McDonald outlasts Western Reserve to win 12 straight

January 14, 2017 at 12:10a.m.

BERLIN CENTER

McDonald and its perfect record faced its toughest challenge yet and didn’t blink, earning a 87-80 victory in overtime against Western Reserve.

Freshman Zach Rasille knocked down two threes for McDonald’s first buckets of the extra time, providing enough of a gap that Western Reserve couldn’t overcome.

“My teammates were giving me the ball and I was feeling it,” Rasile said.

Rasile is already well-adjusted to the ups and downs a Blue Devil can have in the boxscore. In the second game of the season, he set a school record for threes with 11. He’s also had a game where he finished with just three points.

But the number that’s been consistently satisfying for McDonald this year is in the win column.

“The thing is, Zach doesn’t care. He wants to win basketball games,” said Jeff Rasile, McDonald’s coach and Zach’s father. “We obviously have high hopes for him moving forward and I’m glad he’s here for the next three years, but we’re all about winning.

“If Braeden or Zach score zero and we win, that’s all that matters.”

Zach is very much his coach’s player and father’s son.

“The scoring isn’t important as long as we win and as long as my team is doing [well],” Zach said.

Braeden Poole led McDonald in scoring with 27 points. Rasile scored 23 and Dylan Portolese had 19.

“We knew what they were. We knew what type of team this would be. These are two great teams,” Western Reserve coach Patsy Daltorio said. “It was a great environment for basketball.

“A couple bounces went their way, they got a few rebounds, we miss a couple shots and it is what it is.”

Western Reserve (9-2, 3-1 Inter-Tri County League Blue) showed no fear against a team it hasn’t defeated in a decade. It’s only crime was missing its first few shots in overtime, allowing McDonald to establish the lead and with both sides in the bonus, McDonald used free throws to hang on.

Western Reserve proved it could match McDonald blow-for-blow and be a mirror image of its opponent. Using fast breaks, long passes and Cole Dezee shooting the corner three, the Berlin Center side led 34-33 at halftime.

“We got that type of team too,” Daltorio said. “We can get up and down the floor and score with them and that’s exactly what you saw. Two teams that are evenly matched and we expected a hard-fought game coming down to the last possessions.”

Dezee led Reserve with 25 points while battling foul trouble. Wyatt Larimer was key in forcing overtime.

Trailing 58-53 heading into the final frame, Larimer opened the quarter by providing the five points to tie the game. He finished the contest with 12 of his 16 points across the fourth quarter and overtime while starting the game from the bench. Kade Hilles contributed 14 points.

“We knew this would be a tough game. This is the best Western Reserve team we’ve faced in years,” Jeff Rasile said. “Fortunately, we came out on top, especially on their home court, that’s like a six-point advantage.”

With the victory, McDonald has won 12-straight.

“Our program is based on one thing and it’s work. If you go out and work harder than the other team, you’re going to win games,” Rasile said. “You take that and add the skill set of a Braeden or Zach, it takes things to another dimension.

“We work hard every day and we expect to win.”