Forsyth leads Poland past Struthers, 57-56
A pair of late free throws push the Bulldogs to an NE-8 victory
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POLAND -- Kids dream of hitting the game-winning shot while playing in the driveway at home. Thursday night, Poland senior forward Sarah Forsyth got to live the dream.
With just 1.7 seconds remaining in the contest and the Bulldogs trailing by a point, Forsyth was fouled trying to put back a rebound in the paint. Following a timeout, she calmly sank both shots to win the game and send the home team into elation with a dramatic 57-56 victory over the Struthers Wildcats.
"I was really nervous, but I just had to clear my head and know that you can do it and believe in yourself," Forsyth said. "I had never been in that situation, and it was a really fun experience, and my adrenaline was going. My heart was racing. It was crazy."
Both the Struthers Wildcats and the Poland Bulldogs entered Thursday night's contest with perfect 4-0 records in the NE-8 girls' basketball standings. Overall, the Bulldogs improve to 8-1 on the year and have sole possession of first place in the league with a 5-0 mark.
"This means a lot," Poland coach Nick Blanch stated. "It puts a little more pressure on the team that didn't come out on top tonight. So, if both teams continue and win out, then there is more pressure on the team that didn't come out on top. Every step of the way is important."
He added "I know they are feeling low in the other locker room, but they have nothing to hang their heads about. There were no losers tonight. That was a phenomenal basketball game."
The loss for the Wildcats drops them to 7-4 on the year and 4-1 in the league and it overshadowed a tremendous performance by Struthers' senior guard Faith Stellato who scored a game-high 21 points in the contest.
"We keep working hard," Wildcats coach Bill Neider remarked. "We talked about the fact that the conference wasn't going to be won or lost today. There is still a lot of season left and we are going to get back to work. I'm happy with how hard we played. I think we are a good team and we are going to be there right at the end."
The Bulldogs had led by four late in the game before Struthers' Emma Morris drained a three with 1:43 left to make it 54-53. Then Chloe Neider would connect on three of four free throws to stake the Wildcats to a 56-55 lead with 1:04 remaining. That would set up Forsyth's game-winning shots.
The game was reminiscent of a tournament-type atmosphere with seven lead changes and many outstanding individual performances as the Wildcats took an early lead in the game following an opening basket by the Bulldogs. They held a 6-point advantage at the end of the first quarter at 19-13.
"It's Struthers - Poland. When it's Struthers and Poland, the intensity is always up a notch," Neider said. "Even when our records weren't as good, we always play at a higher level. It was a tournament feel for our team and I like where we are going."
Following a free throw by Neider to open the second frame the Wildcats would push the lead to 7 at 20-13. They would increase the margin to 8 at 29-21 with 1:48 remaining before halftime and carry that same advantage into the locker rooms at the intermission by leading 31-23.
"It was so back and forth the whole game," Forsyth said. "Them hitting their shots, but we had to come down and hit our shots too and try to keep up our defense."
The Bulldogs made a strong push to start the second half and went on 10-1 run with Brook Rowe and Forsyth hitting threes to help power the surge. They eventually took the lead with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter and stretched the margin to seven, at 42-35, at the end of the period.
The Bulldogs led by as much as six with 5:02 at 46-40 following a bucket by McDonald. However, the Wildcats kept chipping away at the Dogs' lead until they finally took the lead with 1:15 left to set up the dramatic final minute.
The Wildcats will have plenty of time to regroup as they will enjoy a long holiday break before returning to action Monday, January 2nd when they host Ursuline. The Bulldogs will also enjoy some time off prior to their next contest when they travel to Canfield next Friday night.