Barb’s husband. Enough about the history… they played a game.

Coach Potempa at Poland has a senior-laden crew with a lot of varsity experience, and they showed it early against a WCV team that isn’t necessarily young, but much more inexperienced. WCV managed just one FT in the first 6:51 before leading returning scorer Carissa Tasovac finally gave the Indians their first field goal, but Poland had already started their work. A balanced effort gave them a 12-1 lead before that bucket, and they ended the 1^st quarter up 12-5. There were more turnovers than points in the 1^st (19 to 17), with WCV committing 11 of them. The Tornadoes kept it up in the 2^nd, and they went on a 10-2 run over a 2:10 stretch which brought the lead up to 22-7. Ellis called a TO after a Paige Sullivan breakaway layup, and WCV responded by scoring 7 in just over a minute, 6 of them from Hayley Yager. Although it was no longer double digits, Poland still held a nice lead at half, with the score at 24-15.

Poland started the 3^rd like they started the first 2 – strong. 3 buckets by 3 different players in the first 1:10 of the 3^rd brought the lead back up to 15, but they couldn’t pass that number again. The Lady Indians scored the next 9, 5 from Tasovac, and ultimately got it down to 5. After a trey from Poland freshman Shiane Irwin extended it to 8, WCV scored the next 6 to knock the deficit to 2. By the end of the 3^rd, WCV was in business, down 36-33. Tasovac had 8 of her team’s 18 in the 3^rd – Poland did their usual, with their 12 3^rd quarter points spread between 5 players. A Yager 3 with 7:08 left forged the game’s first and only tie at 36, but it was all Poland after. Kara Morrison had a bucket and a pair of free throws for Poland, and after Kristen Sportello hit a pair of free throws for WCV to bring it back to a 2 point game, Poland scored the next 13 to make it 53-38 with 3:16 to go. Of course, 5 different players scored in that run. Shiane Irwin had 4 of them, including a big 3 to spring the run on the possession after the Sportello free throws. They did all of that in the matter of 1:45 of game time. Talk about a momentum swing! This time, they got it past 15, with a Morrison bucket making it 57-40. Mikayla Flansburg’s lone basket gave Poland their largest lead at 59-40 with 1:38 to go, right after Poland emptied their bench.

I expected a lot out of Poland this year, and I think they can provide what I expect. When they’re clicking, you forget they’re pretty much all soccer players first for a second. They can be a very good basketball team in Class D. They’re very balanced – no go-to scorer, especially with big girl Kierston Backus at Holland Patent now, but Morrison, Sullivan, Irwin, Nicole Kasprzyk, and Shawna Rickard can all give you double digits on any given night. They rebound, they make layups, they can hit some free throws, and they can now hit the 3. The basics can go a long way. Two things to work on through the season: turnover numbers were crazy on both sides. 64 combined turnovers, with WCV committing 34 to Poland’s 30. They were giving up the ball like it was money at the mall. Also, Poland scored their points in stretches, and they went cold over stretches. They scored 10 points in a 2:10 stretch in the 2^nd, then scored 2 points in the last 4:38 of the quarter. They scored 6 points in the first 1:10 of the 3^rd, then didn’t score for the next 3:35 en route to scoring 6 the rest of the quarter. If that turns into a more consistent effort without droughts, I feel like they become a relatively legitimate contender in D to give favorites Oriskany a battle.

Kara Morrison led all scorers, finishing with 17 for Poland. Shiane Irwin had a nice game, hitting 3 threes and finishing with 16. On WCV’s end, Hayley Yager & Carissa Tasovac finished with 14 apiece. Yager hit 3 threes as well.

WCV: Hayley Yager 14, Carissa Tasovac 14, Kristen Sportello 7, Morgan Lynch 6, Danielle VanName 1. Totals: 13 FG (4 3s), 12/28 FT, 42.

Poland: Kara Morrison 17, Shiane Irwin 16, Paige Sullivan 7, Shawna Rickard 7, Mikayla Blumenstock 6, Nicole Kasprzyk 4, Mikayla Flansburg 2. Totals: 24 FG (5 3s), 6/11 FT, 59.