Girls’ basketball: Seeley lifts Poland past Lake Region in 3OT

Poland Regional High School’s Sarah Moody, left, blocks the lane in front of Lake Region High School’s Shauna Hancock during their game in Poland on Saturday. Hancock was called for a charge on the play. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)

POLAND — Friday night, Poland girls’ basketball coach Tim Dolley told Jessica Seeley that some time this season she would be at the free-throw line with a game would be be in her hands.

Saturday night, it was.

Seeley made a free throw with 1.8 second left in the third overtime to give the Knights a 53-52 win over Lake Region.

“It’s kind of ironic that tonight was the night,” Dolley said. “She just said it in the locker room, ‘Coach, you told me I was going win this game tonight.’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

Seeley also scored on a hard drive about two minutes earlier put Poland up by three points, 51-48. She also made a steal with 1:14 left in the game. Nine of her 19 points game during the three overtime periods.

“I’m telling you, she makes me so proud every time,” Dolley said. “She works so hard, and the effort is what gets her to be successful. She just never quits. And to play 44 minutes all night, and it didn’t look like she was exhausted. And to play great defense on True tonight was … I was very proud of her.”

Poland’s Nathalie Theriault won the opening tip, and the Knights proceeded to work the ball around for a full minute, patiently looking for an open shot.

That shot never materialized on that possession, but the tone was set — it was going to be that type of game.

The teams were tied after one quarter, and Poland led 18-16 at halftime and 28-27 after three quarters. The entire second half, points were so hard hard to come by that if felt as if each basket was critical.

Lake Region took the game’s largest lead, 38-32, late in the fourth quarter, and Poland’s chances looked bleak.

Ally Gagne made one of two free throws for Poland that cut the lead to 38-33 with 2:28 left. Soon after, Theriault stole the ball and took it the hoop for a layup, making it 38-35.

After Lauren Jakobs’ free throw pushed the Lakers’ lead to 39-35, Morgan Brousseau’s bucket got the Knights to within two, 39-37.

Then, with 40 seconds left, Theriault was fouled and went to the line and made both ends of a one-and-one to tie the game and 39-39, effectively sending the game to overtime.

“I’m just proud of all the girls,” Dolley said. “They didn’t give up. At one point, we were down six points in regulation, and for them to battle back — just a total team effort.”

Poland (5-2) was dealt an early blow when Theriault fouled out a minute into the extra session.

Lake Region led until the final minute of the first overtime when Brousseau hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 44-41 with 40 seconds left.

Brousseau, playing with four fouls, then drew a charge at the other end of the court, but the Knights weren’t able to turn that into points, and the game went to a second overtime.

Seeley scored off an assist by Brousseau to make it 46-44. Jakobs tied it at 46-46, and that was all of the scoring in the second overtime.

Before the game went to a third overtime, Poland suffered another big loss when Brousseau fouled out with 2.8 seconds left.

With her fellow seniors on the bench, Seeley said, “I just knew that I have to take a bigger part on.”

Dolley said that he splits the players up in practice so they get used to playing effectively without certain key players, such as Theriault and Brousseau.

“To make sure, in a situation like that, we can not skip a beat, and not rely heavily on one player,” Dolley said.

In the third extra frame, Jakobs and Seeley traded baskets — as they inexplicably did several times throughout the game — to make it 48-48.

Sophie Vallee made a free throw to give Poland a 49-48 lead. The Knights drabbed the offensive rebound after Vallee missed the second, and Seeley scored on an aggressive drive to the hoop to put Poland up by three, 51-48.

“I knew we needed to score. I knew we needed the energy, so you just kind of got to go,” Seeley said.

After Lake Region’s Aisley Sturk’s free throw decreased the deficit to two points, Poland’s Amandalynn Gagne, who didn’t play until the final overtime, pushed the lead back to three with a free throw.

“I’m giving props to my bench,” Dolley said. “I tell you there were some huge, key plays, with Ally, and Amanda hitting those free throws — barely playing any minutes, and stepping up there and just knock them down is excellent, excellent.”

With seven seconds left, Rachel Sanks made a pair of clutch free throws to tie the game.

The game seemed on its way to a fourth overtime until Seeley drew a foul and when to the line with 1.8 second left. She missed the first, but made the second.

“We practice a lot in practice,” Seeley said. “Missed the first one, and I was kind of scared. The second one, I knew I had to make it, so I just did the same thing as I always practice.”

Jakobs finished with a game-high 22 points for Lake Region, and True added 15, nine of which came on foul shots.

The loss is only the Lakers’ (6-2) second of the season, and their first to a fellow Class B school.

“I thought you had two teams who played really hard and competed on the floor,” Lake Region coach Paul True said.

Poland Regional High School’s Lexy Grondin, left, drives past Lake Region High School’s Aisley Sturk during their game in Poland on Saturday. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)Poland Regional High School’s Nathalie Theriault, right, stuffs Lauren Jakobs on her way to the basket during their game in Poland on Saturday. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)Lake Region High School’s Lauren Jakobs, right, gathers the ball as she runs up the court in front of Poland Regional High School’s Morgan Brousseau, center, as Poland’s Nathalie Theriault (11) waits on defense during their game in Poland on Saturday. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)Lake Region High School’s Shauna Hancock, left, runs the floor in front of Poland Regional High School’s Ally Gagne during their game in Poland on Saturday. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)Lake Region High School’s Melissa Bonenfant, left, tries to go up for a layup against Poland Regional High School’s Sarah Moody during their game in Poland on Saturday. (Justin Pelletier/Sun Journal)