AYANNA JONES SHINES IN HER FIRST HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT.
AYANNA JONES
BORDENTOWN — Bordentown High girls’ basketball coach Bill Lloyd was worried about his team being able to score against Mainland’s press in the finals of the J. Michael Tucker Memorial Holiday Tournament.
Turns out the Mustangs barely pressed, but the Scotties still struggled to score.
The inexperienced hosts shot just 7-for-26 and fell to Mainland, 39-17, in yesterday’s championship game.
It was the first loss of the season for the Scotties, who have just one returning starter this year in Morgan Downs.
“This is a very young varsity group,” coach Bill Lloyd said. “They’re learning on the fly and they’re catching up to speed. Offensively, we’re rushing some shots. But that will slow down for them as they get more experience.”
The Mustangs made it difficult, however, by playing a strong man-to-man defense after Bordentown faced a zone against Nottingham on Friday. Reserve guard Ayanna Jones was especially sticky with her defense on the ball, making it difficult for the Bordentown guards.
“She’s got those long arms,” Lloyd said. “I was very surprised that they didn’t press, but right now we know our problems. We had issues in scrimmages going against man-to-man defenses, especially a team as quick and talented as they were.read more
“We struggled to even get shots off. We gotta go back to the drawing board and take a look at it.”
Sam Schenck was an example of Mainland’s tough defense. She was able to get 16 against the Northstars, but was held scoreless against the Mustangs.
“Again, if you have to put the ball on the floor because somebody’s manning you up it’s a lot more difficult to get a shot off.” Lloyd said. “Sam’s a prototypical set shooter, when she’s going against a zone she can do that. But when you gotta put the ball on the floor that changes the way you have to play the game.”
Bordentown’s defense wasn’t too bad, as Mainland shot 14-for-31. The brunt of their damage came in the third quarter when the Mustangs made six of eight shots and turned a 16-9 lead into a 29-12 advantage after three quarters. Emilee Dalessio did most of the damage with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
The Scotties trailed 16-7 at halftime and got within seven when Morgan Decker scored to start the third quarter. But three straight turnovers helped Mainland go on an 8-0 run, and the visitors took control from there.
If there was a bright spot for Bordentown (2-1), it was the play of Morgan Downs who had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds.
“As a senior and captain that’s what we expect from her,” Lloyd said. “She’s our only returning starter from last year. She knows she has to be underneath the boards playing hard.”
As for the tournament itself, Lloyd felt it was another learning experience before the campaign kicks into high gear.
“The season hasn’t even started yet,” the coach said. “We’ll take this at face value. It’s good for us right now because we know what we need to work on.”
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @fish4scores and on fish4scores.com
MAINLAND (39)
Scannell 2-0-4, ADalessio 4-3-15, McGlynn 0-0-0, Stafford 1-2-4, Malcolm 1-0-2, Jones 4-2-10, Scandin 1-0-2, Dorner 1-0-2, Parson 0-0-0. Totals 14-7-39.
Turns out the Mustangs barely pressed, but the Scotties still struggled to score.
The inexperienced hosts shot just 7-for-26 and fell to Mainland, 39-17, in yesterday’s championship game.
It was the first loss of the season for the Scotties, who have just one returning starter this year in Morgan Downs.
“This is a very young varsity group,” coach Bill Lloyd said. “They’re learning on the fly and they’re catching up to speed. Offensively, we’re rushing some shots. But that will slow down for them as they get more experience.”
The Mustangs made it difficult, however, by playing a strong man-to-man defense after Bordentown faced a zone against Nottingham on Friday. Reserve guard Ayanna Jones was especially sticky with her defense on the ball, making it difficult for the Bordentown guards.
“She’s got those long arms,” Lloyd said. “I was very surprised that they didn’t press, but right now we know our problems. We had issues in scrimmages going against man-to-man defenses, especially a team as quick and talented as they were.read more
“We struggled to even get shots off. We gotta go back to the drawing board and take a look at it.”
Sam Schenck was an example of Mainland’s tough defense. She was able to get 16 against the Northstars, but was held scoreless against the Mustangs.
“Again, if you have to put the ball on the floor because somebody’s manning you up it’s a lot more difficult to get a shot off.” Lloyd said. “Sam’s a prototypical set shooter, when she’s going against a zone she can do that. But when you gotta put the ball on the floor that changes the way you have to play the game.”
Bordentown’s defense wasn’t too bad, as Mainland shot 14-for-31. The brunt of their damage came in the third quarter when the Mustangs made six of eight shots and turned a 16-9 lead into a 29-12 advantage after three quarters. Emilee Dalessio did most of the damage with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
The Scotties trailed 16-7 at halftime and got within seven when Morgan Decker scored to start the third quarter. But three straight turnovers helped Mainland go on an 8-0 run, and the visitors took control from there.
If there was a bright spot for Bordentown (2-1), it was the play of Morgan Downs who had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds.
“As a senior and captain that’s what we expect from her,” Lloyd said. “She’s our only returning starter from last year. She knows she has to be underneath the boards playing hard.”
As for the tournament itself, Lloyd felt it was another learning experience before the campaign kicks into high gear.
“The season hasn’t even started yet,” the coach said. “We’ll take this at face value. It’s good for us right now because we know what we need to work on.”
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @fish4scores and on fish4scores.com
MAINLAND (39)
Scannell 2-0-4, ADalessio 4-3-15, McGlynn 0-0-0, Stafford 1-2-4, Malcolm 1-0-2, Jones 4-2-10, Scandin 1-0-2, Dorner 1-0-2, Parson 0-0-0. Totals 14-7-39.
