Newton Falls downs St. John to open tournament
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NEWTON FALLS -- Win or lose, Newton Falls' five seniors knew they were playing their last game on their home court on Tuesday.
They were determined to make that last game a win.
Using their size advantage, the Tigers beat Ashtabula St. John along the boards and on the scoreboard, downing the Heralds, 36-15, in a Division VI, Northeast 4, sectional semifinal matchup.
"One of the things that we put on the board before the game was that we wanted to try to play inside-out," Newton Falls coach Mark Baker said. "Whether it be a pass inside with a kickout, or what I thought we really did well in the first half is we had some dribble penetration. We were able to make their zone kind of collapse on us, and then we were able to pitch out the different people. Nice to see the kids knock down some shots too when we did play inside-out."
The Tigers' size was a major advantage along the boards, where six players recorded at least two rebounds. Rebounding is an essential skill for Newton Falls under Baker, and this season's group shined on Tuesday.
Morgan Kendall and Madison Davis led the way with 13 and 11 boards, respectively.
"She's tenacious," Baker said of Kendall. "She just has a completely different gear and just goes and goes and goes, and she's just tenacious. I tell her all the time when it comes to rebounding, offensive or defensive, you could be the most selfish player on the floor and she takes it to heart. I think she's a fantastic rebounder, and as she's gone through the years, she's gotten so much smarter when it comes to rebounding. She's so good at reading angles. She has a nose, or a knack for where the ball is going to be before it's there, and that's just what makes her a great rebounder. If you watch her feet, they just don't stop moving, and she becomes very difficult to try to block out."
Despite being keyed in on by St. John, Davis finished with nine points. The Heralds made her earn every bucket.
"It was nice to see Madison knock down a couple shots. She was one we were really trying to get the ball inside to, and I think they were prepared for that," Baker said. "I thought Madison adjusted to it, that when we did get the ball inside to her, they were kind of collapsing from the middle, and then she started doing a nice job of stepping away from that and making some pitch outs, and she also got some nice offensive rebounds."
After battling injuries and illness all season, the Tigers are on the doorstep of playing at full strength. Factor in the natural growth over the course of a season and Newton Falls is playing its best basketball of the season at the right time.
"I think we've done a better job of sharing the basketball and just our overall decision-making, and not to mention how much individual skill has improved," Baker said. "Our overall offensive execution or decision-making when we have the ball in our hands is probably, here at the latter half of the season, is probably the best we have all season, so I'm pleased with that."
With a quick turnaround, the Tigers (8-15) hit the road to take on eighth-seeded Dalton on Thursday in a sectional final matchup.
"I'm going to have to do some homework. It may be a late night," Baker said with a laugh.