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McDonald handles first bit of adversity
By Steve Ruman
McDONALD
The good news for McDonald entering Friday night’s home game against Niles was that the Blue Devils were 6-0, averaging 97 points per game.
The bad news, as far as Blue Devils coach Jeff Rasile was concerned, was that his team wasn’t truly tested in those six wins. The Devils’ average margin of victory was 47 points.
On Friday, McDonald faced a slight bit of fourth quarter adversity, and prevailed with flying colors.
The result was an 82-58 victory over a Niles squad which has lost five straight and falls to 2-6.
McDonald used a 17-0 run to build a 49-30 halftime lead. Then after Niles cut its deficit down to six points in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils went on a 15-0 run to put the game away for good.
McDonald senior Braedon Poole led all scorers with 20 points. He was one of four McDonald players to reach double figures. Evan Magill scored 17, while Dylan Portolese and Joey Ragazzine chipped in with 15 and 14, respectively.
Niles was led by Da’Jon Motley, who scored 16 off the bench. Corbin Foy added 11 points for the Red Dragons.
“We were up by 24 in the first half, and Niles cut it to six,” Rasile said. “I don’t like to see us lose a lead in that fashion. But at the same time, this was a needed challenge for our kids. We haven’t played the best of competition yet. Teams have played us hard, but Niles offered a different level of athleticism.
“Seeing the lead shrink like that was frustrating, but we did some things down the stretch that made me happy.”
Niles scored the game’s first points on a Foy 3-pointer, and the Red Dragons held their last lead at 9-7 midway through the first quarter.
In the second period, McDonald received nine points from Poole and eight from Magill to build its 19-point halftime lead.
But Poole found himself in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, which helped spark Niles’ comeback.
“When Niles got momentum in the fourth quarter, nothing went our way and we got frustrated,” Rasile said. “When Braedon got back in the game, he was able to go one-on-one and beat people. Braedon has that extra offensive ability to get the job done on his own.”
Meanwhile, Niles coach Ron Price was pleased with the no-quit attitude displayed by his team.
“We fought hard, and it’s something to build on,” Price said. “You just can’t throw the ball away, commit unforced turnovers against a team like that, or they’ll make you pay. That’s a good team.”