Day: December 16, 2020

It was truly a game of runs for McAuley Catholic in a 65-57 win over Exeter on Tuesday. 

McAuley took a five-point lead into the final eight minutes of play and kept the pace until pulling out to a double-digit lead with a 13-2 run down the stretch to seal the win.

“It’s big,” McAuley first-year coach Tony Witt said of the Senior Night win. “We started out losing in the last three seconds at home. We go 0-3 at Diamond … and we got down on ourselves a little bit at the end of that tournament. For us to go out and play well against Pierce City and to hold onto this one, it is really big for our momentum heading into the Christmas break.”

SENIOR NIGHT

McAuley honored five seniors before tipoff—Joe Lupicki, Matthew Dohmen, Thomas Black, Daniel Wagner and Cade Englert.

“With me being the fourth (head coach) in four years, for them to stick it out really says a lot about them and their character,” Witt said. “We’re thrilled to have them. They welcomed me with open arms from the get-go in June. They’ve done unbelievable things for us on and off the floor.”

GAME NOTES

The Warriors used a 5-0 run to close the first quarter to build an 11-7 lead. Exeter answered with a six-point run to open the second period to take its first lead of the game, 13-12, off a 3-pointer from Kris Allen at the 5:08 mark.

From there, the lead changed hands three more times before a 7-0 run from McAuley, with baskets from Black, Dohmen and Wagner, to give the Warriors a 21-15 advantage with less than four minutes to play in the half.

McAuley turned a five-point halftime lead into a 10-point, 37-27 advantage on a pair of free throws from Dohmen with 4:37 on the clock. 

The Tigers battled back to cut the deficit to five to start the fourth quarter and used a 5-2 run to trim the lead down to one possession, 47-45, with 6:10 left to play.

The Warriors answered with the final momentum swing, outscoring Exeter 13-2 over the next four-plus minutes of game action to build a 60-47 cushion with 1:27 left in regulation. Wagner started the run with a three-point play. Dohmen drove to the hoop for two baskets, with Black and Jeffrey Horinek adding scores to fill out the run.

“They were playing together,” Witt said of his team’s play down the stretch. “We finally settled down and started to do what we wanted to do instead of playing their game. I thought we were excellent in the half court the last four minutes of the game. I think that is the difference maker right there.”

The Tigers cut the lead to six several times in the closing minutes, but never drew any closer before the final horn. 

“I think they did a really good job of speeding us up,” Witt said. “We don’t necessarily want to play that way, and I think they did a good job of making us play their game. … You have to give credit to (Exeter) because they were making plays down the stretch.”

SCORING LEADERS

Wagner led McAuley with a game-high 27 points, with 16 coming in the second half. Black added 17 points. Wagner and Black combined to score 25 of the Warriors 34 points in the second and third quarters.

“They are huge for us,” Witt said. “They are our work horses. Without them, we are probably going to struggle a little bit in that situation if they don’t step up. They did a tremendous job.”

Dohmen finished with 13 to give McAuley three players in double figures.

Allen led Exeter with a game-high 29 points in the loss. 

McAuley Catholic blitzed Exeter on both ends of the floor en route to an 80-32 Senior Night win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

McAuley opened the first quarter on a 15-0 run to set the tone and added a 13-0 run to open the second quarter to take a commanding 51-20 lead by the intermission. The Warriors’ offensive and defensive effort didn’t dissipate out of the break, sealing the win early in the second half.

“We knew going into it that Exeter wasn’t going to have one of their best players, so we were trying to take advantage of it a little bit by putting pressure on their younger kids,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “I think it worked for the most part at the beginning of the game. We were able to force some turnovers and get some easy transition baskets with that. That really set the tone for the game. After we knocked down some shots, it built their confidence up and that carried over into the rest of the game. I was just proud of their effort.”

McAuley’s 15-0 run was predicated around relentless defense, with the Warriors forcing the Tigers into seven turnovers while building the insurmountable lead. 

“If you are able to turn the other team over and apply that pressure to the point where you’re making it hard on them to cross half court, No. 1, it’s going to build your confidence to make easier shots on offense,” Howard said. “No. 2, it’s going to put them in a spot where they are depleted and not feeling great about themselves.”

Offensively, Kennedy DeRuy, who poured in 26 points in the first half, scored 10 of the 15 points in the run, including two 3-pointers. 

“It’s the best I have seen her shoot probably in her whole career,” Howard said. “She was just feeling it tonight. … She found her spots and after she made her first couple, I knew it was going to be a good night for her. I didn’t know it was going to be that good of a night.”

McAuley’s 14-point first-quarter lead ballooned in the opening minutes of the second period as the defense held Exeter scoreless for the first four minutes in the quarter. The Warriors forced the Tigers into seven more turnovers during the 13-0 run, with DeRuy contributing seven. Kayleigh Teeter added six points with a 3-pointer and a three-point play. 

“That is one thing we talked about during the quarter change—to keep the gas pedal down and not let up no matter what,” Howard said. “For them to be able to not get complacent … that says a lot about their character.”

The Warriors pushed the lead to 30 for the first time at the 2:52 mark of the second period when Teeter grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score to push the margin to 43-13 before heading into the locker room with a 51-20 advantage.

McAuley used a 9-2 run out of halftime to put the game away.

SENIOR NIGHT

The Warriors honored a pair of seniors on Tuesday—Gliza Damaso and Carmen Colson.

“Gliza has been here for four years, and she works extremely hard,” Howard said. “She is one of our leaders on the floor for sure. Her defense is amazing. She does a lot of things for our program to make us go. … I couldn’t ask for a better kid on or off the court.

“Carmen came to me this year, and it was the first time she’s played since eighth grade. She wanted to give it one last go, and I said, ‘Absolutely, come on.’ She’s worked really hard this season and put herself in position to be a starter. … She is really getting better day by day.”

SCORING LEADERS

DeRuy led McAuley at the offensive end with a career-high 30 points, while Teeter finished with 29 points, 13 coming in the third period, to lead the Warriors. Damaso finished with nine points in the win.

“For us to come out and have a game like we had tonight, that really did a lot for them and it’s going to do a lot for their confidence moving forward also,” Howard said of DeRuy and Teeter. “They played exceptionally tonight. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Abbi Cadell led Exeter with 10 points.

UP NEXT

McAuley hosts Pierce City on Thursday.