Hustling Stingers knock off Portage in title tilt
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CRESSON -- Under the coaching of Lance Hudak, Portage games have become known for swarms of players clad in green and white diving all over the floor, grabbing loose basketballs and applying pressure defense.
That certainly happened in Thursday's District 6 Class 2A championship game at Mount Aloysius.
Unfortunately for the Lady Mustangs, much of it was done by the similarly-colored Lady Stingers of Marion Center.
Marion Center took the lead on a 3-pointer by freshman Macie Miller with 2:35 to play in the first half and never looked back in a 58-44 win.
"That part of the game, we talk about it a lot that we're always going to win it," Hudak said. "Those 50-50 balls, hustle plays, and you know, they were all over the floor tonight diving for balls and getting those. Not that we weren't, but it was all falling their way. I thought our effort was amazing as always, but we'll have to get it together mentally and believe that we're still in this. We have to get over this."
The Lady Stingers beat Portage in the District 6 playoffs for the second year in a row.
"That's been the story of our season, just heart and hustle," Marion Center coach Amy Trimble said. "No matter who we play, you just have to have more heart than them. Talent can only take you so far, but the chemistry, heart and hustle plays is what is going to win you the game."
The championship was the first for Marion Center since back-to-back District 6 titles in 2010 and 2011, when Trimble was playing on the team. The Lady Stingers will be in the same slot in the PIAA playoff bracket that Homer-Center advanced all the way to the state championship from last year.
"Before, it wasn't common to have teams from our area in the state championship," Trimble said. "Now it's like, if they can do it, we can do it. What's the difference? With the team we have and the heart and chemistry, it's above any other team I have coached."
Portage is no stranger to long state playoff runs itself. Several players on this year's senior-led team were big parts of the Lady Mustangs team that made it to the PIAA Class 1A semifinals in 2022.
"We're not going in as the seed we wanted," Hudak said. "But we have been in this situation before and done great things in this tournament. You have to have a short memory and get up tomorrow, learn who we are playing next Friday night and start preparing for that."
The Lady Mustangs will play the third-place team from the WPIAL on March 8.
Portage took its final lead of Thursday's game when Brooke Bednarski made a layup off an assist from Jenna Burkett that made it 16-15. Liana Bagby added a free throw before Marion Center star Lydia Miller tied the game on a pair of free throws. That started an 11-4 run that put the Lady Stingers up by five at the half.
Marion Center scored the first five points of the second half on a Natalie Black layup and a 3-pointer by Mya Lipsie.
"That's what is extremely cool about this team," Trimble said. "Any given night, it could be someone's game. Against Southern Huntingdon, Mya Lipsie had a great scoring game. Our last game it was Mollie Shadle and Lydia. We're really hard to guard, because you never know who it is going to be."
Portage battled back with four free throws by Alex Chobany and a jump shot by Burkett to make it 33-30, but Alivia Ruddock made two free throws to end the third quarter and start an 8-0 run that all but put a Lady Mustang team struggling offensively away.
"We made that run in the third quarter and got it down to three," Hudak said. "I really thought, 'okay, here we go,' and we had that confidence back and thought we were going to make a run for it, but they answered. Lydia Miller is a fantastic point guard that can control the game with her handle and her penetration. Their other girls were hitting from outside. We lost them. They played a really good game offensively, and we didn't play well enough tonight. There are going to be those nights, and you hate for it to be in the district championship, but it was."
Chobany and Burkett each scored 13 points to lead Portage.
"I honestly think we just need to leave this behind us," Burkett said. "We know we're not done. That's the best part about this. While this is awful, we need to realize that this is not our last game. We need to use this and take this feeling now and put it on the floor and take that energy and passion and use that to help us make it to the state championship."
Portage beat Marion Center, 49-37, on Dec. 5.
"We had a lot of girls sick that game," Trimble said. "That's not an excuse, but it really is. Lydia, our point guard, was really sick for two days and hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. She had zero energy, and with it being our first game of the season and her being our senior leader, that was sort of what everyone looked to. That's not an excuse though. We just played really bad. Tonight we put all the pieces of the puzzle together."
The energy level of Marion Center certainly was higher Thursday.
"It's been a whole season," Burkett said. "You see a team once, and that doesn't define them. They have obviously improved, and they are a very good team. We knew that coming in here. They had a lot more falling, and everything seemed to fall in their favor with the shots. We couldn't get anything to fall."
PORTAGE (44): Hudak 3 0-0 8, Chobany 3 6-6 13, Cam. Burkett 0 0-0 0, J. Burkett 3 7-8 13, B. Bednarski 2 3-6 7, Myher 1 0-0 2, Bagby 0 1-2 1, Noll 0 0-0 0, Cas. Burkett 0 0-0 0, K. Bednarski 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 12 17-22 44.
MARION CENTER (58): L. Miller 2 8-8 12, M. Miller 3 3-4 10, Haggerty 0 0-0 0, Lipsie 2 0-0 6, Black 2 0-0 4, Shadle 2 3-3 8, Al. Ruddock 4 2-2 10, Av. Ruddock 2 0-0 6, Wilson 1 0-0 2. Totals -- 18 16-17 58.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Portage 12 9 9 14 -- 44
Marion Center 12 14 9 23 -- 58
3-point goals: Portage 3 (Hudak 2, Chobany); Marion Center 6 (Av. Ruddock 2, Lipsie 2, M. Miller, Shadle).
Records: Portage (23-3); Marion Center (20-5).
Officials: Terri Piatak, Vicki Markiewicz, George Figura.