SELINSGROVE -- There was no Jordanesque, I-can't-explain-it shrug from Kierstin Craig-Sovic when she banked in a third-quarter 3-pointer in Wednesday night's game.
Would have been a good spot for it, but not because Craig-Sovic and her Selinsgrove teammates couldn't miss.
The Seals were mired in a game-long shooting funk, save for a five-minute span that bridged the final two quarters. They scored 13 points in that window and took control of the HAC-I game with defending league champion Shamokin.
The Indians rallied to turn a double-digit deficit into a one-possession margin with 1:25 to play, but Selinsgrove was able to hold on for a 36-31 win.
"We just didn't come out as strong as usual, but we finished well," said Craig-Sovic, who had four points in the 13-0 run that put the Seals up 11 early in the fourth quarter. "We just had to buckle down and start playing as a team. We had a lot of leaders step up and start talking on the floor to get us pumped up."
Selinsgrove (6-1, 2-0 HAC-I) weathered a 2-for-21 night from beyond the arc with the help of 23 Shamokin turnovers.
The Seals were 0-of-10 from 3-point range (and 3-of-24 from the field) in the first half before Coli Deckard beat the halftime buzzer with a trey from the top right of the key. That shot cut the Indians' largest lead in half and pulled Selinsgrove within 16-13 at the break.
"We tell the kids, when we're open and get a good look we take it," said Seals coach Scott Kerstetter. "But a lot of times there were possessions where we went one-pass-and-shoot. That's not good for us because they don't have to defend, and we've got to get our posts some touches. Brooke (Greak) has been very effective around the rim for us, and Laura (Long) had some nice moves (Wednesday).
"So it's one of those things where we say, 'Hey, look, we're not telling you not to shoot, but get a post touch or two and see if we get a couple baskets inside.'"
Greak scored eight of her team-high 10 points in the second half, all on shots in the paint.
Selinsgrove's Brianna Brancato was held 11 points below her average with six. However, her heads-up grab of a bobbled ball under the hoop and subsequent bucket made it 34-23 with 6 minutes to play.
The Indians (4-4, 1-1) put together an 8-0 run as Selinsgrove committed seven turnovers down the stretch. Steph Pancher had six points, six rebounds and two blocks in the run, while Kelsey Yacko added five rebounds and a steal.
"We got sloppy with the ball, and their defense is what caused it," said Kerstetter. "They kept up their intensity and we got back on our heels, sort of lolly-popping passes. They stayed aggressive and they were able to create some turnovers."
Shamokin, which had a four-game win streak snapped by Lourdes Regional in the Knight of Columbus tournament final, has already lost twice as many game as all of last season. The Indians were perfect in HAC-I play a year ago.
The Seals, on the other hand, are two wins shy of last season's total (eight). Their only loss was by two points to unbeaten Line Mountain in the title game of the Eagles' season-opening tournament.
"We have to keep growing throughout the season and making our fundamentals stronger," said Craig-Sovic. "I think we can go really far if we keep working as a team."
