SL Girls’ Basketball Playoffs: North Schuylkill downs Tamaqua in thriller, advances to league final
POTTSVILLE — Practice paid off big time for North Schuylkill.
Hannah Kane netted a running layup off an inbound give from Mya Conti with 5 seconds remaining in regulation as North Schuylkill downed Tamaqua 39-38 in a buzzer-to-buzzer Schuylkill League girls’ basketball semifinal thriller Tuesday at Martz Hall.
“We try to draw some plays up we would need out of a timeout at the end of a game, whether it’s a 2-point or 3-point play,” Spartans coach Rich Wetzel said. “That is just a play we practice. We don’t run it much during the year, that is actually only the third time we ran it this year.
“It’s to get (Hannah) a shot. You’re going to the bucket or driving. Again, it seems unorthodox for most people, but somehow all year long she’s been able to put that running shot in from outside the paint.”
Kane’s bucket propelled North Schuylkill (18-5) to Friday’s title game against Schuylkill Haven (19-5), which edged Marian 41-39 in the first game of Tuesday’s semifinal doubleheader.
After battling through a relentless fourth quarter that turned into a one-point game down the stretch, Millie Black and Lauren Ligenza traded offensive rebounds for Tamaqua (18-6) until Ligenza was fouled as her putback fell. After Ligenza netted the free throw to complete the 3-point play, the Spartans’ lead shrunk to one point, 37-36.
Following a missed elbow jumper by Conti and two Blue Raiders’ timeouts, Samantha Plasha got in on the offensive rebounding for Tamaqua. She grabbed an errant 3-point attempt by Kendle Miller and put in the recycle to give the Blue Raiders the lead at 38-37 with under 20 seconds to play in regulation.
After a pass tipped by Tamaqua went out of bounds under North Schuylkill’s hoop, the pressure was Conti, the inbounder, with 9.0 left on the clock. The Spartans lined up on the left side of the lane before three players went further left, leaving Kane with the right side of the floor wide open. Following a hesitation move, Kane received the pass from Conti and drove right before leaping in the air and releasing a shot that fell in and put the Spartans ahead 39-38 with 5.0 left.
“Its a 10-months-a-year thing in our program,” Wetzel said. “It is the commitment, it’s nothing magical I do. It’s nothing magical my assistants do. That is how we demand and that is what we ask, and we’re fortunate enough that they buy into that.
“We start in April, and we’ll go all the way through to the season. It gives the young kids a chance to develop their skills and get better, and work on stuff that it takes to play. And again, what helps us is our non-league games. We have five losses against very good teams, so we were put under pressure numerous times this year. Every one of those games we may not have won, but it put us in position to win and we know what it’s like to be in that position.”
The Spartans jumped ahead 12-7 after the first quarter as Maria Monahan and Conti each knocked down a 3-pointer in the frame. Monahan totaled five points in the quarter, while Gianna Capone and Kane each chipped in a bucket.
Conti splashed her second triple off an offensive rebound by Kane for North Schuylkill in the second quarter. Conti had five points in the frame, Monahan added two and Monica Selgrade netted a pair of free throws as the Spartans led the Blue Raiders 21-12 at halftime.
