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NANTICOKE — As if playing in front of dozens of past champions wasn’t nerve-racking enough, Maddy Grilz decided to raise the stakes a bit.
With less than 30 seconds remaining in a one-point game, she gambled with an ill-advised 3-point shot.
She won.
And Nanticoke Area had another dramatic victory to celebrate for the ages.
Grilz drilled a her second clutch 3-pointer of the fourth quarter with 29 seconds to play Thursday, turning a one-point lead into what turned out to be an insurmountable margin as flu-stricken Nanticoke Area commemorated its 50th anniversary of girls basketball with a thrilling 60-57 victory over Crestwood at Syl Bozinski Gym.
“The play you want to make at that point is not to shoot that shot,” Nanticoke Area coach Alan Yendrzeiwski said. “It was one of those where we’re like, ‘No, no, no … Yes!’ Thank God she made it.
“That was the difference in the game at the end.”
For Grilz, the reward outweighed the risk.
“I just saw it was open and I shot it,” said Grilz, whose two fourth-quarter treys gave her a team-high 12 points. “I knew if I missed it, I was in trouble.”
Her shot kept Nanticoke Area’s 14-game winning streak running and kept the three-time defending Wyoming Valley Conference champion Trojanettes tied with Holy Redeemer for first place in the league at 10-0. It also diverted danger for a Trojanettes team that stormed to a 20-4 lead, built it to 21 points in the first half, then lost it on the opening basket of the fourth quarter.
When Crestwood’s Sara Hopkins hit a 3-pointer, the Comets came all the way back to take a 49-48 edge with 7:15 on the clock.
“I think we kind of took it as a shock,” Grilz said. “I definitely think it’s good. It gets us used to playing in high-pressure games.”
Talk about being strapped with some stress.
A whole line of past Nanticoke Area girls basketball players and coaches, who helped the school win 25 Wyoming Valley Conference championships over the years, attended the game and were recognized at halftime. They included stars from the distant and recent past, including Kayla Aufiero, Gianna Roberts, Chaquanna Zendarski and Amber Grohowski — all who helped start the current run of three straight WVC Division 2 titles — along with Lori Scally Zaleski and Holly Kozlowski Udzella from Nanticoke Area’s 30-0 1990 state championship team.
“It was a lot of pressure,” Grilz said.
At first, the Trojanettes had little trouble dealing with it.
Lisa Radziak scored eight points in the first four minutes and Bella Czeck and Alyssa Lewis each hit two buckets as Nanticoke Area rolled off the game’s first six points, then went on an 11-point run to take a quick 20-4 lead.
“Oh man, it was great. So happy to have the support,” said Radziak, who finished with 11 points. “The last two games, we had a fast start. We tried to come out the same way.”
Then WVC Divsion 1-leading Crestwood, which fell to 7-3 in league play, began chipping away. And a Nanticoke Area press that stormed the first quarter by creating 10 of its 21 turnovers with its vaunted press began to back off when fatigue started to set in.
“The majority of us are sick,” Grilz said. “We just fought it out together.”
Meanwhile, the Comets fought back.
Sara Hopkins hit the first of her 3-point goals, Helena Jardine hit a three-point play, Julia Makowski swished a couple foul shots for the last of her game-high 21 points and Sara Hopkins added another foul shot as Crestwood closed within 47-46 by the end of the third quarter.
The Comets opened the fourth with a bang, as another Hopkins 3-pointer dropped Nanticoke Area behind for the first time, 49-48.
“I thought we handled it pretty well,” Radziak said. “I don’t think we cracked under pressure. We kept our composure, came back and got the win.”
Grilz had a big hand in it.
She followed two free throws by Lewis — which lifted the Trojanettes back into a 52-51 lead — with a 3-pointer at the 5:44 mark to give Nanticoke Area a four-point lead.
And when Crestwood closed within a point during the final minute, Grilz used her sudden 3-pointer to bring a roar from the bleachers that made the gym sound as loud as in any of those past title years.
“It was great to see people come back that we played with, people who played before us, people that we know,” Grilz said. “Especially during a big game like this.”
Nanticoke Area 60, Crestwood 57
CRESTWOOD (57) — Sara Hopkins 2 2-5 12, Julia Makowski 6 7-7 21, Kristen Andrews 3 0-0 6, Bella Termini 0 0-0 0, Sarah Richards 1 1-4 3, Riley Magin 2 0-0 4, Andrea Shipton 3 0-0 6, Helena Jardine 1 3-7 5. Totals 20 13-23 57.
NANTICOKE AREA (60) — Bella Czeck 5 1-2 11, Alyssa Lewis 2 6-8 10, Lisa Radziak 4 2-2 11, Maddy Grilz 4 2-2 12, Katie Butczynski 2 2-4 7, Amiah Lukowski 2 0-3 5, Jil Baron 1 0-2 2, Emily Hauer 0 0-0 0, Lauren Casey 1 0-0 2, Jennifer Kurkoski 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 13-23 60.
Crestwood`4`16`26`11 — 57
Nanticoke Area`20`15`12`13 — 60
Three-point goals — CRE 4 (Makowski 2, Hopkins 2); NAN 5 (Grilz 2, Radziak, Lukowski, Butczynski).
