Life during a pandemic strikes again. I never thought I'd spend nights sitting at home watching games through a computer screen while they're being played in New York gyms, but COVID restrictions can get in the way. Unfortunately, it was life that got in the way and I was unable to get to a Tuesday game. No worries though, I'll catch the stream! It's 2021, technology should've allowed this to be a thing for a while now.
My initial plan was to make the trip to East Syracuse to watch Bishop Grimes take on Marcellus. I'll have to hold a little longer before getting to Section III for the first time this winter, but this turned out to be a battle. I was pretty interested in this matchup as it featured two of the section's stronger Class B teams. They actually shared a similar fate 11 months ago, with Marcellus making it to the Section III Class B semis & Grimes reaching the finals before they both fell to South Jefferson.
THE GAME
The 1st half went Marcellus' way thanks to transition offense and a Hannah Durand (Marcellus 2021) hot hand. She had 10 in the 1st quarter - five straight to cap a 9-2 run in the middle of the frame and then five more late in the quarter to give the Mustangs a 6 point lead. Grimes hit enough perimeter shots against Marcellus' 3-2 zone early, as their 3 early treys kept them within striking distance at 21-17 after the 1st quarter. Marcellus controlled much of the 2nd quarter - Durand continued to feel it, and they ran on every opportunity & found ways to manufacture points. They scored 11 of the first 14 in the quarter, again capped on 5 Durand points, to lead by as much as 12. They went into the locker room with a 12 point lead, which they kept after Kate MacLachlan (Marcellus 2022) traded baskets on a couple occasions with Jenna Sloan (Bishop Grimes 2022) late in the 2nd.
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| Hannah Durand, pictured here at a 2019-20 season tournament at Burnt Hills, was feeling it early and finished with a game high 20 points for Marcellus. |
The Cobras started to inch back into it in the 3rd quarter. They scored the first 6 points and 11 of the first 13 in the half, with four players getting into the scoring action, to trim their deficit to 3. It was 40-37 after a pair of Naywel Ayeil (Bishop Grimes 2022) free throws, but Marcellus would gain a little breathing room by adding the last 5 of the quarter, including 3 Durand free throws, to extend their cushion to 45-37 after 3. The Mustangs pushed their lead back to as much as 10 in the 4th after a MacLachlan three-point play, and another MacLachlan bucket made it 53-44 in the middle of the 4th, but Grimes would make a final push. Sloan started it with a bucket, Ayeil followed, and by the time they each scored again, it was an Ayeil bucket that capped a 10-0 run and gave Grimes a 54-53 lead - their first since 5-4 early in the 1st - with just over a minute left. Marcellus got a big shot on its ensuing possession though, as MacLachlan canned a corner three with :47.0 left to stop the bleeding and give the Mustangs the lead back for good. They got a couple stops late and tacked on a late basket to extend it to two possessions.
Hannah Durand dropped a game high 20 points for Marcellus, all coming in the first 3 quarters. Kate MacLachlan stepped it up late, as she had 8 of her 14 points in the 4th quarter. Three Cobras finished in double figures; Naywel Ayeil had 13 of her 17 in the 2nd half, Jenna Sloan added 12, and Rosalie Vincent chipped in with 11.
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| Jenna Sloan (pictured at the 2020 Section III Class B semifinals) was one of three in double digits for Bishop Grimes, finishing with 12 on the night. |
#ThoughtsFromTheCouch
- Marcellus' offensive success somewhat revolved around their ability to get out & run. They weren't exclusively scoring on the break, but it's where they were most efficient. They had opportunities early for a couple reasons. They threw the pressure on Grimes early and it bothered them to an extent, and Grimes also took/missed a lot of perimeter shots. Long shots = long rebounds... you know how that goes. Grimes adapted & handled the pressure better as the game went on, and they started to get better shots inside the 3-point line, whether it was Jenna Sloan getting into the midrange or Naywel Ayeil going toward the rim. They scored more, they were able to get back and defend in the half-court, something they're usually good at... and things got interesting.
- Players make plays, right? I thought Kate MacLachlan was quiet for the first three quarters and Jenna Sloan was for a while too, but when their teams needed plays, they made them. It was in the scorebooks for Kate, a standout 2022 at Marcellus, where she established herself late. First, it was early in the 4th to help them maintain a lead at or around 10. When that disappeared and they fell behind, it was a big corner three - I think the first shot outside of close range that she hit, and she didn't take many as most of her work was done in the paint. For fellow standout 2022 Jenna Sloan, her impact for Grimes wasn't always made by putting '2' and '3' in the book, but it was felt. She did score a bit and had her impact in the 4th quarter run, including a tough floater where it looked like she gained her balance in the air, but it could also be seen in things like the rebound in traffic and perfect advance pass to lead Ayeil for the layup to give them the lead. They came through when it needed and helped make it an entertaining finish.
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| Kate MacLachlan (pictured at a 2019-20 early season tournament at Burnt Hills) had 8 of her 14 in the 4th quarter, including a corner 3 that proved to be the game winner for Marcellus. |
- Something you can't tell on a stream/game film as well as you can in person... fatigue looked like it may have came into play for both sides? Neither carried much of a bench; I think there were approximately 15 between the two teams. It was more up & down early, and between the pace, the lower numbers, probably limited activity for many in December & January, and the masks... wouldn't be a surprise.
- Can Dunkin' deliver to my front door? I need a coffee but don't want to move. All these games at my fingertips! But for real... I love the access, but not being in the gym sucks. Can't wait for things to open back up some more in NY so I can see all your shining masked faces in person instead of on YouTube or the NFHS Network!
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