BEAVERTON, Ore.-- As Southridge's McKelle Meek came off a screen midway through the first half, she noticed two defenders clogging the paint. Without hesitation, she stopped on a dime, stepped-back, and took a contested elbow jumper. Swish. The next possession Meek found herself in the same situation, but this time spotted a teammate wide-open in the corner for three. Swish.
These are situations that the Skyhawks thrive off of. The moments in the game when the offense begins to churn into high-gear and elicits an approving roar from the fans, forcing opponents to make difficult decisions. Those are the times when they are most dangerous and reminiscent of the state champion teams of the past few seasons.
But what happens when the offense can’t get going? When Meek’s shots don’t fall and transition opportunities are few and far between? Can the Skyhawks (9-4, 2-0 Metro) exploit more talented teams such as the Mountainsides and Beavertons? The answer to those questions is dependent on just how well the Skyhawks tenacious and energetic defense carries over from week to week.
While Friday night’s 51-30 win against Westview (5-8, 0-1 Metro) was not perfect by any means, it provided a perfect example of the potential this Southridge team possesses when everything is clicking on both ends of the floor.
“We played really well as a team,” senior Kyla Vinson said. “We communicated a lot and are doing a lot better at sharing the ball.”
Meek, the senior captain and orchestrator of the Southridge offense, finished with 21 points behind an array of step-back jumpers, lay-ins, and three’s; plays evident of an athlete capable of performing at the next level.
“Her energy is way better [than ever before],” Southridge head coach Michael Bergmann said. “She’s such a good teammate, she’s always looking to make the easy play which a lot of times is her making a jump shot or a lay-up, but the thing she’s been doing so well this year is just showing leadership. She’s just a joy to coach.”
Vinson and junior Maya Hoff also played significant roles in the victory, scoring ten and six points respectively.
And while the offense was clicking once again, it would be remiss to not mention the in-your-face defense the Hawks employed throughout the game. After holding Jesuit to just 32 points on the road earlier in the week, they limited Westview to just 30 on Tuesday behind a combination of a full-court press, length, and trapping at every opportunity.
Even more impressive, only four Westview players scored against the Hawks with a majority of their production coming through junior Afton Keeney who finished with 21 points, including scoring eight of their first ten.
Throughout the week the Skyhawks worked on playing faster and forcing the other team to be uncomfortable. That increase of tempo was evident from the get-go as Westview struggled to get out of their own backcourt, turned the ball over multiple times, and spotted the Skyhawks an early 9-0 lead.
“At practices what we have been working on most has been our press and our defense, so that’s probably why we were able to be so effective tonight,” Vinson said.
Added Bergmann: “It works because the girls are bought in and they are sacrificing for each other. That’s what I saw this week. That’s a character thing and these girls have great character.”
Establishing a defensive identity early in the season could become vital come March when the playoffs begin. There will be games in which the offense can’t score or slumps during stretches. Being able to cope in those situations against high-caliber opposition could be the difference between making another trip to the Chiles Center or going home early.
That was a lesson the Skyhawks learned throughout the preseason, especially in a recent home game against Central Catholic when Southridge was a second away from losing after leading by double digits in the second half.
“We didn’t really want to lose another lead [like against Central Catholic] again, it was very stressful for us, so we learned that if we gave all of our effort on defense in quarters one through four that will allow everyone to get in and keep a lead,” Vinson said.
Southridge has shown flashes of potential over the first month of the season and Bergmann says the team has bought in during practices. After showing flashes of potential throughout the non-league portion of the season, the real challenges are quickly approaching. Next week they travel to take on No. 18 ranked Mountainside, and from there the schedule will only get tougher.
“I think when the girls are bought in we have the players that could play with anybody, but at the end of the day it will come down to if we can play as a team and if we’re going hard all the time,” Bergmann said. “We have a long way to go before we can play with those teams, but I believe that we can.”
