In my season preview, I predicted Middle College to win a state championship in Class C. I also pegged the Kats as this season's Yale Cup champs. On Thursday, while I was at the ADPRO Public/Private Challenge covering a different game, I was getting updates from the Middle College at East game. It ended up being a tight game throughout, with Middle College escaping with a one-point win. Despite feeling conflicted that I couldn't be there to see the game, I took comfort knowing I still had the East/McKinley game to look forward to on Monday, and after East pushed Middle College like that, its game at McKinley looked even more appealing. It turns out my line of thinking was way off about the East/McKinley game, and maybe even about where that coveted Yale Cup would end up as well.
McKinley got scoring from 10 different players and outscored the Panthers, 45-20, in the second and third quarters, in a dominating victory over East, 82-58. The win moves the Macks, the #4 large schoool in WNY, to 6-0 on the season.
Leading 18-9 in the first quarter, the senior laden first unit for the Macks looked a step ahead of a young East squad that starts five underclassmen, with four of them being sophomores. But over the final two minutes of the opening stanza, the Panthers outscored McKinley, 7-0, and pulled within a possession, 18-16. However a two-minute 13-3 outburst to start the second quarter gave the Macks a 31-19 lead.
"We settled down, started playing defense, got out in transition & ran, good outlet passes, make your layups & free throws," McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey said.
The Panthers got a three-point play from Willard Anderson, who scored a game-high 22 points, along with free throws from Ashaunte Maryon & a bucket from Jerimiah Barney to pull back to within six points at the midway point of the second quarter. It would be the closest East would get the rest of the way.
Avius Outlaw, who already had seven points to his credit at that point, scored eight straight points for McKinley late in the half, as the Macks finished the half on a 10-1 blitz, to take a 42-27 into the locker room at halftime. Outlaw came off the bench to net 15 of his team-high 19 points in the half, scoring on a variety of shots from a 3-pointer in the corner, pull up jumpers, and drives to the basket. Each time I've watched the Macks this season, Outlaw has made an impression.
"He'll play defense, he'll scrap," Dorsey said of the junior. "He's just got to learn to plat McKinley basketball - once he learns how to play McKinley basketball, he'll be OK."
McKinley continued to pour in on in the second half, despite dipping into its bench and giving reserves some key minutes in the third and fourth quarters. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Macks lead reached 36 points.
"Our depth was a key factor, I think we just wore them down," Dorsey said.
The running joke over the past few seasons has been that McKinley runs a play where it intentionally turns the ball over, just to steal it back and score. Well, I'm here to tell you they still execute it to perfection, and seem to have added another to its repertoire - the 'miss the free throw so we can rebound and score play'. On several occasions during the win over East, the Macks secured a rebound after missing a free throw and either scored or went back to the line, again.
Something else that stood out about the Macks as I watched yesterday - the attitudes and team chemistry have never looked better there. When they take a charge, splash a '3', or force the opposition into a timeout with an overwhelming run, the whole bench is up to celebrate. When one McKinley player dives for a loose ball (and you can bet someone from that team is hitting the floor for a loose ball) there are always two more players who sprint over to help their teammate up. That's not something you see from every team. But it's part of the culture that is McKinley basketball these days.
"We talked about college players who are on the bench and they never get in, but they always cheering for their teammates," said Dorsey. "The bench has to have energy, the bench has to pick you up, especially when you play in a hostile environment."
Point Totals
McKinley: Avius Outlaw 19, Rayquan Goree 16, Keyon Johnson 11, Davonti Wardlaw 8, Shaquan Jones 6, Bruce Booker 6, Kesean Fisher 5, Morrell Buster 5, Nakye Booze 4, Kavon Rogers 2
East: Willard Anderson 22, Takeylo Burts 8, Moses Hughes 8, Romello cox 8, Ashaunte Maryon 4, Jerimiah Barney 3, Justin Allen 3, Waunya Shaw 2
-centercourt
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