Durkin’s 10-point 4th quarter sparks Girard to win over Poland
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GIRARD -- Last time Girard squared off with Poland, the Indians lost by 20. Thursday, it looked like history was going to repeat itself, with the Indians falling behind in the first and third quarters.
Girard had other plans however. Every punch Poland threw, the Indians had a response. That and a 10-point quarter from Allison Durkin gave Girard the edge in a 37-35 slugfest.
"We got down by a few and we missed a few shots, but in the third, fourth quarter we started turning around a little bit and momentum started to change," Indians coach Andy Saxon said. "We didn't have many problems against their press like the first time and we put the ball in the basket. I thought our girls moved the ball around real well, we got some high-low looks, we got some bunnies and I thought that was the difference in the game."
Shooting definitely marked the difference as the first time around Girard (9-4) shot under 20 percent. This time, improved shooting as well as better ball security and breaking the Bulldog press gave the Indians the advantage they needed.
"The first time we played them we shot 18 percent and we turned the ball over too much," Saxon said. "They're going to press, they're going to run their 2-2-1, so all we have to do is break the press, get into our half-court game, make our shots and run the floor and I thought they did that well."
Durkin's 10-point final frame capped off a game-high 22-point night for the senior. Esra Dede and Makenzee White each added a basket in the fourth quarter as well.
"(Durkin) came through tonight," Saxon said. "She had some 3s for us. Like I said, the first time we played them we struggled shooting the ball. Tonight we shot a lot better. When you put the ball in the hoop, good things will happen."
Poland's Mary Brant paced the Bulldogs with 17 points on the night. Katie McDonald tacked on 11.
With the loss, Poland falls to 10-3 on the season, but are still in the driver's seat in the Northeast-8. Coach Nick Blanch knows his team plays with a target on their back and are going to get every team's best effort every time they take the court.
"They just outplayed us tonight. Outcoached us, outplayed us, all the above," Blanch said. "Credit to them, I tip my hat to them. It was just their night. I've been around long enough and you see highs and lows and I give them all the credit. They played very well. Our girls just fell a little short tonight. But we learned that everybody's still in the race. We only have one loss in the conference.
"I know this will be big news and make big headlines and it should. Our program's had a lot of success over the years but, everybody else is always going to give us their best shot and tonight their best shot was better than our shot. I'm happy for them. They do a good job over there. They work hard. It just wasn't our night."
The Bulldogs look to rebound on Saturday with a home contest against Hanoverton United.
On Jan. 19, the Indians travel to Cortland to take on the other blue Bulldogs of the Northeast-8 in Lakeview.
"They'll slow the game down, go with a 2-3 zone and make us shoot from the outside," Saxon said. "If we get shots and we run the floor, we'll be fine."