Thursday, December 28, 2017
By MIKE McLAIN
NILES
Trying to find a weakness on the roster of the McDonald High School boys basketball team is about as impossible as keeping their scoring machine below 80 points.
If you had to list a couple of concerns in the Devils’ 90-66 win over Niles on Wednesday, you could say that 6-foot-5 senior Braedon Poole needs to limit early foul trouble.
On this night, you could add that sophomore shooting whiz Zach Rasile didn’t pick up the slack when Poole was on the bench, at least to the liking of Devils coach Jeff Rasile.
If those are the biggest problems for the 8-0 Devils, the coach should rest easy.
“I have no patience,” Jeff Rasile said. “We expect to play perfect basketball. It’s hard at times, especially with Zach. I have to remind myself sometimes that he’s a sophomore in high school.
“Braedon has to make better decisions and not pick up fouls, and Zach has to play better when Braedon is on the bench.”
The critiques might be considered harsh when you look at the final statistics. Poole, who scored 13 points before sitting down with three fouls at the 3:33 mark of the second quarter, finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Zach Rasile, who was off a bit from beyond the 3-point arc, had 30 points, including six 3-pointers. Four of the long-distance shots came in a 16-point third quarter in which the Devils turned a 39-33 halftime lead into a 66-43 advantage.
Returning to action in the third period, Poole was smooth in driving to the basket in transition while providing a dominant presence on the defensive end.
“I’ve been sitting a lot this year,” Poole said of his foul troubles. “Then once I get into the game I’m kind of slow.”
Poole played with more caution in the second half to avoid fouling out. The change in style didn’t hinder his production.
“I’m playing a lot more careful,” Poole said. “Then if I sit I’m out to like the three-minute mark in the fourth quarter. I don’t want to be sitting that long.”
Zach Rasile had a few uncharacteristic turnovers during Poole’s second-quarter absence. He also failed to score from the field in the quarter while making 2-of-3 from the foul line.
“That was the first time this year where Braedon was in foul trouble and Zach didn’t pick up the load,” Jeff Rasile said. “Zach had a bad first half.
“Braedon, unfortunately, is in foul trouble too much. Usually Zach comes in and picks up the pace. The second half, that’s the way we play. Zach is bombing 3s and Braedon is attacking the rim. Everything took off in the second half.”
Cyler Kane-Johnson had a strong scoring night for the Dragons (1-8), scoring 27 points. He was 13-of-14 at the line. Da’Jon Motley followed with 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
The Dragons played better than their record might indicate. They trailed 18-15 after the first quarter and twice cut a six-point halftime deficit to three points before the Devils went on a 24-4 run to end the third quarter.
“Trying to slow them down is one thing and talking about and doing it are two different things,” Dragons coach Ron Price said. “They’re really good, and they put us away like good teams do.”
Josh Celli added 11 points to McDonald’s attack.