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CRESTON − Thursday night was a vital league game in the Wayne County Athletic League between league leaders Norwayne and third-place Dalton, as the Bobcats (16-2, 11-1) were able to pull out a 49-40 win over the Bulldogs 13-6 (8-4).
Here are four key takeaways from the action:
More: It's the final stretch in Wayne/Holmes County girls basketball rankings
Dalton is a team that do a real good job running their offensive sets in the half-court. Dribble handoffs. Backdoor cuts. Quick movement that leads to quality outside shots.
In the first half, Dalton ran their stuff well and in some possessions had Norwayne defensively doing an ample amount of covering and chasing. The Bulldogs three-point shooting was a key, as point guard Mei Simmons (team-high 16 points) knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half, including a three-pointer right at the buzzer to end the first half.
Dalton led 23-21 at the half.
"We were executing our sets. Making sure we were screening people and having a good setup game," said Dalton head coach Chase Moyer. "Defensively as well. We were obviously undersized out there and we did a decent job of boxing out in the first half. I think we stayed within ourselves in the first half, which allowed us to have the lead."
"We had to stay up on their shooters. We know they're a team that likes to shoot the ball," said Norwayne head coach Jake Shoup. "We really had to be diligent in staying in the passing lanes but also making sure we had help underneath. They're a team that can do it from the inside and outside."
Dalton had a nice offensive rhythm in the first half, but when Norwayne set up in a 1-3-1 defense right at mid-court, the game turned. The Bobcats were able to disrupt the rhythm of Dalton's offense with their 1-3-1 mid-court defense and didn't allow Dalton to settle into what they wanted to run. It wasn't just that the Bobcats forced a few turnovers but that they were able to force the ball out of Bulldogs players hands quicker then they wanted to.
"We applied some pressure and it was working, so we kept it up," said Norwayne guard Allie DeMassimo. "We were just going to give it a try and we stuck with it. It seemed like it worked. Last time, they shoot the ball like crazy. This time we were going to lockdown on D and have a better defensive game this time around."
Said Shoup, "It's something when we were analyzing film the last few games against them, we saw that it gave them a little trouble. We used it sparingly in the last couple of times we played Dalton but it was something I thought could give us some success. We needed some energy and it was something that could give us some energy in the second half."
"It was more so when we got set up in our zone offense, I thought we were able to execute and get past their 1-3-1 but there were a few times we got the ball off the rim and dribbled right into the trap forgetting they were in a zone," Moyer explained. "In those moments we like to play fast but we have to be able to play with our eyes to see what they are in."
The Bobcats 1-3-1 flipped the game in their favor and they outscored Dalton 17-8 in the third quarter to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter.
From the very beginning of the game, after mostly every defensive rebound you could here Shoup telling his players to push the ball. From DeMassimo (14 points) to Ava Maibach (18 points) to Courtney Cline (4 points), once they got the ball, they dribbled it up quickly where Dalton couldn't get in a defensive setup.
Honestly throughout, it seemed like the Bobcats scored more transition points than in the half-court. The transition game was strong suit on the night for Norwayne.
"Last year, we had a pretty good transition game," DeMassimo said. "This year, same thing but I think we're learning to play half-court and in transition at the same time. Depending on the game."
"We wanted to get in transition," Shoup said. "There's moments when we're getting more mature, more wiser when to pull the ball out. I think it was a lot better showing of wisdom of understanding the situation and score. That's when we're most efficient, in transition."
As we stand, the race to win the WCAL is as tight and competitive as can be at the top of the standings. Norwayne are the current leaders with an 11-1 league record, with Chippewa in second at 10-2, Dalton in third at 8-4, and Waynedale and Smithville both in fourth at 8-5.
To sum up the head-to-head records between the four teams that have been in the top four for the majority of the season in Norwayne, Chippewa, Dalton and Waynedale, it goes kind of like this:
Norwayne has beaten Dalton twice. Dalton beat Waynedale twice. Chippewa beat both Dalton and Waynedale twice. Norwayne beat Chippewa, and Waynedale gave Norwayne its only league loss of the season.
The WCAL is close to being solved with about a week to go and Norwayne find themselves in prime position to win it.
Said Moyer on the WCAL title race, "I love playing in a competitive league. Obviously, it makes for a lot of grinding games. To me, I love nothing more than to be in a league race that has multiple teams that's battling down the stretch."
"It's a tough league," said Shoup. "We're blessed to play in it because it makes us better. Every game we gotta get locked in and not looking at the schedule as a whole. Just looking at one game at a time."
"We talk as a team about being locked in every game because the WCAL is tough," said DeMassimo. "It's a tough league. If we stay together as a team, we're going to get the job done."
j[email protected]
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Breaking down Norwayne girls WCAL basketball win over Dalton
Continue reading...
Here are four key takeaways from the action:
More: It's the final stretch in Wayne/Holmes County girls basketball rankings
Dalton's offensive execution in the first half was smooth
Dalton is a team that do a real good job running their offensive sets in the half-court. Dribble handoffs. Backdoor cuts. Quick movement that leads to quality outside shots.
In the first half, Dalton ran their stuff well and in some possessions had Norwayne defensively doing an ample amount of covering and chasing. The Bulldogs three-point shooting was a key, as point guard Mei Simmons (team-high 16 points) knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half, including a three-pointer right at the buzzer to end the first half.
Dalton led 23-21 at the half.
"We were executing our sets. Making sure we were screening people and having a good setup game," said Dalton head coach Chase Moyer. "Defensively as well. We were obviously undersized out there and we did a decent job of boxing out in the first half. I think we stayed within ourselves in the first half, which allowed us to have the lead."
"We had to stay up on their shooters. We know they're a team that likes to shoot the ball," said Norwayne head coach Jake Shoup. "We really had to be diligent in staying in the passing lanes but also making sure we had help underneath. They're a team that can do it from the inside and outside."
Norwayne's 1-3-1 mid-court defense changed the tide of the game
Dalton had a nice offensive rhythm in the first half, but when Norwayne set up in a 1-3-1 defense right at mid-court, the game turned. The Bobcats were able to disrupt the rhythm of Dalton's offense with their 1-3-1 mid-court defense and didn't allow Dalton to settle into what they wanted to run. It wasn't just that the Bobcats forced a few turnovers but that they were able to force the ball out of Bulldogs players hands quicker then they wanted to.
"We applied some pressure and it was working, so we kept it up," said Norwayne guard Allie DeMassimo. "We were just going to give it a try and we stuck with it. It seemed like it worked. Last time, they shoot the ball like crazy. This time we were going to lockdown on D and have a better defensive game this time around."
Said Shoup, "It's something when we were analyzing film the last few games against them, we saw that it gave them a little trouble. We used it sparingly in the last couple of times we played Dalton but it was something I thought could give us some success. We needed some energy and it was something that could give us some energy in the second half."
"It was more so when we got set up in our zone offense, I thought we were able to execute and get past their 1-3-1 but there were a few times we got the ball off the rim and dribbled right into the trap forgetting they were in a zone," Moyer explained. "In those moments we like to play fast but we have to be able to play with our eyes to see what they are in."
The Bobcats 1-3-1 flipped the game in their favor and they outscored Dalton 17-8 in the third quarter to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The transition game
From the very beginning of the game, after mostly every defensive rebound you could here Shoup telling his players to push the ball. From DeMassimo (14 points) to Ava Maibach (18 points) to Courtney Cline (4 points), once they got the ball, they dribbled it up quickly where Dalton couldn't get in a defensive setup.
Honestly throughout, it seemed like the Bobcats scored more transition points than in the half-court. The transition game was strong suit on the night for Norwayne.
"Last year, we had a pretty good transition game," DeMassimo said. "This year, same thing but I think we're learning to play half-court and in transition at the same time. Depending on the game."
"We wanted to get in transition," Shoup said. "There's moments when we're getting more mature, more wiser when to pull the ball out. I think it was a lot better showing of wisdom of understanding the situation and score. That's when we're most efficient, in transition."
The race for the WCAL title is going down to the wire
As we stand, the race to win the WCAL is as tight and competitive as can be at the top of the standings. Norwayne are the current leaders with an 11-1 league record, with Chippewa in second at 10-2, Dalton in third at 8-4, and Waynedale and Smithville both in fourth at 8-5.
To sum up the head-to-head records between the four teams that have been in the top four for the majority of the season in Norwayne, Chippewa, Dalton and Waynedale, it goes kind of like this:
Norwayne has beaten Dalton twice. Dalton beat Waynedale twice. Chippewa beat both Dalton and Waynedale twice. Norwayne beat Chippewa, and Waynedale gave Norwayne its only league loss of the season.
The WCAL is close to being solved with about a week to go and Norwayne find themselves in prime position to win it.
Said Moyer on the WCAL title race, "I love playing in a competitive league. Obviously, it makes for a lot of grinding games. To me, I love nothing more than to be in a league race that has multiple teams that's battling down the stretch."
"It's a tough league," said Shoup. "We're blessed to play in it because it makes us better. Every game we gotta get locked in and not looking at the schedule as a whole. Just looking at one game at a time."
"We talk as a team about being locked in every game because the WCAL is tough," said DeMassimo. "It's a tough league. If we stay together as a team, we're going to get the job done."
j[email protected]
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Breaking down Norwayne girls WCAL basketball win over Dalton
Continue reading...
