To view game action photos, click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
RADNOR – Lou Palkovics has seen a lot of good basketball during his years at the helm. The Council Rock North coach can’t recall seeing a quarter that was much better than the second quarter of his squad’s game against Methacton in Saturday’s Hoops for Hope Classic at Cabrini College.It all started innocently enough.
Senior Kate Logan buried a three-pointer 30 seconds into the frame that gave the Indians a 14-12 lead in what had been a seesaw affair.
A Methacton miss was followed by a Sarah Kiely bucket at the other end, and after a Logan steal, Juliann Fricke buried a shot from the outside.
A pattern was developing.
The Indians were forcing turnovers and pushing the Warriors away from the basket. Methacton misses were leading to fastbreaks. So were the Warrior turnovers.
“Defense is key to Council Rock North,” Logan said. “Our whole program – there’s always a huge emphasis on defense.”
The Indians opened up a 24-12 lead after Fricke found Kiely for a fastbreak basket before the Warriors broke a four-plus minute scoring drought with a bucket by Abby Devlin.
It was only a temporary reprieve as the Indians closed out the half with a 12-4 tear, taking a 37-19 lead into halftime on their way to a 50-34 win over the previously undefeated Warriors.“It’s one of the best quarters my team has played in the 12 years I have been a girls’ coach,” Palkovics said of a quarter that saw his team outscore the Warriors 26-7. “They just did everything right – running the floor, penetrating and dishing. It’s not like we ran a lot of sets that quarter.
“It starts with the guards. I have three very quick guards (Devin and Lauren Gold and Juliann Fricke). When those three get going, they work well together.”
Speaking of ‘getting going,’ no one had it going better than Sarah Kiely. The Indians’ 6-0 junior forward turned in a stellar 22-point, 16-rebound performance that included a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line.
“What people see is she’s big, but what they don’t see is she’s very athletic,” Palkovics said. “She’s the spiker on the volleyball team, and she can jump. She’s very athletic, and she’s very aggressive.”
Kiely did most of her damage in the first half when she accumulated 18 points – 12 in an overpowering second quarter.
“We definitely picked up momentum in the second quarter,” Logan said. “We got a lot of looks to Sarah inside, and once we started looking inside we were able to kick it back out, so we were able to work the inside-outside game.”
The win avenged last year’s season-ending loss to Methacton in the second round of the District One AAAA Tournament.
“It was sweet redemption after last year,” Logan said.
“It’s just like last year beating Cheltenham after they beat us in the (state) championship game,” Kiely said. “It’s the same thing - it’s eating you up inside, and once you beat a team that sent you home last year, it’s just a great feeling.”
There was nothing in the opening quarter that suggested the game would turn into a rout. A trey by Lauren Ruhl – who was kept under wraps by Rock North’s Fricke – gave the Warriors a 6-5 lead, but Kiely was fouled going back up after an offensive rebound and sank a pair from the foul line.
Another Kiely bucket put the Indians on top 9-6, but the Warriors came back to take a 10-9 lead after a Sarah McMichael deuce. Freshman Lauren Gold (12 points) sank a pair from the foul line to put the Indians on top by one, but Khaila Speller answered by burying two foul shots, giving the Warriors a 12-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
Take away two Rock North turnovers early in the frame – both of which were followed by Warrior turnovers, and the Indians scored on every possession in the quarter.
The Indians connected on three treys in the frame. Logan, who scored all eight of her points in the second quarter, had two of them.
“They were starting to double and triple team Sarah in the post,” Palkovics said. “When Kate stepped out and hit those two threes – now all of a sudden there was no off side help, and we were able to go back inside.”
The Warriors trimmed the Indians’ lead to 32-19 with 1:04 remaining in the first half, but Kiely connected on a pair of foul shots, and on the Indians’ next possession, the junior forward kicked the ball out to Devin Gold, who buried a trey at the buzzer, sending the Indians into halftime with a 37-19 lead.
“It’s awesome because we can play a great inside-outside game,” Kiely said. “I can get the ball in the post, and if I get doubled, I know we have good three-point shooters, so I can pass out, and they can shoot the three. It’s really effective.”
In the third quarter, the points stopped coming for the Indians, who managed just five points and only one field goal. They didn’t do much better in the fourth quarter when they scored eight points, again with the benefit of just one field goal.
“I said to them, ‘I don’t mean to be a downer after the game, but how do you score 26 in the second quarter and 13 in the second half?’” Palkovics said. “I wasn’t real happy with that. It kind of felt like we were just hanging on.”
EXTRA SHOTS: The Indians, who improved to 4-1 on the young season, were a near perfect 20-of-22 from the foul line. ..Kiely put up big numbers, but her personal highlight might well have occurred late in the fourth quarter when she drew a charge on the defensive end.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 50, METHACTON 34
Council Rock North (50) – Juliann Fricke 1 2-2 4; Devin Gold 1 0-0 3, Kelly Scull 1 1-2 3; Sarah Kiely 5 12-12 22; Kate Logan 3 0-0 8, Lauren Gold 2 3-4 8; Alexandra Mangogna 0 0-0 0; Emily Grundman 0 0-0 0; Rebecca Houser 0 2-2 2; Stephanie Brennan 0 0-0 0; Chloe Pinto 0 0-0 0; Jodi Marrazzo 0 0-0 0; Brittany Garvey 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 20-22 50.
Methacton (34) – Lauren Ruhl 3 1-3 9, Ali Hammond 0 1-2 1; Leeann Randall 1 2-2 4; Mel Ordway 3 1-2 7; Sarah McMichael 1 0-0 2; Khaila Speller 0 2-2 2; Abby Devlin 2 0-1 4; Lindsey Allebach 1 0-0 2; Number 25 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 8-14 34.
Council Rock North 11 26 5 8-50
Methacton 12 7 7 8-34
Three-point goals: Logan 2, D.Gold, L. Gold, Ruhl 2.
- Log in to post comments
0
