I was at Mechanicville/Stillwater girls basketball on different business yesterday - which will be the norm from here on out - so there wasn't really any tweeting. However, let's talk about the game a little bit.
My Thoughts - Mechanicville is good. I'm not sure how they'll respond when a team can successfully make it ugly against them, but Stillwater wasn't able to do that. It was a game of 2 contrasting styles - Stillwater wants to beat you 35-30, Mechanicville wants to beat you 75-70. Mechanicville dictated the pace of the game throughout. The 3 best players on the floor all were wearing red, which is a pretty surefire way of getting a win. They were able to frustrate Stillwater early with defensive pressure, and it paid dividends the rest of the way. Mechanicville went into a 3/4 court 1-3-1 and dropped back into the same zone if Stillwater broke it, which didn't happen as much as you'd hope. I'm not sure what Stillwater's offense is against a 1-3-1 zone - I'm not sure if they even have one. I only saw 1 time where they used a 2-guard set to attack the odd-guard zone - it worked, until a girl was called for a travel in the paint. I kinda felt bad for Stillwater's point guard, Kayla Zdonick. Not sure how many turnovers she had (a lot, probably), but I can't put the blame on her for most of them. When you're being pressured - trapped at times - and the wings are hiding behind the wings in the 1-3-1, there's really not much you can do. As usual against a zone like this, the opposite post area was left susceptible by a Mechanicville squad that was looking to jump passing lanes and get steals, but active hands on D and a lot of players shying away from the ball for Stillwater made that connection only happen a handful of times.
Turning Point - It was a slow start for both squads early, with Mechanicville mustering a couple Julia Amodeo buckets & Stillwater hitting 3 free throws in the first few minutes. Mechanicville made the switch from man (which was working just fine) to the 3/4 court 1-3-1, and the rest was history. Zdonick, or whoever the ballhandler was for Stillwater, was hung out to dry while getting trapped, and steal after steal turned into a bevy of transition buckets. Stillwater was held to 17 points in the first 3 quarters, and Mechanicville turned that 4-3 start into a 16-5 game after 1 and a 59-29 final.
Now, let's talk about who made an impression on me.
Julia Amodeo (Mechanicville, soph): Smart player with skill. Fundamental game, scored pretty easily. She plays with much more composure than the average sophomore. Not afraid to go right or left with the same amount of frequency, and has the most effective jab step I've seen in girls hoops this young season. She can shoot well from the perimeter, but she doesn't rely on it. Anticipates well on defense, and excelled in the zone and matching up.
Amanda Kenyon (Mechanicville, soph): Fearless for her size. She's their starting point guard, and she's the type of point guard you want. Handles the ball well against pressure, really effective changing speed and direction - shook a couple girls on the behind-the-back dribble early. Has her head up, looking ahead and is a pass-first point guard, but she's also not afraid to take it to the rack herself. She really shines on the defensive end - looks like their leader. Quick feet, slides and stays in front. Battled foul trouble all night, but still hustled every step of the way. 2nd foul, picked up midway through the 1st quarter, was the worst call of the night.
Courtney Pingelski (Mechanicville, sr): Pingelski represented this Section II region in the BCANY Hoops Festival this past summer, so it's not a secret that she can play a little bit. Tall for a guard at the Class B level - at 5'8" with long arms, she's nearly the tallest player on her team and plays the tallest with her wingspan - and uses that gift to create havoc by getting hands in the passing lane. Willing to take it to the rack, but she likes to let it fly from deep. Led her team in scoring with 15.
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