Conemaugh Township girls, Poznanski advance with victory over Northern Bedford

Kevin Landis, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·3 min read

Mar. 6—DAVIDSVILLE — Led by sophomore Mya Poznanski's 24 points, and senior Chloe Shaulis, who added 13 points along with seven steals of her own, Conemaugh Township used an aggressive full-court defense to pave its way to a 59-34 victory over Northern Bedford in the opening round of the District 5 Class 2A playoffs on Friday night.

"Tonight, we just pulled out a really big win," said Mya Poznanski. "Our team really pulled it together tonight, and we have been really improving over the last several weeks."

Conemaugh Township coach Lisa Byer praised her sophomore guard and her team's defense.

"Mya Poznanski puts in the shots in practice, and she puts the work in outside of practice," Byer said. "She is dedicated, a good shooter, and her teammates really trust her. She is a threat every time she gets the ball. As a team, offensively we started off strong, and our press led to some easy baskets on the other end. Our girls trusted each other and never left up from beginning to end."

Both teams came out tentative in the playoff atmosphere and struggled to find the net in the opening few minutes.

After Northern Bedford's Mariah Hall hit a 3-pointer at the midpoint of the quarter and the Black Panthers had a 5-4 lead, which would be their only one of the night. Emilee Roman answered with a 3-pointer of her own, and then Poznanski added back-to-back baskets to end the quarter with Conemaugh Township holding a 11-5 lead.

In second quarter, Poznanski took control by scoring eight points, but it was the Indians' full-court press that troubled the young Black Panthers team. Conemaugh Township extended its lead to 26-13 at the half.

Midway through the third, back-to-back 3-pointers by Poznanski and Maeve Cullen extended the Indians lead to 39-15. After a Northern Bedford timeout, the Panthers didn't go away. Three consecutive Panther baskets followed up by another 6-0 run to end the quarter, including a Makayla Hall shot at the buzzer trimmed the Indians lead to 43-27.

The fourth quarter started out all Indians. A 12-0 run to start the quarter and tight defense held Northern Bedford off the scoresheet until just over two minutes left. Hannah Swank and Mya Nanna each had seven rebounds to dominate the glass for the Indians, and the only thing left was for the home crowd got to salute the team's only senior Chloe Shaulis one last time when she was removed from the game with 2:02 left in the game.

The senior reflected on her final game on her home court.

"It was a great night," said Shaulis. "Playing with the team this year being the only senior has been special. My teammates have showed me a lot of support, and I can't wait to play again on Tuesday."

For the Black Panthers and coach Jonathon Ewart, their season comes to an end in a season filled with interruptions and obstacles.

"We are a pretty young team overall," said Ewart said. "Poznanski had a real nice game, and between her and Shaulis, they really hurt us. We struggled with the full-court press, and I didn't think we would. For my seniors, they really worked hard and helped develop our younger players, and I am thankful I got to work with them."

Conemaugh Township (6-12) next plays at No. 1 seed Windber on Tuesday night. Byer is looking forward to a third meeting with the Ramblers.

"We have already seen them twice, but we will be ready for them," she said. "They play great man-to-man defense, but it's playoffs and anything can happen."