Czulewicz big in the clutch

MONROEVILLE – On the basketball court, Rachel Czulewicz shoots without prejudice.
And that’s a good thing.
If she’s open, the shot is going up. She doesn’t much care who is guarding her, what the score is or what quarter it is.
That’s how much confidence she has in her ability.
And never was it needed more this season than in Wednesday night’s playoff game against Indiana.
Czulewicz scored 10 of her career-high 23 points in overtime to lead McGuffey to a 64-54 victory over Indiana in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs at Gateway High School.
The victory moves the Highlanders (18-6) into the quarterfinals against Elizabeth Forward, a 54-43 winner over Mount Pleasant Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Actually, McGuffey has at least two games remaining in the playoffs. If the Highlanders lose to EF, they would be in the four-team bracket of one-time losers to determine the sixth and seventh qualifiers to the PIAA playoffs.
Indiana suffered only its second loss of the season in 23 games but it was enough to send the team home for the remainder of the season.
“My dad always told me not to worry if you miss. Just keep shooting until you get out of your funk,” said Czulewicz, a 5-7 senior guard. “When Sammie (Weiss) is not on, it’s my job to step up.”
And Weiss did struggle as much as someone can struggle scoring 12 points. Weiss, a 5-11 senior guard who eclipsed 2,000 points in her career earlier in the season, had four at halftime. McGuffey trailed 28-25 in a mistake-filled first half that saw 18 turnovers and numerous missed opportunities.
“Rachel averages around 11 points a game for us,” said McGuffey head coach Amanda Burchett. “She’s four points from 1,000. This game came down to who wants it more.”
Actually, it came down to a bizarre series of plays that forced overtime.
With the score tied, 49-49, Jessica Stever, Indiana’s talented 5-8 sophomore forward, stepped in front of a pass and scored an uncontested layup with 27 seconds to play for two of her 15 points. Indiana pressed on McGuffey’s inbounds, but someone forgot to cover Sarah Sushel, who was standing alone along the right wing on Indiana’s side of the court. The pass hit her near the free throw line and – just like that – the game was tied, 51-51. A last-gasp shot by Indiana clanged off the rim, sending the game to overtime.
“I saw (Sushel) right away,” said Indiana head coach Dave Woodall. “I wanted to pull them back (on defense) instead of pressing, but I couldn’t do it in time. I probably should have called a timeout. We couldn’t account for one kid and she made a layup.”
Sushel finished with six points, none more important than the two at the end of regulation.
“Sushel was open a couple times when they pressed earlier in the game and we didn’t get it to her,” said Burchett. “We were looking for it (at the end), because we saw it before.”
In overtime, Czulewicz hit three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to give the Highlanders a 54-51 lead. She nailed a three-pointer from her favorite spot on the left wing to make it 59-53 and then made four straight free throws to ice the game. Czeluwicz finished 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
“We thought if we could keep (Weiss) under 20 and the other girls at 10 or 12, we would have a chance,” Woodall said. “That little point guard (Czulewicz) hurt us, especially from the free throw line.”
Katie Demi, a 5-8 junior guard, was also key for the Highlanders, getting a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The latter stat was probably most important because Indiana controlled the boards, 45-30. That helped them build a 17-8 lead after one quarter and Demi’s eight points in the second quarter pulled McGuffey back into the game.
“We rely on Sammie to get points,” Burchett said. “The reason she does is because we have good guards who get her the ball. But they can score when we need it, too. They all have the green light to shoot. I trust them and they trust me. It’s why we won this game.”