By Todd Hummel
MIFFLINBURG -- The Mifflinburg girls basketball team has had its struggles with pressure this season, making it tough for the Wildcats to play to their strengths, its size inside.
The Wildcats spent a lot of practice time working on that problem and coach Kelly Griffith thought her team had it solved.
Then Mother Nature intervened giving the Wildcats the last week-and-half off before Friday night's Heartland Athletic Conference Division I contest with Selinsgrove.
"We have had problems when teams pressure us," Griffith said. "I thought we had a handle on it, but then we had some much time off, I think it affected us."
So the contest with the Seals remained a nip-and-tuck affair throughout, when the Wildcats' solved Selinsgrove's pressure, they usually scored. The Seals remained in the game by forcing 30 turnovers and getting easy shots against the Wildcats in transition.
In the end, it was the Wildcats' decided strength inside that determined the outcome.
Alexis Valentine had a triple-double, including the deciding three-point play with 55.9 seconds left and Mifflinburg out rebounded Selinsgrove by 28 in a 45-39 victory.
The Seals (8-11 overall, 5-10 HAC-I) led by a point heading into the final quarter, but Valentine gave the Wildcats a 34-33 lead with 6:27 left in the game.
The teams exchanged the lead again when Lauren Hackenburg's lead pass to Kelsey Fisher resulted in a fast break layup with 5:45 left in the game to make it 35-34 Selinsgrove. Valentine followed with a putback with 5:24 left and her sister, Bryanna, did the same on the missed front end of a one-and-one with 4:44 left in the game to give Mifflinburg a 38-35 advantage.
"That was the key stretch of the game. We had position both times, but gave up the offensive rebounds because we didn't box out," Selinsgrove coach Scott Kerstetter said. "With (Mifflinburg's) size, every possession is important, we couldn't take any of them off, but they were able to get around us.
"The effort is there. We just keep making mistakes late that cost us in these close games."
The Seals would cut the lead to one twice, once on a KateLynn Strickler jumper with 2:59 left, then after Katie Oliveri hit two foul shots with 2:50 left in the game, Ebony Lewis hit a short jumper to pull the Seals to 40-39 with 2:34 left in the game.
After the teams exchanged turnovers, Alexis Valentine got open inside in the deep post. Strickler tried to prevent her from getting the shot off, but Valentine was able to power in for a layup. She hit the foul shot with 55.9 seconds left to give Mifflinburg a 43-39 lead.
Alexis Valentine finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks. In two games against the Seals this season, she has 45 points, 31 rebounds and 19 blocks. Oliveri finished with 11 points. Bryanna Valentine had a game-high 17 rebounds as Mifflinburg out rebounded Selinsgrove, 58-30.
Kelsey Fisher had nine points, while Lewis finished with seven points off the bench, all in the second half.
