Girls’ Basketball: Marian fends off Schuylkill Haven in non-league thriller
Schuylkill Haven's Audrey Hutchinson, middle, has the ball poked away by Marian's Olivia Serfass, right, as Addy Fritz, left, defends during Friday's non-league game at the CACL Center (Photo by Ashley Donatti).
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Interceptions aren’t a statistic associated with basketball.
It was an interception by Deanna Pugh, however, that helped Marian capture its ninth straight victory Friday night.
Pugh picked off a pass that could have led to a go-ahead basket in the closing seconds as the Fillies outlasted Schuylkill Haven 35-32 in a non-league thriller at the CACL Center.
It was the deciding play in a back-and-forth defensive battle between Schuylkill League playoff contenders that came down to the wire.
“Credit Schuylkill Haven. They came out with an intensity that we haven’t seen all year,” Marian coach Damian Fritz said. “They played really hard in the post. They anticipated really well. We didn’t take care of the ball as much as we should have tonight. Credit them, because they disrupted our rhythm all game.
“For us to be down and then to come back, what a resilient crew. (Haven is) playing really good basketball. To win on their home floor the way we did in the final minutes, I think we have a special team here.”
Pugh stepped up twice down the stretch for the Fillies (11-1).
First, her steal and layup off a double team in the backcourt capped a 7-0 run that helped Marian overcome a 29-26 deficit to take a 33-29 lead with 1 minute remaining.
“It’s next-play mentality. That’s really been our focus with the girls. We stayed with it,” Fritz said. “We jumped back into our 2-2-1 press and we turned them over, Deanna got that steal and went in, I think that caught them off-guard.”
Schuylkill Haven (7-2) answered with a free throw by Anna Schaeffer and a layup by Alea Porter to slice the lead to 33-32 with 31 seconds left.
After knocking the ball out of bounds near midcourt with 18.7 seconds left, Schuylkill Haven called timeout.
Marian attempted to inbound the ball into the backcourt, but it was batted loose and a wild scramble for the ball ensued. The Hurricanes’ Kylie Siket ended up with it, turned toward the basket and saw a wide-open teammate near the hoop for what could have been an easy layup to give Haven the lead.
Pugh, however, raced through the lane to pick off the pass, giving Marian possession with 13.7 seconds left.
“I just had to think to myself, ‘I had to get that ball,’” Pugh said. “If they would have got that pass, they probably would have scored.”
Added Fritz: “That was a huge play, Deanna running, filling that lane and getting that steal. She’s resilient, she really is.”
Schuylkill Haven then fouled twice to get Marian into the bonus. Olivia Serfass drained two free throws to make it 35-32 with 9.8 seconds left.
Haven inbounded the ball into the frontcourt, then called timeout with 7.3 left. A potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer was long as Marian escaped.
“That was a tough one to swallow there when we lost that possession there,” Schuylkill Haven coach Tony Sanders said of the final seconds. “But we also had a chance at the end to win the game. We were right there.”
Up until the dramatic ending, the game had all the makings of a February Schuylkill League playoff game at Martz Hall.
The Hurricanes set the tone from the outset with an intense, aggressive man-to-man defense that forced 11 first-half turnovers and caused Marian to shoot 5-for-18 from the field. The Fillies finished 13-for-36 from the field and committed 22 turnovers as the Hurricanes held Marian to a season-low scoring output.
Mckenna Runkle had eight of her team-high 14 points in the first half as the teams battled to a 15-15 tie. The game was still tied, at 23-23, after three quarters before Audrey Hutchinson collected three steals in a three-minute span.
She converted her first steal into a layup to put Haven ahead 27-26. Her second steal led to two free throws by Runkle, and her third steal put Siket at the line with 2:05 remaining and a chance to put Haven ahead by two possessions.
Siket missed both free throws, however, part of a 9-for-16 effort at the line by the Hurricanes. Addy Fritz, who led Marian with 14 points, then banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to start the Fillies’ 7-0 run.
“They’re a tough team. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup for us tonight,” Sanders said. “They made some big shots down the stretch and that’s what it came down to … who could make the big play at the end.
“The foul shooting … we have to get that cleaned up because down the stretch that’s going to be key.”
There’s a long way to go in the Schuylkill League season, which resumes Tuesday for both the Fillies and Hurricanes.
Both teams are in the heat of their respective division races — Marian (4-0) is a half-game behind Williams Valley (5-0) in Division II heading into Tuesday’s clash in Tower City, while Schuylkill Haven (4-0) is a half-game behind North Schuylkill (5-0) in Division I leading into their showdown Tuesday in Haven.
If the Fillies and Hurricanes meet again in February, expect another thriller.
“Any win on the road of this caliber,” Coach Fritz said, “where they’re seeded right now in Division I, this could be a semifinal matchup at Martz Hall, depending on what happens. Us coming here to kick off the second half of the season, I’m just so proud of our girls.
“Going into Williams Valley on Tuesday, this really helps our confidence.”
