I agree, this was one of the best high school girls' basketball games I've seen. Mayo and Lee played extremely well and dominated their counterparts. This may have been Conrad's worst shooting night, but it happens. Either Coach Kulesza thought his team would dominate the man to man defense, or he didn't do his homework. John Noonan showed how to stop Mayo, by giving her the outside and packing the middle with help defense not to let her drive. St. E's entire offense was to give the ball to Mayo and let her work. The other 4 players would spread out, giving Mayo the middle of the floor. Conrad followed their players in coverage. Mayo had the entire middle to go to the basket. Big mistake by Conrad. If there were any question about he offense, when Mayo took a breather, the St. E's offense did not know what to do. They were lost. Putting the whole game on one player will only get you so far. If she's not on, or the defense packs it in (Ursuline Game & Caravel Game) the offense is broke.
Now's a good time to bring up a very good player who has been silent. Julie McCarron can be as good as anyone in the State. Bold statement, Yep. She was a powerhouse in AAU ball, playing alongside Mayo, and Brooks from Ursuline. She goes to the basket hard, can shoot, plays strong defense, and rebounds well. So why haven't we heard from her this year? When you run your offense on one player, unless your an Alpha, you accept your role and will never be heard of. Coach Cooney is missing out on something here. With Mayo, Lee, and McCarron all forces in the offense they could compete with top 3. This would also allow Hines and Henry to make their statements. 5 plaes on offense and defense, I'll take that any day.
Can hardly wait for the tournament now. This "should" be good.