By Laura Amato
The shots simply didn’t want to fall.
The Monsignor McClancy girls’ basketball team struggled to put the ball in the hoop Jan. 12, falling 43-34 to Fontbonne Hall Academy in a CHSAA ‘A’ matchup.
“The second half we only scored 13 points, so we’ve got to do a better job of that,” Lady Crusaders’ coach Dewey Hopkins said. “I’ve got to do a better job preparing them to do a better job of scoring on a small court like this.”
McClancy (3-7) and Fontbonne (7-0) each had offensive issues from the get-go, but the Lady Crusaders were able to grab a bit of momentum on the defensive end of the court, settling into a half-court trap that made it all but impossible for the Bonnies to attack the lane.
The Lady Crusaders forced a handful of first-half turnovers, jumping out to a 17-11 lead midway through the second quarter. Fontbonne answered in kind, however, making it a 21-20 game heading into the break.
“Their zone, trapping style defense caused us to rush a couple of shots,” Bonnies’ coach Steve Oliver said. “We also had some good looks that just weren’t going in. We didn’t finish around the rim, but it was their game plan that did it.”
Fontbonne made several halftime adjustment to find a way to work through the Lady Crusaders’ trap and once they did, the Bonnies were able to break the game open.
McClancy was held scoreless for the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter – notching its first point from the foul line – as Fontbonne opened the period on a 10-1 point run. The Lady Crusaders did their best to push the ball up the court, but the squad looked rushed, unable to settle into a tempo on either side of the ball.
“Our trap was working and then we wore down a little bit,” Hopkins said. “They started to skip-pass the ball and hit some shots on the opposite end so we had to try and mix it up a little bit.”
McClancy hit its first field goal of the third quarter with just 34 seconds left on the clock, but the Lady Crusaders refused to give up without a fight.
The squad did its best to rally down the stretch, making it a five-point game on Grace Broderson’s three-point play with 2:53 left. Fontbonne’s Jill Howard stalled any sort of comeback, however, taking a charge right in front of the hoop on McClancy’s next possession.
“When someone’s coming, we always say, you’ve just got to stand and take the charge,” said Howard, who finished with 10 points. “Draw the foul, step in and take it so they don’t score.”
It was difficult for McClancy to feel anything except disappointment after the performance, but the Lady Crusaders are determined to turn things around heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
This team isn’t done taking shots yet – certain they’ll eventually start to hit their mark.
“The silver lining is Fontbonne is on top of the mountain now,” Hopkins said. “But the wolf that climbs the mountain has to be hungrier than the one on the top.”
