A streak no more Lady Tigers halt a losing streak to Hiland in 55-51 overtime thriller
Strasburg head coach Brenton Bonanno has seen some pretty limited crowds at the Tigers gymnasium over the past couple of years.
The contest between his Tigers and the visiting Lady Hawks of Hiland was not one of them.
In front of a huge and boisterous crowd, the Lady Tigers ended what has been a colossal losing streak against Hiland, a streak that dates back at least to the 1994-1995 season, and spans at least 45 games, by gutting out a 55-51 overtime win that sent the local faithfuls in Strasburg into a tizzy following the contest.
“I like to act like we knew we were good enough to win, but at the same time, this has been who knows how many years of frustration of getting beat by this team, so it is exciting for the girls and for this community. It is a huge win for this program.”
For the entire first half, it looked like the Lady Tigers (11-1) were in prime position to fend off Hiland for a change.
After MacKenzie Colombo and McKenzie Miller traded buckets to start the game, Strasburg scored the next eight points to take a 10-2 lead. However, Hiland rallied and at the end of one Strasburg’s lead had been cut to 12-10.
The Lady Tigers immediately went to work in the second, forging a 21-11 lead, with Stephanie Schuster starting and ending the run with a driving lay-up and a three-pointer.
Strasburg eventually built its biggest lead of the game at 25-14 on Cortney Fondriest’s bucket inside, but Miller’s lay-up ended the half, Hiland (8-2) trailing 25-16.
During the incredible 45-plus game winning streak, Strasburg has been in position to win, but Hiland has always managed to make runs in close games, and this one was no exception. Bria Coil, Miller and Meagan Hall all scored inside in a heartbeat, and the Lady Tigers lead was down to 25-22. Mikayla Johnson hit a three-pointer — not the last time the diminutive guard would hit a huge shot — but Hiland answered right back by going on a 6-2 run, the final score coming off a knifing drive at the end of the quarter to make it 30-28.
Just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hiland’s Miller scored on a drive, and Jasmine Goings connected in the paint to give Hiland its first lead at 32-30.
King then hit a pair of free throws and Schuster buried a three-pointer to give Strasburg the lead back, but Miller snuck in a put-back, Schlabach hit a long trey and Goings hit a baseline spinner, and suddenly Hiland had the Lady Tigers reeling, down 39-35.
“We had a chance to put them away right there and we didn’t,” said Hiland coach Dave Schlabach. “We’re up four, make a careless turnover, they penetrate and hit the three in the corner. I give Strasburg a tremendous amount of credit. They made every big play late, and we didn’t have any big play makers.”
That big three-pointer came courtesy of Johnson, who calmly drilled home the triple from the corner with 2:41 left to play to knot the score at 39. Goings made a pair of free throws at the 2:22 mark, and Miller followed suit to put Hiland up by four with 1:31 to play.
In the past, it was here where Strasburg has usually folded, but not on this night. With just over one minute to play, Nikki Cregan hit a huge jumper from the free throw line, and after a Hiland turnover, Ariel Jones was fouled with 37 seconds to play. She calmly sank both free throws to tie the score at 43.
In the frantic final few seconds of regulation, both teams had opportunities to claim a victory, but Cregan missed twice, Goings missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Colombo’s lay-up rolled off the rim with a second to play, forcing overtime.
This was supposed to be where the curse of a gigantic losing streak reared its ugly head, but instead, the Lady Tigers again showed great fortitude and composure, and came out of the huddle like the team that was supposed to win.
In less than two minutes, King, Schuster, Colombo and Cregan all scored, and Hiland missed at every angle, and saw Miller, their leading scorer, foul out.
By the time Colombo’s final free throw nestled into the net with 1.2 seconds to give Strasburg the four-point cushion it needed, the Strasburg bench, and the Tiger fans were more than ready to flood the floor.
“We told our kids that we knew they would go on a run,” said Bonanno. “That’s what great teams do. We told them we need to sustain that drive and make one of our own, and our kids definitely stepped up and did that.”
Bonanno said that it was a complete team effort, and said that handling Hiland’s intense pressure was a key to the victory. He said that they practice a great deal on creating that kind of pressure, and noted that he tells his kids that the pressure they create in practice needs to be as hectic as what they will see in a game.
For the Lady Tigers, it was a win everyone could be proud of, and Bonanno said that the win means so much not just to this season, but to the program and the community.
“I told Dave before the game that I wish we played them every night, because we would have more than 15 people in the stands,” said Bonanno. “Just a great atmosphere and a great turnout for the girls. Our kids are really playing with a lot of confidence.”
For Hiland, it was the beginning of a three game test with Strasburg and the two Classic in the Country confrontations with powerhouses Cincinnati Withrow and North Canton Hoover that Schlabach felt would define this team a little better.
“We’re the same team we have been for two years now,” said Schlabach. “We haven’t changed our personality at all. I felt like we had them on the ropes and let them off. We turned the ball over and missed free throws; it was one thing after another. They looked for an opportunity and they got it. That was a huge game in a lot of ways.
“Now, we either feel sorry for ourselves or they use it as motivation to work our way back out. We turned the ball over four of our first five possessions tonight. We didn’t act like the team that was starting four seniors. I’m not sure where to turn with this team.”
Aside from Schuster and Cregan’s 13 and King’s 10, Colombo scored nine and Johnson scored six with the two big triples. Hiland was led by Miller who scored 12, while Schlabach added 11, Goings nine, Meagan Hall added eight and Coil chipped in with seven. The win leaves both teams tied atop the Inter-Valley Conference with one loss apiece, both losses coming at the hands of the other team.
Does the win now mean Strasburg will get on a big-time run and put together a long string of wins?
Who knows, but for now, the one game winning streak suits the Lady Tigers just fine.
The contest between his Tigers and the visiting Lady Hawks of Hiland was not one of them.
In front of a huge and boisterous crowd, the Lady Tigers ended what has been a colossal losing streak against Hiland, a streak that dates back at least to the 1994-1995 season, and spans at least 45 games, by gutting out a 55-51 overtime win that sent the local faithfuls in Strasburg into a tizzy following the contest.
“I like to act like we knew we were good enough to win, but at the same time, this has been who knows how many years of frustration of getting beat by this team, so it is exciting for the girls and for this community. It is a huge win for this program.”
For the entire first half, it looked like the Lady Tigers (11-1) were in prime position to fend off Hiland for a change.
After MacKenzie Colombo and McKenzie Miller traded buckets to start the game, Strasburg scored the next eight points to take a 10-2 lead. However, Hiland rallied and at the end of one Strasburg’s lead had been cut to 12-10.
The Lady Tigers immediately went to work in the second, forging a 21-11 lead, with Stephanie Schuster starting and ending the run with a driving lay-up and a three-pointer.
Strasburg eventually built its biggest lead of the game at 25-14 on Cortney Fondriest’s bucket inside, but Miller’s lay-up ended the half, Hiland (8-2) trailing 25-16.
During the incredible 45-plus game winning streak, Strasburg has been in position to win, but Hiland has always managed to make runs in close games, and this one was no exception. Bria Coil, Miller and Meagan Hall all scored inside in a heartbeat, and the Lady Tigers lead was down to 25-22. Mikayla Johnson hit a three-pointer — not the last time the diminutive guard would hit a huge shot — but Hiland answered right back by going on a 6-2 run, the final score coming off a knifing drive at the end of the quarter to make it 30-28.
Just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hiland’s Miller scored on a drive, and Jasmine Goings connected in the paint to give Hiland its first lead at 32-30.
King then hit a pair of free throws and Schuster buried a three-pointer to give Strasburg the lead back, but Miller snuck in a put-back, Schlabach hit a long trey and Goings hit a baseline spinner, and suddenly Hiland had the Lady Tigers reeling, down 39-35.
“We had a chance to put them away right there and we didn’t,” said Hiland coach Dave Schlabach. “We’re up four, make a careless turnover, they penetrate and hit the three in the corner. I give Strasburg a tremendous amount of credit. They made every big play late, and we didn’t have any big play makers.”
That big three-pointer came courtesy of Johnson, who calmly drilled home the triple from the corner with 2:41 left to play to knot the score at 39. Goings made a pair of free throws at the 2:22 mark, and Miller followed suit to put Hiland up by four with 1:31 to play.
In the past, it was here where Strasburg has usually folded, but not on this night. With just over one minute to play, Nikki Cregan hit a huge jumper from the free throw line, and after a Hiland turnover, Ariel Jones was fouled with 37 seconds to play. She calmly sank both free throws to tie the score at 43.
In the frantic final few seconds of regulation, both teams had opportunities to claim a victory, but Cregan missed twice, Goings missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Colombo’s lay-up rolled off the rim with a second to play, forcing overtime.
This was supposed to be where the curse of a gigantic losing streak reared its ugly head, but instead, the Lady Tigers again showed great fortitude and composure, and came out of the huddle like the team that was supposed to win.
In less than two minutes, King, Schuster, Colombo and Cregan all scored, and Hiland missed at every angle, and saw Miller, their leading scorer, foul out.
By the time Colombo’s final free throw nestled into the net with 1.2 seconds to give Strasburg the four-point cushion it needed, the Strasburg bench, and the Tiger fans were more than ready to flood the floor.
“We told our kids that we knew they would go on a run,” said Bonanno. “That’s what great teams do. We told them we need to sustain that drive and make one of our own, and our kids definitely stepped up and did that.”
Bonanno said that it was a complete team effort, and said that handling Hiland’s intense pressure was a key to the victory. He said that they practice a great deal on creating that kind of pressure, and noted that he tells his kids that the pressure they create in practice needs to be as hectic as what they will see in a game.
For the Lady Tigers, it was a win everyone could be proud of, and Bonanno said that the win means so much not just to this season, but to the program and the community.
“I told Dave before the game that I wish we played them every night, because we would have more than 15 people in the stands,” said Bonanno. “Just a great atmosphere and a great turnout for the girls. Our kids are really playing with a lot of confidence.”
For Hiland, it was the beginning of a three game test with Strasburg and the two Classic in the Country confrontations with powerhouses Cincinnati Withrow and North Canton Hoover that Schlabach felt would define this team a little better.
“We’re the same team we have been for two years now,” said Schlabach. “We haven’t changed our personality at all. I felt like we had them on the ropes and let them off. We turned the ball over and missed free throws; it was one thing after another. They looked for an opportunity and they got it. That was a huge game in a lot of ways.
“Now, we either feel sorry for ourselves or they use it as motivation to work our way back out. We turned the ball over four of our first five possessions tonight. We didn’t act like the team that was starting four seniors. I’m not sure where to turn with this team.”
Aside from Schuster and Cregan’s 13 and King’s 10, Colombo scored nine and Johnson scored six with the two big triples. Hiland was led by Miller who scored 12, while Schlabach added 11, Goings nine, Meagan Hall added eight and Coil chipped in with seven. The win leaves both teams tied atop the Inter-Valley Conference with one loss apiece, both losses coming at the hands of the other team.
Does the win now mean Strasburg will get on a big-time run and put together a long string of wins?
Who knows, but for now, the one game winning streak suits the Lady Tigers just fine.
Published: January 12, 2012
