Dalton's offensive flow gets disrupted by Richmond Heights in Div. VI district final defeat
· Yahoo Sports
NORWAYNE − All season, Dalton has been a team that thrives in their half-court offensive execution with fluid action and nice ball movement, as the five players on the court play off the other.
That was expected to be tested in Saturday's Division VI district final against Richmond Heights and the end result played in the Spartans (20-5) favor 48-37 in a contest where for the majority of the day, Dalton (18-7) were just swarmed by the length, quickness, athleticism and anticipation of their opponents defense.
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Whether Richmond Heights was throwing what looked like a 1-3-1 or 2-1-2 half-court defensive look or even extended that defensive setup − where they sent two defenders at the ball handler at the top and the wings often − Dalton couldn't find a sustained offensive flow in a game they trailed by double-digits for most of it.
"We anticipated it and we did our scouting," said Dalton head coach Chase Moyer. "When we took care of the basketball, we made the right looks and we got good shots. Unfortunately, there were a few times, maybe way too many, where we allowed the moment to get to us too much. They sped us up a little bit and we forced some passes that wasn't there."
"We scouted them. They like to fly around and get after it," said Dalton senior guard Mya Geiser. "We expected that. It was tough but we always say we have to face adversity. We had to keep our composure and do what we do."
When Dalton was able to rotate the ball quickly up the court into their half-court sets, Richmond Heights ability to close down drives and get in the passing lanes for steals troubled the Bulldogs.
"It's tough to run a lot of sets when you're getting trapped but if you're able to cut to the right spots and square up to give yourself great opportunities at the rim," Moyer said. "I thought we did that but some of our outside shots didn't fall through. A few of those go in and momentum might swing. Their defense did a great job taking you out of any set plays."
If the Spartans defense was one problem, then dealing with Richmond Heights senior guard Honor Hall, one of the top players in the state, was another.
When Dalton made a push in third quarter to cut the Richmond Heights lead to 30-24, Hall, the Spartans primary ball handler, went onto make three straight 3-pointers, including a 3 off the backboard as time was expiring in the third quarter to extend the Spartans lead to 39-24.
Hall ended up with a game-high 21 points.
"Definitely a great player," Geiser said, who had the assignment of defending Hall for a large chunk of the game. "Going into it, I knew I had to stay in front of her the best I can. Just really tightening up. Being on your feet and being ready for anything. When she didn't have the ball, just trying to tighten up on her and keep her from getting it back."
Said Moyer, "Honor Hall is a heck of a basketball player and we just tried to limit her and contain her as much as possible. Basically forcing somebody else to beat us and living with it. Her shots were contested and our girls battled. I don't think she had many clean looks today, so that's kudos to her for making contested shots."
As Dalton's successful 18-win and district runners-up season came to a close on Saturday, Geiser and Moyer reflected on the group as a whole and how far the program has risen in the past few years.
"It's going to be tough," said Geiser, on not being able to play with her teammates anymore. "I love each and one of them. I feel like we totally have what other teams don't. We just have that connection and have played with each other for years. Knowing each other and trusting each other well enough. We just pushed each other to be better and that's what stepped it up."
"To kind of talk about this year, you have to look in the review window a bit," Moyer explained. "Two years ago, we were 7-16. A lot of that same varsity group is the same varsity group we had today. For them to turn this ship around, speaks to them and the effort they put in. Then there's the relationship aspect. These girls like to have fun, joke around and laugh. We had some real memories and built some good relationships. Can't say enough about them, especially these four seniors (Geiser, Grace Dorffer, Phoebe Lehman, Baylie Horrisbeger)."
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Dalton lose in Division VI district final to Richmond Heights