43
Clippers’ Mook ices Mooney
COLUMBIANA
When you have more than 600 career coaching wins, some days you have to get creative.
On Saturday, Columbiana High School girls basketball coach Ron Moschella called a timeout early in the fourth quarter with his team leading Cardinal Mooney by nine to yell at senior Baylie Mook for missing a layup.
“What, are you tired?” Moschella asked. “I guess that’s what happens when you go to bed at 1 o’clock in the morning when we have a game.”
Mook, who missed most of the second quarter due to foul trouble — which her coach also reminded her of during the timeout — woke up in the fourth quarter to score 17 of her 28 points and put the visiting Cardinals to bed, 56-38.
“If it’s something like going to bed late, hanging out with your boyfriend, or anything, he’s just going to get on you about it every time you’re playing a game,” Mook said with a smile afterward.
“Just because ... it’s him.”
Moschella admitted after the game that he made up Mook’s late bedtime to try and get her to pick up her intensity. Well, it worked.
Mook was 11-of-14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter — “That’s not good enough,” Moschella said with a smirk” — and was 18-of 24 for the game. The Cardinals had no answer defensively for the senior guard down the stretch.
“We knew if they were up at all, they were going to run the stall on us, so we worked a lot on trying to get up the line on defense,” Mooney coach Erica Wilson said. “We had to get steals or we had to put them on the line and hope that they miss.
“But, they did a great job at the line in the second half, so there’s nothing you can do.”
The Cardinals (2-2) did a good job executing out of halftime, cutting a 13-point deficit to seven to begin the fourth quarter. The biggest reason for the success came from Mooney’s height advantage. While the Clippers (9-0, 5-0 ITCL Tier Two) didn’t play a single girl taller than 5-foot-8, the Cardinals started two 5-10 girls and another who’s 6-1.
Maggie Monahan, who’s the tallest of the bunch, scored a pair of easy buckets down low, while Jami DiFabio made four layups during a third quarter in which Mooney was 6-of-7 from the field.
“I thought they had a good press break set up, but as it wore down we made a couple adjustments — we went man-to-man — and got them out of that routine,” Moschella said. “I think our pressure is what really changed that.”
Mooney turned the ball over an astounding 29 times and didn’t go a quarter without giving it away at least six times. That, ultimately, was the difference since the Cardinals shot the ball fairly well at 53 percent from the floor.
“Our defense is our offense,” Mook said. “So we’re getting the ball from the other team on defense and immediately trying to lay it in, instead of [playing] half court, which can be kind of rough because of all the tall people.”
Playing for Moschella also can be described as tough — especially if he considers you his best player.
This year, that distinction goes to Mook.
“I’m always harder on the best player,” Moschella said. “And the reason is, if she’s getting yelled at, everybody’s listening that I better get it in gear.
“Some kids can’t handle it. The real good players can and she’s a real tough player.”