Five Takeaways from Prairie vs. Waterloo West
Prairie came out quickly getting out to an 18-9 lead before Waterloo West started using their press in the second quarter. It worked well as Waterloo West went on an 11-2 run before Prairie’s Mallory McDermott and Sidney McCrea were…
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Continue ReadingPrairie came out quickly getting out to an 18-9 lead before Waterloo West started using their press in the second quarter. It worked well as Waterloo West went on an 11-2 run before Prairie’s Mallory McDermott and Sidney McCrea were each able to knock down two 3-pointers to give Prairie a 32-22 halftime advantage. Prairie was able to run away with the game in the second half stretching the lead to 16 after three quarters and ending with a 68-48 victory. I take a look at five takeaways from the game below.
The McDermott and McCrea duo can’t be stopped
The senior duo of guards Mallory McDermott and Sidney McCrea can’t be stopped and you can only hope to slow them down. McDermott, a Western Illinois commit, and McCrea, a Northern Illinois commit, combined to score 50 points in the game. They were the driving forces behind the Prairie win. They might not combine to score 45 points a game each night as they have thus far this season, but they both will be efficient with their scoring. If they aren’t scoring the ball they are able to both pass the ball very well finding teammates that are open for easy baskets. In this game, they had a combined 11 assists and were tremendous all night long. There might not be a better guard duo in the state than these two.
A duo of freshmen led Waterloo West
Waterloo West has a trio of very talented freshmen on their roster this year and they are certainly going to be a group to watch over the next four years. However, one didn’t play tonight due to injury and the other two stepped up big. Halli Poock is a high-level freshman guard who scores the ball at a very high rate. She came into the game scoring 20 points a contest and finished this one with 16 points. Poock has really good body control at the rim and showcased the ability to score through contact but she also was able to hit from the perimeter as well. Another freshman, Sahara Williams, had a nice game as she was stellar on the defensive end and was able to make her way to the basket fairly easily. She finished with six points but had five steals in the game. She has a lot of potential with her length on the wing and as she continues to settle in should be able to make noise throughout the state.
Waterloo West’s press can do some damage
Waterloo West didn’t use their press in the first quarter, but early in and throughout the second quarter, they were really able to do some damage with it. Heading into the second quarter they were down by nine points and used the press to claw back into the game and tie it at 20 points. Prairie turned the ball over a few times which led to easy baskets for Waterloo West as they made their run. Waterloo West is a tough and scrappy team with the ability to pressure the ball with their length. They ended up forcing 20+ turnovers in the game and two players had five or more steals in the game. Once Prairie showed the ability to break it, they were off to the races with their shooting ability. The press will really hamper teams that struggle to handle the ball which is going to allow them to win some lopsided bouts.
Prairie has players who can step up
Of course McDermott and McCrea are going to do the bulk of the scoring but Prairie does have players who can step up and score the ball. Sophomore Kamryn Grissel is one of those players even though she wasn’t able to connect much in this game. She is a high basketball IQ wing who has the ability to score at all three levels and has proven that already this year. She was just 1-for-8 in this one but she is definitely a player who can relieve some pressure. Jenna Leggat is a senior and she too has the ability to cash in a few baskets a night. She scored six points and shot 50 percent from the floor. She isn’t going to go off for 20 points in any game but she can provide a spark with some consistent scoring. With the passing ability of McDermott and McCrea, there will be a lot of easy baskets this year for Prairie.
Both teams can make a splash this year
Prairie has the talent to make a deep run this year with all the talent they have. They might struggle against teams with size but so far they have shown that they can handle it. With two of the best scorers in the state that will always have a chance to win every game. It’s going to take both of McDermott and McCrea to be cold from the field for opposing teams to win. This year they are shooting over 50 percent from behind the arc which for three games in is pretty impressive. Waterloo West isn’t at the same level that Prairie is but they are going to soon be there. They are a very young team with the ability to score the ball, defend, and play team-oriented. They do have a few players who have the capability of taking over a game but right now when they play as a team they will be hard to stop. Waterloo West has the ability to really shake up the conference if they can nail a few upsets.