Dodge City at McPherson : Takeaways and Standouts

The 4-1, 6A, #10 ranked Dodge City Demons traveled to McPherson to take on the 5-0, 5A, #2 ranked Bullpups Friday night. McPherson already owned wins over current 6A, #6 Derby and 5A, #8 Andover Central. The Demons have a win over a very good 5A Maize team. Their only loss was to 6A, #2 Liberal right before the holiday break. McPherson opened the game with a 15-0 run thanks to blistering three-point shooting, four offensive rebounds, inside scoring by Cassie Cooks, and several turnovers by Dodge City. Dodge could only manage five shots to trail 17-4 after one quarter. Thirteen points would be as close the Demons would get all game as the lead ballooned to 28 points early in the fourth quarter. McPherson then cruised to a nineteen point win with reserves playing out the latter half of quarter. <h2>Dodge City</h2> Three Takeaways Guard Play - While Dodge has a great deal of speed and quickness at the guard and wing positions, they could not match the cohesiveness and big-game experience that is McPherson's biggest strength - guard play. McPherson guards were left unchallenged on the perimeter too often and resulted in 6/9 shooting from beyond the ark. With players on the roster two years removed from a state championship, one year removed from a semi-final run, and who already own big wins against two top teams, the Bullpups are battle tested and are still not at full strength. Interior Defense - The Demons had a difficult time matching up offensively with Bullpup post Cassie Cooks. Her size and strength could only be matched physically by Junior Alisia Solis. Unfortunately Solis was not quite quick enough on the interior. Cooks' back-to-basket game was also as good as they will face all year. Turnovers - Lack of shot attempts and getting dominated on the defensive glass in the first quarter was the result of four turnovers. Finishing with thirteen total, they only committed two in a very competitive second quarter. Unfortunately the dam broke in the third quarter, leading to a runaway by the Bullpups. The bulk of the turnovers were committed in the middle of the floor against 3/4-court and half court pressure. Interior passing and ball handling by posts inside also was occasionally careless, leading to breaks going the other direction. [caption id="attachment_133445" align="alignright" width="210"] Dodge City's Camree Johnson guards McPherson's Kassidy Beam in the corner.[/caption] Players <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/camree-johnson/">Camree Johnson</a>, W, 2022, #66- Johnson is the team's best scorer and a capable defender, but defending opponents' bigs is physically not her strong suit. She finished 5/8 from the field including knocking down her only three-point attempt and only committed one turnover. A highlight was an athletic finish on the left side of basket after a drive down the lane during the second quarter. Fouled on the play, she completed a traditional three point play. Cooks was her chief defensive match-up but Johnson struggled to handle her once she got the ball or to consistently box her out. [caption id="attachment_133451" align="alignleft" width="230"] Dodge City's Kisa Unruh looks for a open teammate while defended on the perimeter by McPherson's Emma Malm.[/caption] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kisa-unruh/">Kisa Unruh</a>, 5'8", G, 2021, #70 - Combo guard Unruh is a key player for the Demons. While she finished with five boards, a steal, and a pair of assists without a single turnover, she was also 0/9 from the field (0/6 from three) and scored only one point. Unruh, at 5'8" has good size, length, and very quick hands. Relied upon defensively and for scoring she never got on track offensively. [caption id="attachment_133448" align="alignright" width="230"] Dodge City's Chidera Okoro shoots over a challenging Grace Pyle of McPherson while Pyle's teammate Cassie Cooks looks on.[/caption] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/chidera-okoro/">Chidera Okoro</a>, 5'8", F, 2020, #105 - Listed in the program at 5'10" Okoro stands an inch or two short of 5'10" Bullpup <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/grace-pyle/">Grace Pyle</a>. The lone senior on the team, Okoro over the years has been pressed into defending opposing bigs due to the Demons' lack of height. The experience is beneficial, unfortunately she is still undersized. Due to her athleticism she took on Pyle defensively for most of the game. Unfortunately Pyle's double-double in points and rebounds made for a difficult night. What she did show was athleticism offensively, good transition speed, some handles with the ball in the half-court, and an ability to knock down the mid-range jumper. [caption id="attachment_133447" align="alignleft" width="210"] Dodge City's Alisia Solis scores over McPherson's Cassie Cooks while McPherson's Emma Malm looks on.[/caption] Alisia Solis, 5'9", F, 2021, NR - Arguably the most improved Demon from last year Solis provided the team, even at 5'9", with a needed, physical interior presence. Finishing with eight points and seven rebounds she was able to get to the line but was not able to cash in well (1/4). While she has good transition speed she needs to continue improving her quickness, offensive game up to 12' from the hole, and her interior passing. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/amaya-perez/">Amaya Perez</a>, 5'7", PG, 2022, #72 - Point guard Perez showed an ability to use her long limbs and quick hands to pick ball-handlers one-on-one. Unfortunately McPherson pressure produced four turnovers from her while she only distributed one assist and scored two points. <h2>McPherson</h2> Three Takeaways Depth - Especially at the guard position the Bullpups are extremely experienced. While they returned one veteran player from injury McPherson is not as deep as they expected to be at the season's start. With wing/forward, and Washburn signee, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/andrea-sweat/">Andrea Sweat</a> gone for the year due to a knee injury and the injured wing/forward, and Fort Hays State signee, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emma-ruddle/">Emma Ruddle</a> not yet back, this team is still lacking a deep bench. Another question is depth in the post. The team changes looks when Pyle steps in the middle on defense with Cooks getting a rest but do not have a strong offensive post presence without Cooks on the floor. Matchups - McPherson coaches did a great job of matching players defensively. The Demon's <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/camree-johnson/">Camree Johnson</a> struggled to score on the taller, longer <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/grace-pyle/">Grace Pyle</a> while on the other end Pyle was able to force Okoro to guard her all over the half court. Cooks was often matched defensively with weaker offensive players, enabling her to patrol the paint. Malm absolutely abused the less experienced Demon guards on the offensive end. Passing - Seventeen assists on twenty made baskets is indicative of the heady and often disciplined offensive play of the Bullpups. Players [caption id="attachment_133444" align="alignleft" width="210"] McPherson power forward Cassie Cooks finishes from underneath the basket against Dodge City.[/caption] Cassie Cooks, 5'9", PF, 2020, NR - Despite her 5'9" height Cooks is a load. Strong and persistent around the basket, she can string together multiple post moves to create a shot. She also boxes and rebounds well, is quick afoot, and transitions well. She was ranked in the mid-50s in the class prior to her announced volleyball commitment to Graceland University, leading to being dropped from the rankings. Emma Malm, 5'4", PG, 2021, NR - With the graduation of a couple starters and injuries to the guard corps Malm has become the straw that stirs the McPherson drink. While she has good handles her IQ using them enabled her to outright abuse the less experienced Demon defenders. Heady under pressure, good strength passing the ball ahead in transition, she was also slick moving without the ball. Unranked as of this writing, she will debut with a splash in the next refresh. [caption id="attachment_133443" align="alignright" width="230"] McPherson's Grace Pyle beats Dodge City's Victoria Gonzalez off the dribble to get into the lane.[/caption] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/grace-pyle/">Grace Pyle</a>, 5'10, G, 2021, #9 - Pyle hurt Dodge with her handles, perimeter shooting, passing, length, and defense. While she had three turnovers she also finished with twelve points, eleven boards, seven assists, and three steals. Matched up with <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/camree-johnson/">Camree Johnson</a> on the defensive end she was able to limit her to eleven points and three rebounds. Surprising was her reticence in looking to score when given opportunities 8'-10' from the basket. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kassidy-beam/">Kassidy Beam</a>, 5'6", G, 2021, #53 - Beam showed herself to be a dangerous perimeter shooter (4/6 from three) with the ability to also finish athletically off the bounce. She ended with a game high 14 points. Beam works hard defensively but did struggle at times getting through screens on the perimeter. Returning Injured - Seniors <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/lakyn-schiefereke/">Lakyn Schieferecke</a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emma-ruddle/">Emma Ruddle</a>. Schieferecke, a Washburn University commit, returned from a summer knee injury to bolster McPherson's bench and strengthen its guard corpse. While her time was limited to ten and half minutes her experience produced two steals and an assist. Just the history as a threat led her to draw <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kisa-unruh/">Kisa Unruh</a> as a defender. The team is hopeful Ruddle will return in a few weeks. Featured image: Dodge City's Chidera Okoro wins the opening tip against McPherson's Grace Pyle.