Meade drops Hornets

Girls basketball team falls to 0-2 on the early season

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009

The Great Mills Hornets girls basketball team hosted Meade on Monday night, and the visiting Mustangs pressed on defense early and often throughout the contest.

Thanks in large part to a high-tempo defense, and an even higher tempo offense, the Mustangs ran off to a 69-44 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Meade's Nicole Dixon led all scorers with 24 points, and teammate Alissa Chambliss poured in 20.

"It feels great," Chambliss said of improving to 2-0. "My team has been working hard and it is always great to get a win. … [Pressing] really helps us stop the other team and allows us to push up in a game. Most teams can't get through our press because we are so intense."

The Mustangs caused numerous turnovers on the night thanks to a pressing-style of defense that created plenty of easy-chance points.

"I tell the girls that it's just a step," Meade head coach Bobby Freedenberg said. "We have 22 steps and right now we are just on step two, and step three will be Friday night."

On the pressuring defense, the head coach added: "That is something we always do. … It was aggressive defense, yes, but it was also a controlled defense. We were telling the girls not to reach and pick up fouls."

Great Mills (0-2) was handicapped early as its top ball-handler, senior Tylita Butler, was whistled for two fouls in the first quarter, thus taking her out of the game.

"At this point of the season, she is our best ball-handler," Great Mills head coach Brian Weisner said. "That means we need to have her out there on the floor as much as we possibly can. She picks up two quick fouls … and that hurt us. As soon as Tylita went out, it's like the floodgates just opened."

"Obviously, the press hurt," Weisner added. "They were tall and long, and we didn't move well enough to the ball, nor did we help each other out well enough. So yeah, that press hurt, we turned the ball over a ton."

Meade's lead swelled to as many as 32 points late in the third quarter at 57-25.

Butler, however, provided a quick burst of energy near the end of the third quarter as she assisted on two consecutive baskets and scored on another to end the quarter on a 7-0 run.

It turned into an 11-0 run as the Hornets scored the first four points of the fourth period, as well.

However, the lead was insurmountable at that point as the 11-0 run only cut the lead to 57-36.

The Hornets would not get any closer than its 58-38 deficit early in the final period.

"It's hard sitting there watching the game the entire time," Weisner said. "When you see a lot of turnovers and see a lot of things that, as a team, we need to improve. But, at the same time, we never stopped working, never stopped hustling, and they showed passion and desire."

Lauren Fairfax and Shanice Fenwick led all scorers for the Hornets each pouring in 10 points, respectively, the only Hornets to reach double figures on the night.

jmccray@somdnews.com