Eagles vs. Angel: Why McDonogh Has What It Takes to Topple St. Frances Academy
On January, 8th, McDonogh (10-5) played St. Frances Academy (13-1) and were routed, 53-36. This defeat comes as no surprise as they faced St. Frances’ Angel Reese (#10) — the #2 recruit in the country and recent University of Maryland…
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Continue ReadingOn January, 8th, McDonogh (10-5) played St. Frances Academy (13-1) and were routed, 53-36. This defeat comes as no surprise as they faced St. Frances’ Angel Reese (#10) — the #2 recruit in the country and recent University of Maryland commit. But the final score does not tell the whole story — McDonogh was only down 22-28 at half-time and showed they can defeat the reigning conference champions.
1) Teamwork – At the get-go, it was clear McDonogh was nervous to face the #32 Nationally Ranked team, but it did not take long for the Eagles to gain confidence and comfort, and see that they could play with St. Frances. With an 8-man rotation, everyone on the floor for McDonogh contributed at both ends. Top-to bottom McDonogh is a more skilled team than St. Frances, and using this to their advantage will be a key to a victory in their rematch.
2) Inside Aggression – Despite Reese‘s looming post presence, McDonogh was able to establish successful drives to the basket early on. McDonogh’s Nekhu Mitchell (#2) and Paris Locke (#20) were especially unafraid of their superstar opponent, taking the ball right at Reese from the beginning. McDonogh put St. Frances in some foul trouble early on and this attacking offensive strategy paid off with Jayla Oden (#12) shooting an impressive 8/9 from the foul line.
3) Outside shooting – The Eagles were most successful when they would spread the St. Frances defense. Between their strong drives to the hoop and kick-outs for perimeter shots, McDonogh created open looks even Reese could not always stop. Though McDonogh’s shooting percentage plummeted in the second half, only scoring a total of 14-points, an inside-outside game led by Nekhu Mitchell (#2) is what proved most successful for McDonogh offensively.
4) Scrappy Defense – Though at times it seemed that Reese was unguardable, breezing down the floor, handling the ball coast-to-coast, the Eagles made some crucial defensive stops to thwart St. Frances’ momentum. Often frustrating players on the glass, McDonogh’s Delaney Yarborough (#14) had crucial rebounds and put-backs which are typically all Reese’s for the taking. McDonogh’s Ava Class (#22) defended Reese for the majority of the game and though it was clear she was not used to defending a guard of Reese’s size, she used her quick footwork to stay between Reese and the basket, limiting her scoring to only 25 points – 10 of which were in the 4th quarter when McDonogh was most deflated.
5)Tenacity – In the first half especially, McDonogh exhibited a toughness and tenacity that seemed to take St. Frances by surprise and even frustrate them at times. Though they seemed tired and discouraged by cold shooting inthe fourth quarter, McDonogh did not let up their aggression on hustle plays.
When McDonogh faces St. Frances again on January, 29th, they will have a chance to take down the reigning champions if they play as a team and fight to the end.