Cavaliers Fight for a Road Win

On a weather advisory Tuesday night, I headed to Linden High School for a Flint Metro League matchup between the Corunna Cavaliers and the Linden Eagles. Linden defeated Corunna 45-31 in their last meeting, but it's a new season, and the Cavaliers had their eyes set on payback. They sprinted out the gates, leading 8-0 after the first quarter and took a 19-10 advantage into the half. Linden wasn't going down without a fight. The Eagles clawed their way back into the game, utilizing full-court pressure to create transition points off turnovers. Linden rallied to tie the game at 27 heading into the 4th quarter. The Cavaliers sharpened their defense in the fourth, outscoring Linden 12-3 to secure a 39-30 win. Five prospects separated themselves during the game by making a substantial impact for their team.    Ryenn covered ground in a hurry with her long strides, which made her very effective at defending space. She blocked many shots around the basket, including back-to-back swats on the same possession. Ryenn's unique mobility and length challenged direct passes to forwards in the high/low post. She was an active rebounder and converted contested floaters in the paint. Ryenn showed off her vertical by high-pointing a missed free throw to secure the offensive rebound and then finished high off two feet. She quickly moved laterally to cut off the ball, forcing a travel violation. Ryenn jumped up to snag a defensive board, pushed it the other way, and buried a deep wing jumper. Ryenn blocked a step-through and chased down a drive from behind for another block. One of her best plays was a coast to coast and-one layup with her left hand to start the second quarter and a deep wing three to end the game. Ryenn led the Eagles on opening night with 15 points and is a dual-sport prospect who hasn't hit her ceiling yet.     Audrey stepped up in her first varsity game to help Corunna take home a huge road victory. She worked hard to secure many rebounds and create steals on the defensive end. Audrey jumped up to meet a pass in the air and drove right by the defender for a strong finish off two feet. She drove hard downhill and made a great dump-off pass through a small window, then a sweet wrap-around dish to give a teammate a wide-open look at the basket. Her selfless passing and facilitating helped teammates get high percentage shots in the paint. Audrey scored an offensive rebound put-back, used an effective pivot move to score another bucket, then beat her defender on a backdoor cut to catch and finish another layup. She tied for the team lead with 10 points and has a bright future ahead in the Cavaliers program.     Lila was a difference maker for Linden on opening night. Her all-around impact and relentless effort made a great impression. Lila anticipated passes and used her quick hands to create steals on defense, then accelerated to score transition layups. One of her best moments happened when she sprinted full-speed to the sideline, beat the dribble to the spot, established a legal guarding position, and put her body on the line for a charge. It wasn't called, but it was a great defensive play. Lila created offense from defense. She stole the ball away, pushed the tempo, used both hands confidently with her eyes up, and threaded a bounce pass through a tight window for the assist. Lila looked to set up teammates throughout the game, leaped onto the floor to tie up a loose ball, caused deflections, made smart backdoor cuts, and knocked down a pair of free throws. She poured in 10 points for the Eagles and will be a key contributor this season.     Kaylee is a strong and physical forward who had a game-changing impact on opening night for Corunna. She kept her hands active to cause multiple deflections and walled up with excellent technique to block a shot without fouling. There's something to be said for toughness, persistent rebounding, and a determined effort on the defensive end. Kaylee crashed the boards hard to grab an offensive rebound for the put-back. She caught an entry pass with soft hands, used a good pivot, and scored a tough, contested layup off two feet. Kaylee finished well with her left hand, using every inch of the glass. She stole a key inbounds pass in the fourth quarter and put up six points for the Cavaliers.     Rachel is a senior who looks ready for another productive year at Corunna. Her performance on opening night helped the Cavaliers capture a road win. Rachel hit the deck to secure loose balls, dished a left handed wrap around assist to a cutting teammate, knocked down a pair of free throws with confidence, and drained a deep corner jumper. She worked hard inside to secure rebounds on both ends all game and used a great pivot to score a put-back. Rachel threw a strong skip pass to the corner for an assist and protected the paint. She cut backdoor, caught the entry pass with soft hands, used a quick pivot to create an open look, switched hands, and finished the layup with her left off two feet. Rachel tied the team lead with 10 points and will be continuing her academic career at SVSU following graduation.

On a weather advisory Tuesday night, I headed to Linden High School for a Flint Metro League matchup between the Corunna Cavaliers and the Linden Eagles. Linden defeated Corunna 45-31 in their last meeting, but it's a new season, and the Cavaliers had their eyes set on payback. They sprinted out the gates, leading 8-0 after the first quarter and took a 19-10 advantage into the half. Linden wasn't going down without a fight. The Eagles clawed their way back into the game, utilizing full-court pressure to create transition points off turnovers. Linden rallied to tie the game at 27 heading into the 4th quarter. The Cavaliers sharpened their defense in the fourth, outscoring Linden 12-3 to secure a 39-30 win. Five prospects separated themselves during the game by making a substantial impact for their team.