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McKinley defense stymies Boardman
By Joe Scalzo
ALLIANCE
Boardman senior Darryce Moore paused, composed herself and did her best to talk through the tears.
“This program means a lot to me,” she said following Saturday’s 59-34 loss to Canton McKinley in the Division I district final at Alliance High. “I’ve been involved with this program since seventh grade and it’s like a second family to me.
“Leaving this year is going to be pretty hard because you always come to school and you have basketball practice and now there’s none of that.”
In the last game of a terrific career, the Ohio State recruit poured in 26 points to go with 10 rebounds, dominating inside.
Problem was, Boardman was no match outside.
McKinley freshman Aaliyah Dotson was as sticky as a movie theater floor, pressuring Boardman guard Doriyon Glass as she brought the ball up the floor as the rest of the Bulldog guards frustrated the Spartans’ attempts to run their offense.
McKinley’s speed cut down on Boardman’s passing lanes and rendered its fast break obsolete. Moore scored 10 buckets inside and Glass added the only other field goal for the Spartans.
“We knew that defense would have the major effect on the outcome of the game,” said McKinley coach Pamela Davis, a Fitch High graduate. “And we felt like, if [Moore] got hers, OK, but we didn’t want anybody else to go in high double digits.”
McKinley raced out to a 7-1 lead, setting the tone early with its defensive pressure. By the end of the fourth quarter, it was 16-9 and the Bulldogs quickly grabbed a double digit lead they never surrendered.
“If you let them push you around, you’re gonna get it,” said Boardman coach Ron Moschella. “That’s their defense and that’s how they played.
“If you don’t have good control and you start playing out of character, then you’re in trouble. And that’s what we did. We started like that in the beginning and never got it back.”
The only bright spot came early in the third quarter when the Spartans forced four straight turnovers and cut a 16-point deficit down to 10, 33-23, with five minutes left in the period. But Glass and Moore quickly picked up their fourth fouls, Moschella was forced to substitute and McKinley scored six straight points.
“I think that was a huge mistake on my part. Huge,” he said of the substitution. “It was a game that you can’t take them out. And I did it.
“We had momentum, we were coming back. You can’t play for the last three minutes. The [margin] will be 20.”
Senior Sydnee Penn scored 19 points for the Bulldogs (21-3), who won their second straight district title.
Glass had just two points and YSU recruit Monica Touvelle managed just one, but Moschella felt the loss didn’t diminish what his three seniors had accomplished.
“They played great all year,” he said.
The best story centered around Glass, a dazzling middle school guard whose high school career was nearly ruined by three ACL tears. Against the advice of nearly everyone, Glass returned for her senior year, stayed healthy and played well.
“I’m glad she got to come out this year,” said Moore. “She’s a force on our team. We’re a better team with her.”
Added Moschella: “I’m real happy that she did and didn’t get hurt. I just feel bad because she didn’t have a lot of experience on the basketball court. She had a year and a half to learn the game.
“If only she would have had four years.”