Metro Conference Final: Millard South runs away from Omaha Westside
The Metro Conference Tournament is a grind. To win it, you have to win four games in five days against high level competition, and just to get to the final is a tremendous achievement. Omaha Westside has been there the…
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Continue ReadingThe Metro Conference Tournament is a grind. To win it, you have to win four games in five days against high level competition, and just to get to the final is a tremendous achievement. Omaha Westside has been there the last four years, while their opponent three of those times has been Millard South. After splitting the first two match-ups in the finals, the rubber match came down to a 23-6 second quarter explosion by the Patriots, which gave Millard South the 2020 Metro Conference championship, 54-40, over a tough Westside squad.
After an even, 14-14, first quarter, a quarter in which the Warriors were able to attack Millard South’s full court run and jump into a few easy baskets, the Patriots took over in the second quarter. Ironically, it was a 1-2-2 3/4 court zone press, with all-stater Maddie Krull at the top of it, that caused the Warriors the most problems and led to turnovers and run outs for the Patriots.
“She’s (Krull) the leader for us,” said Millard South coach Bryce Meyers after the game. “She’s the ultimate competitor.”
Krull filled the stat sheet, finished the game with 13 points, five assists (including a great behind the back pass at the end of a two on one break), four steals and a block.
“We didn’t handle it,” Westside head man Steve Clark stated. “They are who they are, and we are who we are. It’s not smoke and mirrors, you just have to execute.”
The scoring barrage largely came from two freshmen, Cora Olsen and Mya Babbitt, Olsen had nine points at half, while Babbitt had ten; combined, the two freshmen hit four three pointers in the first half.
While on that run, all-stater and Creighton committ Jayme Horan was quiet, but she wrapped up the half with 5 points in the last 30 seconds of the half, including a three pointer at the buzzer. Horan finished with a game high 14 points for the Patriots, and she added 4 steals and four rebounds, along with two blocks.
Down 15 at half, the Warriors attacked the paint in the third quarter, led by senior and Illinois State committ Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor. McGinnis-Taylor had eight points in the third quarter, including several offensive rebounds. She finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, but it was too late for the Warriors to make a dent into the Patriots lead.
“We just took it one day at a time, not overlooking anyone and just play to the best of our ability. It’s just what we try to do every night,” said Meyers. “We’ve got a lot of kids that can step up and make plays. We just want to keep the ball moving and kids stepped up and make shots.”
Millard South moved their record to 11-0, while the Warriors finished the holiday break at 7-2.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE METRO CONFERENCE TOURNEY FINAL
- Maddie Krull can dominate a game in a variety of ways. She is a dominant ball pressure defender, but she also reads passing lanes well. She can shoot it from the perimeter, but she is also superb at attacking the rim. She is a great passer, perhaps the best in the state, and she knows when to attack and when to allow her teammates to make plays. South Dakota has a tremendous player coming in next year.
- Jayme Horan is the returning Gatorade player of the year, averaging over 20 points a game. You would think that there would be an urgency for her to try to do even more, but I have been really impressed with Horan’s willingness to allow other players make plays and picking her spots to be really aggressive. It would be very easy for a senior to feel threatened or apprehensive about greeting four freshman into the rotation of a highly successful program, but Horan has done this seamlessly.
- Omaha Westside is going to be just fine. It’s a tough spot to play a team as deep and athletic as Millard South on the fourth game in five days, but Westisde played Millard South even for three of the four quarters. They are still working on their roles, and Ella Wedergren will continue to get better at playing the point guard. Steve Clark is a master of getting his team’s ready to play their best ball in late February, so this will not be the last time we hear from Westside.
- Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor is becoming a dominant force in the paint. I was really impressed with her aggression within the paint, and the one weakness that Millard South has is the lack of paint protection. McGinnis-Taylor played very well in the Metro final, especially in the second half, and look for her to continue to grow and dominate the paint area the last two months of the season.
- I’ve stated multiple times this year that Class A is as deep as it ever has been, but it looks like Millard South and Lincoln Pius X seem to be a level above everyone else. Both teams won their respective conference tournaments, and both teams have not really been challenged; neither has had a final score in the single digits. These two could be heading on a collision course for the first Saturday in March.