Knoch outlasts Mars, 46-44
JEFFERSON TWP — Trying to turn the tide back in Knoch’s favor in the fourth frame, Nina Shaw’s proficiency was evident.
The senior California (Pa.) commit’s bucket evened matters at 38 with just over 4:09 left, and shortly after, her assist on Hattie McGraw’s corner three-pointer helped give her crew a permanent lead against a Mars team putting up a fight without one of its key contributors.
Shaw poured in a game-high 16 points and her Knights held on for a 46-44 triumph in their home opener. After leading by three midway through, Knoch wasn’t fazed by a relinquished advantage.
A veteran starting lineup — consisting of three seniors and two juniors — pays dividends.
“Those girls, they’ve been there now,” Andreassi said. “These seniors, it’s been four years of this kind of basketball. They’re not at all rattled down the stretch ... They’ve done it before.”
The hosts only connected on two baskets in the third quarter, which allowed the Planets (2-1) to overtake them in the midst of a 8-2 run.
Down by four, Knights (2-1) senior Megan Vasas pulled away a rebound and CeCe Kosecki cut the deficit in half. Then came Shaw’s make and, after another Mars giveaway, she drove down the lane, shoving the ball out left to McGraw as she crashed to the ground. McGraw, fresh off a performance Saturday in which she bucketed five treys, sunk her second three-pointer of the contest to take the lead back.
“All the credit goes to their offense and defense — especially their defense,” Planets coach Dana Petruska said. “They took away the things that we take for granted. It was one of those, I think, good games to learn from.”
Younger players will have to get an education on the fly, with senior guard Alexa McDole possibly out for an extended period of time. McDole was injured on the opening possession of the contest and left the gym on crutches.
“That’s my biggest concern right now, is for her (McDole),” Knoch coach Chris Andreassi said. “Obviously, she makes a big difference on their team. Right now, I’m more concerned about her health than anything else ... She’s a great player.”
McDole averaged 11.3 points per outing a year ago, also hitting the mark on 58 treys.
“Losing Lex is huge for us,” Petruska said. “It changes a lot, just because she creates ... Just that aggressiveness on offense and defense. But, we’ll see what happens tomorrow in practice.”
That session will have to go a long way in finding a fifth starter to round out the lineup for the time being. Sophomore Carmella McDole was inserted and finished with three points after her older sister was helped off the floor. Freshman Alexis Cashdollar also helped off the bench, adding seven points.
It was a positive sign that the team continued to battle.
It gave itself a few more chances after Cashdollar’s layup made it a 45-44 ballgame with 0:54 remaining. Shaw made the first of a one-and-one before the second bounced out, but senior Annalyn Isaacs couldn’t tie it up on an attempt half a minute later. The Planets got the miss they needed when they sent Shaw to the line again with nine ticks left on the clock.
Senior Vita Vargo’s floater, which would have sent it to overtime, came up short as the buzzer sounded.
“They could’ve folded their tents, especially when she (McDole) went down, just because they’re so close,” Petruska said. “I could see it was bothering the majority of them. But, they didn’t. We struggled there for a little bit early on, but then they snapped out of it and they got back to work.
“But it’s still not the same.”
MARS 44
Vita Vargo 7 0-0 15, Annalyn Isaacs 4 0-0 9, Olivia Donnelly 4 0-0 8, Alexis Cashdollar 3 1-2 7, Carmella McDole 2 1-2 3, Lauren Atwell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 2-4 44.
KNOCH 46
Nina Shaw 7 1-4 16, Naturelle Ewing 3 0-0 8, Hattie McGraw 3 0-0 8, CeCe Kosecki 3 0-2 6, Adah Fuller 1 0-0 3, Megan Vasas 1 2-2 4, Paige Rodgers 0 1-2 1. Totals: 18 4-10 46.
Mars 12 11 8 13 — 44
Knoch 18 8 4 16 — 46
Thursday: Mars at Franklin Regional, Hampton at Mars
