Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Joh’Vonnie Mosley had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VIndicator Correspondent
McDONALD — Overcoming a typical productive night from McDonald High’s senior standout Joh’Vonnie Mosley, Columbiana got a solid team effort and posted a 41-36 girls basketball triumph over the Blue Devils on the road Monday night.
Mosley finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds and six steals, but the Clippers made her work for her points. She shot 7-for-21 from the field and was forced to tally 10 of her points at the foul line.
“We definitely had to keep an eye on Mosley inside and we thought they have a lot of good outside shooters,” Columbiana coach Jeff Hammond said about his team‘s defensive strategy. “It was kind of like a zone sagging down on Mosley from the top with our guards, yet being quick and getting out on their shooters.”
McDonald coach Rob Hilbun agreed, praising Columbiana’s defensive effort.
“Their defense was phenomenal. They took some things away with their match-up zone,” he said. “Inside they had a lot of blocked shots and then they covered our outside shooters.”
The Clippers (3-4) scored the first nine points of the game but led just 14-12 after one quarter. The lead was 21-19 at halftime, then Columbiana held McDonald (5-2) to a single Mosley three-point play in the third quarter, extending the advantage to 30-22.
The lead reached as much as 11 points in the final quarter and was 38-28 with 2:04 remaining. The closest the Devils got in the final minute was three points.
“I think we were ready for the challenge,” Hammond said. “We respected McDonald and though we’ve taken some lumps this season I’m just really proud of the girls. We’ve had some great practices, the girls have really stuck with it and we were able to come away with a win tonight, so we’re really excited.”
Junior guard Hayley Goist had 14 points, five steals, five rebounds and three assists for the Clippers. Senior forward Irene Coy had 14 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. Fellow senior Katie Witmer grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists and freshman Khylea Fullum had eight points and 10 rebounds.
“Hayley Goist is our leader out front. She’s been playing since she was a freshman and she’s really coming on as a leader on this team,” Hammond said. “Witmer might not have the points on the scoreboard but the rebounding and just her senior leadership out there were important. And Irene, some of her shots were at key points in the game, and she did a great job defensively.”
The Blue Devils are familiar with opponents concentrating on stopping Mosley.
“Our offense feeds off Joh’Vonnie, she scores most of our points, and then the outside usually opens up and we get some 3s,” said Hilbun. “I think we hit a few in the first quarter and that kept us in it. But after that the shots weren’t falling and I thought their defense was phenomenal. I was proud of our girls’ effort, but they [Columbiana] rebound well and they are a very good team.
“I think their record is very misleading. I think they’ve played some very good teams. They might have had a hiccup here or there but we didn’t look at that 2-4 record and go, ‘Oh, they only have two wins.’ They play a tough schedule and they’re in the upper tier (of the Inter-Tri County League). We knew it was going to be a fight.”
Hammond and the Clippers hope the big road victory leads to bigger and better things.
“To be able to come out with a win is satisfying and we’ll try to build on it,” he said. “A win over a quality opponent, with our conference being as tough as it is, I think it’s a case of not being afraid to compete against good teams. To try to play your best basketball every single night is our goal.”