Vikings ice Hurons in second half to take 34-22 home win
by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor
A patient Posen Viking team shook off a first half scare to defeat the Rogers City Huron girls 34-22 in Posen Tuesday.
Although down at the half, there was no panic in the Viking locker room, said coach Karl Momrik as the girls took care of business in the second half.
?We have been involved in a lot of nail-biters this year and especially after that big game with Arenac, I was afraid we would come out a little flat,? said Posen coach Karl Momrik. Applying a seldom-used zone, and a slightly shaken up line-up, Huron coach Paul Stempky?s charges took control in the early going. Sparked by the long-range shooting of junior guard Sam Hall, who connected on four long two-pointers, the Hurons went up 13-7 after one quarter of play.
?We moved our feet real well. We did some nice boxing out,? Stempky said. ?I think (the zone) is going to be an asset for us.?
LINDSAY PONIK?S jumper in the lane and Victoria Wozniak?s shot from the corner came before the last of Hall?s eight points in the quarter.
Logan Schuiteman, starting at point guard for the first time, assisted on Hall?s jumper to start the second quarter, and but that would be Hall?s last points of the game. She drew special attention from Momrik?s charges after that.
Posen showed great patience passing the ball around the perimeter until Tina Mulka connected on a short jumper. Mulka set up Wozniak for a jumper from the right side then hit one from the left to cut the lead to four at 17-13 with 5:50 to go in the half. After Leann Knopf hit one-of-two from the free-throw line at the four-minute mark, Posen?s full court press shut down the Hurons the rest of the half. Wozniak?s jumper with 1:42 left in the half cut the Hurons? lead to 18-17.
Greta Grambau?s rainbow jumper from the left wing with 4:41 on the clock would be the only Huron points of the frame. The Vikings? defense stifled Huron chances while a patient offense took good shots.
PATIENCE PAID OFF for the Vikings. Nicole Purol?s shot from just inside the free-throw line gave Posen a lead they would not relinquish. A short jumper by Lindsey Bartz and a buzzer beater by Mulka, off a rebound from a Janice Ciarkowski shot, gave Posen a 25-20 lead after three.
Rogers City managed just an inside shot from Schuiteman as the Vikings took charge in the fourth quarter. ?We just stopped moving,? Stempky said. ?We got caught in one spot and then they stopped looking for their shots and things didn?t go well.? Hall?s 10 points led the Hurons while Grambau and Heather Luetzow each scored four.
Mulka led all scorers with 15 points while Wozniak added two. Posen is now 14-2 overall and 11-0 in the NSL. ?Now we have the chance to win the NSL championship against Hale and hopefully we can get it done in front of the home crowd,? Momrik said. In the first match-up between Hale and Posen, the Eagles led by 19 before the Vikings came back for the win.
LAST WEEK, Posen topped Arenac Eastern 45-42 behind Wozniak?s 21 points. She hit four-of-four from the free-throw line in the quarter. Purol added nine points. Posen trailed 22-18 at halftime and trailed 30-29 after three.
The Huron varsity suffered two losses in the U.P. last week. At Rudyard a 13-2 first quarter powered the Bulldogs to a 48-39 win. Rogers City couldn?t overcome a slow start, but chipped away at the lead, which was 28-15 at halftime.
Grambau had the hot hand for the Hurons, scoring 15 points while Knopf added 12 and Schuiteman scored nine. The Hurons suffered a 76-23 loss at St. Ignace. Hall had a hot hand in the second quarter, connecting on four three-pointers for her team-high 12 points.
St. Ignace led 30-2 after the first quarter and 49-16 at halftime. Rogers City?s junior varsity defeated Rudyard and lost to St. Ignace last week. At Rudyard, the Hurons trailed 22-11 late in the third quarter but rallied for a 31-24 win. Kelleigh Lamb scored 10 points in the win and Schleben added seven.
St. Ignace notched a 51-20 win over the Hurons as Erika Kuznicki?s seven points were the most on the team. IN JUNIOR varsity action Tuesday, Posen avenged an earlier loss in Rogers City by taking a 26-25 win over t
LeAnn Strzelecki and Emily Delekta each scored eight points and Judy Romel added six for Posen while Amanda Smolinski and Shelby Schleben each scored six for Rogers City. Paige Lewandowski?s three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Viking junior varsity a 32-29 win over Arenac. She had nine points and Delekta had eight points for Posen. Rogers City (1-13) hosts Sault Ste. Marie tonight (Thursday), then plays at Cedarville Saturday, and at Onaway Tuesday.
Posen hosts Hale tonight needing a win to wrap up the NSL, then plays at Atlanta Monday.