FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Tiffany Lapotsky often grabs headlines for her scoring ability, and rightly so.
But often overlooked is her defensive prowess.
Not Tuesday night.
Lapotsky had a game-high 22 points and shut down Pottsville guard Sadie Cresswell in the Spartans’ 61-42 Schuylkill League Division I win over the Crimson Tide.
“Sadie Cresswell scores 20 a night, that’s a different game right there,” Lapotsky said. “She’s probably the best player in the Schuylkill League.”
Lapotsky was never more than a step or two away from Cresswell, who entered Tuesday night’s game averaging 15 points.
The dangerous Tide junior guard finished with seven points, five of which came in the fourth quarter when Lapotsky was off the floor.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Tif and every other girl that was out there with her,” North Schuylkill coach John Rizzo said. “Because it takes five girls to defend a kid like Cresswell. Tif, in my opinion, is the most athletic, best defensive player in the league. She showed how athletic and how smart she could be tonight.
“I think our defense played as good as it has maybe in two years,” Rizzo added. “We knew Pottsville was a very good offensive team. We defended the ball and defended away from the ball. We did a great job on their scorers, and I think I’ve got the best defense in the league.”
In the first quarter, the game looked as though it would live up to its billing as a clash between the division’s top contenders with both teams tied at 14.
The scene changed drastically, though, in the second quarter.
Pottsville fouls allowed the Spartans (5-1, 3-0 D-I) to shoot 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in the frame and build a 31-19 halftime lead on a 17-5 second-quarter edge.
“That was the pivotal point in the game,” Pottsville coach Rick Wojciechowsky said. “The foul trouble changed how we were attacking on the court and it gave them quite an advantage from the free-throw line.”
Carly Gregas hit 4-of-4 during the quarter. She finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three blocks, three steals and an assist.
Freshmen Averi Jordan and Sam Shinkus both hit 2-of-2 from the stripe during the frame and combined for 15 points overall.
The Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-1) reduced their deficit to seven points (31-24) after the intermission on two end-to-end drives by Madison Sherakas, who led Pottsville with 13 points.
Pottsville opened the half by employing a 1-2-2 zone that appeared difficult to crack at first, but North Schuylkill soon returned to form.
Gregas and Lapotsky went back to the line, Lapotsky drove the lane for a basket and Waverly Snyder drilled a 3. Suddenly, the Spartan lead grew to 14.
“They got a couple open looks where we didn’t rotate quite as quickly as we would like to,” Wojciechowsky said. “But I’m confident in our girls. I’m confident that we’ll bounce back.”
Pottsville was held without a field goal for nearly five minutes in the third quarter, during which North Schuylkill enjoyed a 10-1 run.
The Spartans sealed the victory on the hustle of Shinkus in the final two minutes of the third quarter. The freshman had seven points and three rebounds during the stretch and upped the North Schuylkill lead to 50-29.
Shinkus finished with nine points, five rebounds and an assist.
“She can rebound, she can dive for loose balls and can finish around the rim,” Rizzo said. “She gave us a nice little spark. As a freshman, that makes any coach very happy.”
The Spartans, however, didn’t take the fourth quarter off. They couldn’t afford to with Cresswell and Sherakas displaying their explosiveness and sophomore Kyra Schenk blocking four shots.
“We just stayed humble because our first half at Blue Mountain (Dec. 16) was very bad and our last half with Pine Grove (Dec. 19) was bad,” Lapotsky said. “We knew we couldn’t let one little thing become a big thing.”
Now the Spartans are joined by Jim Thorpe as the only unbeatens in Division I.
“We had Pottsville marked on the calendar,” Rizzo said. “It’s a rival game, it’s a division game. We look forward to playing them, they look forward to playing us.
“We came out and defended our home court, but we know it’s going to take a bigger effort next time around. For now, we’re going to enjoy Christmas.”
Game Summary
POTTSVILLE (42) — Sherakas 4 5-7 13, Eckley 1 1-2 3, Cresswell 2 2-2 7, Kondrack 1 2-2 4, Schenk 1 0-2 2, Burnhauser 4 0-0 10, Connors 0 1-2 1, Comfort 0 0-0 0, Purnell 1 0-1 2, A. Tarconish 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-18 42.
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (61) — Marone 2 0-1 4, Lapotsky 8 6-12 22, Stokes 1 0-0 2, C. Gregas 2 8-9 12, Snyder 1 2-2 5, Jordan 2 2-2 6, Shinkus 3 3-3 9, Damiter 0 1-2 1, Bell 0 0-0 0, Long 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 22-31 61.
Pot. (4-1, 2-1) 14 5 12 11 — 42 NS (5-1, 3-0) 14 17 19 11 — 61
3-point FGs: Cresswell, Burnhauser 2, Snyder
JV score: Pottsville 47-43