Drake Leads Deposit/Hancock To Tournament Championship; Downsville Downs Worcester In Consolation

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December 5, 2019

Deposit/Hancock 49, Walton 32

In a rare championship-first setup at the Walton tournament - Deposit/Hancock had to take the early time slot due to a winter concert - it didn't take long for the visitors to make their presence felt. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, pushed it 20 before halftime, and were able to maintain a double-digit lead to the finish en route to a 3rd straight Walton tournament championship.

From the start, Laycee Drake (Deposit/Hancock 2021) was in attack mode. The standout guard had 7 early points & dished out a couple assists in the opening minutes, helping them jump to a 15-6 lead after 1, with all of Walton's points coming from a pair of Makara MacGibbon (Walton 2023) treys. Once Ariel Kellam (Deposit/Hancock 2020) scored to start the 2nd quarter, the margin remained in double digits for the rest of the game. A McKenzie Mead basket pushed their lead to twenty at 28-8, and they held a 30-11 lead going into the locker room.

Laycee Drake made it happen for Deposit/Hancock - the standout 2021 went for 19 pts, 15 rebs, 6 asts, & 3 stls in a victory.

Walton, who looked a bit shell-shocked after D/H went on their early run, responded with a stronger showing out of the locker room, although it took some time to show on the scoreboard. Two straight difficult Drake buckets put D/H up 36-15, which proved to match their largest lead of the night. The host Warriors went on a 10-2 run from there, spanning into the 4th quarter when a McKenzie Clough (Walton 2020) jumper cut their deficit to 38-25 early in the 4th. They would get no closer though, as Drake responded with another basket to spurt a put-away run. They were able to hold Walton without a field goal for the next 6 minutes, pushing their lead back up to 21 on two more occasions before Walton scored twice in the waning moments.

Laycee Drake finished with a game high 19 points, and she added 15 rebounds, 6 assists, & 3 steals in a strong all-around showing. Ariel Kellam added 11 in the Eagles' victory. For Walton, Makara MacGibbon led the way with 16 points.

Makara MacGibbon (Walton 2023) had a nice showing in defeat, leading the way with 16 points.

Downsville 44, Worcester 37

Those who stuck around for the consolation game, which was pushed to the nightcap, were treated to a pretty entertaining game. A back-and-forth start went Downsville's way out of the locker room after a strong 3rd quarter, and they were able to make enough plays late to hold off a Worcester charge to walk away with a win.

The Brunner & Young show started from the jump for Downsville. Kailee Young (Downsville 2020) and Olivia Brunner (Downsville 2021) were a dynamic one-two punch throughout the game, and it started as they combined for a 9-0 run in the opening minutes. Worcester responded with a 10-2 run of their own, as Delimar Vega-Haley (Worcester 2021) & Miriam Odell (Worcester 2021) joined forces themselves to score all ten in the spurt. Brunner & Young went back at it from there, with Brunner scoring twice & Young adding a bucket in a 6-0 spurt to give Downsville the lead again early in the 2nd quarter. It remained close through the 1st half, with a pair of Sophia Adams (Worcester 2023) layups cutting Worcester's deficit to 21-20 at the break.

Kailee Young had a strong start for Downsville and finished with 13 points in their consolation game victory.

Vega-Haley scored to start the 2nd half, briefly giving Worcester the lead, but Brunner answered with a bucket that gave Downsville the lead for good. She went on a personal 6-0 spurt, and the run extended to 14-2 - Brunner with 9, Young with 5 - with a Brunner three-point play giving Downsville a double-digit lead at 35-24. The margin hit double digits twice more shortly after - Brunner & Vega-Haley traded baskets for a stretch into the 4th quarter - but another Delimar bucket early in the 4th quarter set up Worcester's last push. She connected twice in a row, cutting their deficit to 39-32, and the run extended to 7-0 after Iriyah Haley hit a three - her only field goal on the night - getting Worcester as close as 4. With Brunner & Young scoring 37 of Downsville's 39 points to that point, it was someone else who provided the big bucket to stop the bleeding, as Mckenzy Brown connected on a corner three to stretch their lead to 42-35. Vega-Haley scored again not long after, but Worcester wasn't able to make any more headway in the waning moments.

Olivia Brunner had a big game for Downsville, going off for a game high 24 points, with 11 coming in a 3rd quarter that Downsville won 16-8 to create separation. Kailee Young added 13 in the win while dealing with foul trouble much of the way. For Worcester, Delimar Vega-Haley had a strong showing, especially in the 2nd half, where she scored 12 of her team high 18 points.

Delimar Vega-Haley helped lead the Worcester 4th quarter push, scoring 12 of the team's 17 pts after halftime. She had a team high 18.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- Put a potential D1 kid in a small-school game, and you get what Laycee Drake did not just on Thursday, but in many of D/H's games. It's not often that you see a 5'6" guard making the sort of all-around impact that she makes. From scoring from the perimeter to finishing over the top in the post, then using 'true PG' abilities to handle against pressure and create for others while also being the most dominant force on the glass. The athletic feats speak for themselves - she's already well-known as a walking highlight reel with nearly unmatched bounce in the region - but I'm impressed with her mindset at this stage. You never know how it'll go when someone becomes a standout at their school and in their league & area at a young age. The first time I saw Laycee - against Walton in 8th grade, to be exact - they went box & 1 on her after she had a big 1st quarter. The word was already out by then. Sometimes, those kids turn into 35 shot per game kids that look to score & let other factors of their game lag. This hasn't been the case for Laycee, who really looks to get her teammates involved at all times. If anything, her unselfishness may make you wish she looked to create for herself a little more at times. Not a bad problem to have if you're a D/H coach or supporter. I was able to hear a Walton fan (parent, grandparent, relative, something) yell 'shut her down' early in the game. To that, I say this: easier said than done.

Jacqlyn Gransbury, another 2023 in Walton's backcourt, will be a key piece for them over the next few years.

- I credit Walton - a team that has a couple freshman that play in prominent roles - for battling in the 2nd half. For lack of a better term, they got punched in the mouth in the first 16 minutes. You never know how any high school team responds to that, let alone a young squad. They dug in & got after it, which is something to build on. It showed on the scoreboard a little bit, cutting the deficit to 13 early in the 4th, and it would've shown more had they not struggled mightily at the charity stripe over that time (5/16 FT in the 2nd half). Going off my first viewing, Makara MacGibbon - one of those Walton freshmen - could be a player to watch with continued work & development. She showed the ability to shoot it, the willingness to attack the rim and the athleticism & ability to finish in traffic. The other freshman, Jacqlyn Gransbury, was held to two points in this one - but she had a big game in their opening round, and you could tell she had a pretty good feel for the game on Thursday despite not being able to get off like earlier in the week. Again, the 2nd half definitely showed something to build on as they go deeper into their seasons.

- I've been familiar with Kailee Young for a while now, but not as much with Olivia Brunner besides what I've been told (thanks, Nate!). As usual, I can say that he wasn't wrong. I left pretty impressed with what I saw from Brunner in this game, as she showed some things that translate well to higher levels of play. She probably is best at the 4 if playing at a higher level, but at 5'10", she certainly showed more than enough guard skill to make an impact however she wanted in this setting. She looked most comfortable in the post or attacking the rim from the perimeter, and she had the strength & athleticism to finish through people and enough quickness & handle to get to her spots. However, she also showed the ability to hit the midrange J off the dribble, which she did on a couple occasions including one off a ball screen. Olivia also played with a noticeable tenacity & toughness, and she made an impact at both ends on the glass and also on the defensive end. Definitely one of those small school under-the-radar kids that could potentially find a home and make an impact at the D3 level in a couple years.

Olivia Brunner (2021) had a big game for Downsville, scoring 24 points, and showed translatable skills that make her someone to watch going forward.

- Worcester also had their chances in this one. They're a young team, cycling in two freshmen and an 8th grader with their core of juniors, and the youth showed at times. It was more so with composure and 'little' things, such as a missed defensive rotation or lack of communication, than anything else. Early in the season - that'll happen and is always to be expected. In my eyes, they played a solid 26 minutes, but unfortunately, the majority of the 3rd quarter - a period where they were a bit out of sorts, seemed to lack focus, maybe let some issues with officiating get to them a bit - was enough to do them in. Again, early season stuff that you anticipate works itself out over time. Delimar Vega-Haley really picked it up in the final 10 minutes - she's changed her game a bit since the last time I've seen her, more willing to put it on the deck and initiate contact at the rim - and after the rough 3rd quarter, they were able to come back & give themselves a reasonable shot. As is often the case in games like this, they'll learn & grow from it.