Upper Dublin claims State Championship
Polin’s clutch free throws lift Cardinals over CB South in PIAA 6A final
The ball landed in Nicole Kaiser’s hand, the buzzer sounded and then pandemonium.
Central Bucks South’s final shot was off the mark as the Upper Dublin senior co-captain grabbed the rebound, securing victory for the Cardinals. This time, it ended with a state title.
Upper Dublin survived the Titans with a 41-39 win in the PIAA-6A championship game Tuesday night at Hershey’s Giant Center.
“I’m just so proud of the girls, with the run we just went on, I thought they deserved a special day regardless of what the outcome was going to be,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “In all five state playoff games, we were probably the underdog. Next year, maybe we’re the favorite and the games may not be as fun because there’s pressure on. We just tried to enjoy the moment and enjoy the ride.”
Freshman Jess Polin again proved clutch, hitting the game-winning free throws with 33.4 left in the game. It came as the end of a back-andforth thriller that saw both
teams trade shot after shot for the entire game.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think about it,” Polin said. “This is a state championship game, I know I can make it. I’m glad I did because we won and it’s so exciting.”
UD’s defense came up with a couple of big stops following Polin’s freebies, but it still took a final miss to hand the Cardinals (275) their first state team title.
Polin led UD with 17 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. The free throws were the winner, but the guard also buried a three at the halftime horn that sent UD into the break at a 20-20 deadlock.
The Cardinals got off to a slow start, going down 5-0 and committing a couple of turnovers that they hadn’t been having in several weeks. After the Titans (28-5) built a 9-3 lead with 4:44 left in the opening quarter, UD put the clamps down and rallied back to tie it 9-9 at the first quarter break.
“It’s so rewarding and shows how far we’ve come this year,” Kaiser said. “We were down seven tonight and if you looked at us earlier in the season, you definitely would have counted us out, I don’t think we would have ever finished a game like this. It was so awesome to see our hard work pay off.”
CB South built a 32-25 lead when Haley Meinel scored with 2:54 left in the third quarter. Then, Maggie Weglos found Dayna Balasa for a three, Polin scored on a putback and finally, Jackie Vargas found Kaiser in the corner.
The senior buried the triple and somehow, the Cardinals were in front.
“I wasn’t expecting Jackie to pass it so when it came to my hands, I was a little surprised,” Kaiser said. “I had a lot of time. I took my time on the shot and it felt good leaving my hands.”
The season turned around on the leadership of Weglos and Kaiser, but it was the underclassmen who stole the show Tuesday. Polin was money every time it mattered, Balasa hit some huge threes and Vargas added eight points and countless defensive moments that added up.
Brodie scored 20 and Meinel added 13, playing terrific on both ends of the floor. Yet for every big shot they hit, Upper Dublin kept finding an answer.
After the final horn, they raced toward each other, the last team standing in Pennsylvania.
“I’m just in shock honestly, every game you’re in that focus and when the buzzer goes off, you almost ask ‘what just happened?’,” Weglos said. “The fact the final horn went off and there was nothing left but us winning states, it was unreal.”