Late offbalance 3-pointer helps Indiana top Greensburg Salem girls in OT

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, February 4, 2019 | 10:24 PM

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Greensburg Salem regrouped after a slow start to take control against Indiana and held the lead for much of the game.

But Indiana knows there’s always Hope.

Freshman Hope Cook — and Mia Ciocca, another wide-eyed freshman — helped the visiting Indians sink the Golden Lions on senior night with their long-range shooting, late-game wherewithal and clutch shooting.

Cook hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and Ciocca sent the game to overtime with an off-balance 3, as Indiana shrugged past Greensburg Salem, 54-51, in a Section 1-4A game Monday night.

“We’ve had some bad luck this season, so it was nice to get some good luck for a change,” Indiana coach Dave Woodall said. “We’ve been in around eight really close games. It’s nice to see us get one.”

Both teams remain in the playoff chase as the WPIAL regular season winds down.

Greensburg Salem (10-10, 6-7) has to win at Apollo-Ridge on Thursday to have a shot, and Indiana (8-13, 6-7) will need to upset Freeport.

Indiana earned the two-game sweep of Greensburg Salem.

“We had this one right there in our hands,” Greensburg Salem coach Rick Klimchock said. “But we couldn’t get it done.”

Cook helped lead the Indians back from 33-24 down late in the third. The Golden Lions held a precarious advantage for much of the fourth quarter and led 40-37 with 1 minute, 31 seconds to go after a free throw by freshman Abby Mankins.

But Cook buried a 3 from the top of the key to tie it 40-40 with 1:16 left.

“That is her game; she’s our 3-point shooter,” Woodall said.

Senior Megan Kallock made a pair of free throws with 28.3 seconds to go in regulation to give the Lions a 43-40 advantage.

Indiana inbounded to Ciocca, who hit an off-balance 3 with about 5 seconds to go, and overtime beckoned after Greensburg Salem missed at the buzzer.

It was Ciocca’s first field goal of the game.

“We knew (Cook) would be facing a double-team, so we went to (Ciocca),” Woodall said. “She made a tough shot.”

Klimchock said his team needed to score more to keep the Indians at arm’s length.

“Maybe we should have fouled there, up three,” he said. “That’s something I have done over the years. We had one to give there. Who knows what happens then. The thing is, we missed a lot of shots in the second half, and some foul shots down the stretch.”

Greensburg Salem shot 10 of 16 from the foul line.

Indiana was 14 of 20, including 10 of 14 across the fourth quarter and overtime.

In overtime, Cook hit a 3 to give the Indians the lead for good, at 46-45. A 9-0 run after Mellinger’s two free throws to open the extra frame had the Indians in front, 52-45.

Mankins scored on a putback with 5 seconds to go to shave it to 54-51, and her last-second 3 hit the back of the rim.

Kallock led Greensburg Salem with 18 points, and Nikkie Mellinger added 15.

The Golden Lions trailed 16-6 late in the first quarter but stitched togethe a 14-0 run to take a 20-16 advantage, their first lead of the night.

The second quarter saw Greensburg Salem outscored the Indians, 19-2.

Junior Alexis Bonatch and senior Alley Bush each scored seven for Indiana.

Mankins finished with eight for the Lions.

“We need to get a win Thursday,” Klimchock said. “We’re not out of it yet.”

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Indiana