BAL girls basketball:
Morrisville 29, Jenkintown 25
Morrisville captures BAL crown
Posted: Friday, February 10, 2012 4:45 am | Updated: 7:40 am, Fri Feb 10, 2012.
MORRISVILLE — Defense has carried Morrisville to a dominant Bicentennial Athletic League girls basketball season.
And Thursday night, when the Bulldogs needed it most, defense took them the final step to the BAL Constitution Division championship.
Runner-up Jenkintown entered Morrisville’s gym trying to snatch a tie for the league crown, and very nearly did so with effective defense and tempo-controlling offense while taking Morrisville out of its typical pressing, running game.
Ultimately, though, the Drakes had more problems offensively. In the end, Morrisville made several defensive stops to secure a 29-25 victory.
Jenkintown’s Emma Dorshimer (15 points) drew the Drakes within 26-25 before Morrisville standout guard Kievanna Lacey drove for a basket with 3:13 left.
While the Bulldogs would get only a Cassandra Gainey free throw from there, Jenkintown came up empty on its last five possessions, with Lacey, a terrific defensive anticipator, fittingly icing the outcome with a steal with 9.9 seconds to play.
On a big night for the small school — Senior Night, the league title on the line — Morrisville (20-1, 16-0 BAL, 10-0 Constitution) came through with its 19th straight victory and tied the school record for victories in a season. During an emotional celebration on court, Lacey cut down the net.
“We had high expectations coming into the year,” said Lacey, part of an all-senior starting five, including Gainey, Casandra Martinez, Katherine Brown and Michelle Evans. “It’s like a dream come true.
“It wasn’t an easy game. We want to keep practicing, working on our game, getting our offense better, improving on our defense and converting it into baskets.”
“They’ve done a fantastic job. I’m very proud of them,” Morrisville coach Dave Howell said. “They want to play for at least another month.”
Morrisville, after the BAL tournament next week, will be a targeted team in the District One Class A tournament. Offense will be a focus area in preparation. The Bulldogs get a lot of points off their defense, but in half-court offensive sets, vs. zone or man, they need some fine-tuning.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Howell said. “Our man offense wasn’t good. Give Jenkintown credit; they battled hard. We stood around a lot and we need better screening.”
Lacey led Morrisville with 12 points, as the Bulldogs snapped a 12-game winning streak for Jenkintown (18-4, 8-2 BAL Constitution). Evans had eight points, including six key ones during the second quarter, to help the Bulldogs get their footing.
In the first meeting with Jenkintown, Morrisville, which routinely wins by double-digits, broke open a tight game to win going away, 41-24. There was little breathing room in this one from the outset.
“We started off a little shaky, but we fought through it,” Gainey said.
After a first quarter in which Dorshimer got free in the lane and on the baseline for eight points, Morrisville trailed 11-6. Then the Bulldogs got more glue with their half-court defense, holding Jenkintown to three field goals and 10 points over the next two periods.
Lacey gave Morrisville its first lead, 18-16, with 1:03 left in the first half. The Bulldogs overcame foul trouble in the second period to Martinez and Evans with Delila Mena and Shalay Johnson playing some key minutes. Evans made a nice driving floater to make it 20-17 at halftime.
Jenkintown went nearly the first six minutes of the third without a field goal, mitigating Morrisville’s own offensive woes. And in the end, the Bulldogs showed the stuff of champions, overcoming obstacles and doing everything they needed to win their biggest game of the year.
And the year is far from over for this team.
“It was a great win. BAL champs!” exclaimed Gainey, who made a nice hustling steal at midcourt after Lacey’s final basket. “This is a big step for us.”
And Thursday night, when the Bulldogs needed it most, defense took them the final step to the BAL Constitution Division championship.
Ultimately, though, the Drakes had more problems offensively. In the end, Morrisville made several defensive stops to secure a 29-25 victory.
Jenkintown’s Emma Dorshimer (15 points) drew the Drakes within 26-25 before Morrisville standout guard Kievanna Lacey drove for a basket with 3:13 left.
While the Bulldogs would get only a Cassandra Gainey free throw from there, Jenkintown came up empty on its last five possessions, with Lacey, a terrific defensive anticipator, fittingly icing the outcome with a steal with 9.9 seconds to play.
On a big night for the small school — Senior Night, the league title on the line — Morrisville (20-1, 16-0 BAL, 10-0 Constitution) came through with its 19th straight victory and tied the school record for victories in a season. During an emotional celebration on court, Lacey cut down the net.
“We had high expectations coming into the year,” said Lacey, part of an all-senior starting five, including Gainey, Casandra Martinez, Katherine Brown and Michelle Evans. “It’s like a dream come true.
“It wasn’t an easy game. We want to keep practicing, working on our game, getting our offense better, improving on our defense and converting it into baskets.”
“They’ve done a fantastic job. I’m very proud of them,” Morrisville coach Dave Howell said. “They want to play for at least another month.”
Morrisville, after the BAL tournament next week, will be a targeted team in the District One Class A tournament. Offense will be a focus area in preparation. The Bulldogs get a lot of points off their defense, but in half-court offensive sets, vs. zone or man, they need some fine-tuning.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Howell said. “Our man offense wasn’t good. Give Jenkintown credit; they battled hard. We stood around a lot and we need better screening.”
Lacey led Morrisville with 12 points, as the Bulldogs snapped a 12-game winning streak for Jenkintown (18-4, 8-2 BAL Constitution). Evans had eight points, including six key ones during the second quarter, to help the Bulldogs get their footing.
In the first meeting with Jenkintown, Morrisville, which routinely wins by double-digits, broke open a tight game to win going away, 41-24. There was little breathing room in this one from the outset.
“We started off a little shaky, but we fought through it,” Gainey said.
After a first quarter in which Dorshimer got free in the lane and on the baseline for eight points, Morrisville trailed 11-6. Then the Bulldogs got more glue with their half-court defense, holding Jenkintown to three field goals and 10 points over the next two periods.
Lacey gave Morrisville its first lead, 18-16, with 1:03 left in the first half. The Bulldogs overcame foul trouble in the second period to Martinez and Evans with Delila Mena and Shalay Johnson playing some key minutes. Evans made a nice driving floater to make it 20-17 at halftime.
Jenkintown went nearly the first six minutes of the third without a field goal, mitigating Morrisville’s own offensive woes. And in the end, the Bulldogs showed the stuff of champions, overcoming obstacles and doing everything they needed to win their biggest game of the year.
And the year is far from over for this team.
“It was a great win. BAL champs!” exclaimed Gainey, who made a nice hustling steal at midcourt after Lacey’s final basket. “This is a big step for us.”
2 comments:
It was a great game. The Lady Bulldogs played hard and well. The did Morrisville proud. They have another game on Tuesday night. Let's fill the bleachers!
What-A-Game! Lady Bulldogs did a great job last night and the girls and coaches should be proud of their efforts as it shows that all of their hard work and dedication paid off.
"And in the end, the Bulldogs showed the stuff of champions, overcoming obstacles and doing everything they needed to win their biggest game of the year."
The team has set a perfect example to the district that by working together, goals can be reached.
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