BERLIN CENTER McDonald girls go to 17-0 at Reserve

The Blue Devils clinched a tie for the Inter-County League title.
By JIM FLICK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BERLIN CENTER -- A 17-point run in the first quarter gave the McDonald High girls basketball team a big lead and the Blue Devils cruised the rest of the way Monday night, defeating Western Reserve 70-46.
McDonald remained unbeaten (17-0, 11-0) and clinched a tie for the Inter-County League title, while Western Reserve fell to 4-13, 2-9.
McDonald, which has three league games remaining, was led by senior Ashleigh Tondo with 25 points. Sophomore Emily Dolsak tossed in 13 points and senior Ashshena Stephens added 10 points.
Western Reserve's best offensive effort came from junior guard Lainey Kekic, who scored 14 points, including two 3-pointers. McKenzie Mowery contributed nine points to Western Reserve's efforts.
Pressure key
Despite the offensive fireworks, both coaches credited McDonald's defense for the big margin of victory.
"Our pressure was working on our defense," said McDonald coach Rob Hilbun. "And if our defense shut them out, we can score."
McDonald's pressure on defense was relentless, forcing many Western Reserve mistakes. In the first half, Hilbun had his players pressure Western Reserve even on the in-bounds passes.
McDonald also thoroughly out-rebounded Western Reserve, something Blue Devils coach Kim Clark admitted.
"[McDonald] rebounded very well," she said. "We just couldn't grab many rebounds."
Clark also praised McDonald's defensive pressure.
"They took away the passing lanes," she said. "They were very tough."
However, it was Western Reserve that got off to a fast start Monday night, taking an early 4-0 lead.
But Western Reserve failed to score another point in the quarter, while McDonald tossed in 17 unanswered points.
Rathburn neutralized
Ironically, the first rebound of the game was pulled down by Western Reserve center Alex Rathburn. But after Rathburn's strong play in the early minutes, McDonald made some adjustments that Clark admitted neutralized Rathburn's effectiveness.
"They just took her away," Clark said.
After tossing in the second basket of the game, Rathburn didn't score again.
After the 17-4 first quarter, McDonald outscored Western Reserve 18-11 in the second quarter for a 35-15 halftime lead.
Tondo led McDonald's first half barrage, netting 15 points, while Amy Dolsak contributed 8 points in the first half.
McDonald thoroughly dominated the third quarter by a 21-7 score to up the lead to 56-22 after three periods. With the game out of reach, Western Reserve recovered to outscore McDonald 24-14 in the fourth quarter.