MOUNT VERNON — For the second
straight day, an early run by Mount Vernon’s opponent did the Yellow Jackets
in.
The Mount Vernon girls basketball team lost to Washington Massillon, 44-37, on
Saturday despite a late surge by the Jackets.
After holding on to a 9-9 tie in the first period, Massillon used a 10-0 run
to jump to a 12-point lead by halftime.
Friday, the Jackets had fallen, 54-28, to Big Walnut in similar fashion. Only
in that game, they fell behind in the first period by 20.
“We only seem to pick it up in the second half,” Mount Vernon head
coach Joe Rucker said. “We’re just not good enough yet to overcome
those deficits. There are not many teams that are.”
The Jackets appeared tired at the start of the game. They went just 6-for-13
from the free-throw line in the first half, and hit three out of 16 shots from
the field. They had also been outrebounded, 25-18, including allowing eight offensive
boards.
“We hit our free throws in practice,” Rucker said. “I think
it’s a mental thing when the game happens. You can bet it’s something
we’ll be working on all week.”
Going in, Mount Vernon knew it had to contain Massillon’s best athlete,
Chandler Burch. In that respect, the Jackets did well –– Burch had
12 points and collected just four rebounds the entire game. But Burch led her
team with four steals, and through much of the game, she acted as a decoy for
Massillon’s other talented players, Antionea McElroy and Damonique Thomas.
For the full story, click here for the January 10, 2011 e-edition
