MONTICELLO - Senior guard Samantha DeVoe believed the Monticello girls basketball team did everything they could bringing in junior varsity boys players to simulate No. 1 ranked Barneveld's stifling press.
DeVoe and the Ponies found out it was tough to simulate after Barneveld rolled to a 67-31 win over Monticello Tuesday.
Barneveld (6-0, 3-0 Six Rivers East) stymied the Ponies with a press and physical halfcourt trap forcing the Ponies into 28 turnovers. Barneveld has won 31 straight conference games and the Eagles' average margin of victory in the conference the last two years is 42.8 points per game.
"Their defense and press just killed us," said DeVoe, who scored a team-high eight points and had five rebounds. "We practiced against our JV boys and managers. It's tough when you only have seven players. Our physical play was there. Mentally, we were just not there. We played scared of them."
Barneveld junior Hannah Whitish scored a game-high 20 points and eclipsed the 1,000 career point milestone before the midway point of junior year. Is it hard to motivate players on defending state champion Barneveld when they are winning conference games by an average of 50 points per game this year?
"Maybe a little bit," Barneveld coach Jim Myers said after the game. "My job is to make them better all the time. That is why you practice. Hopefully, you get to play bigger games down the road and these games pay off. Monticello is short on numbers, but not on talent. We beat a good ball club."
The Eagles jumped on the Ponies (4-3, 2-1) from the opening tip with a 26-6 first quarter run. Barneveld sophomore Mia Whitish knocked down three 3-pointers and scored nine points to spark the surge. Hannah Whitish scored eight points in the first period and hit two 3-pointers.
Monticello coach Lori Brokopp understands what makes the Eagles' defense so successful.
"They really read well," Brokopp said. "They come from everywhere beside and behind you. They have great jumping ability. Barneveld is great at turning those turnovers into points."
The Ponies played short-handed with senior Paige Dilley (illness) and junior Samantha Gierhart (knee injury) missing the game. Brokopp stressed using an overhead pass in practice leading up to the game to attack the Eagles' press.
"We worked really hard at making the overhead pass," she said. "You can be successful with the overhead pass. We just have to be concise and selective of when we throw an overhead pass and we have to meet the pass."
Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly and senior Mackenzie Zanow each scored eight points. Senior Courtney Leuzinger scored five points and had five rebounds.
"I felt like we played scared in the first quarter," Brokopp said. "It took some time to get our feet under us."
Brokopp said the team did much better in the second half moving the ball and when they did get an open shot they hit it. Kubly scored all eight of her points in the second half. She entered the game averaging 15.4 points per game, but was shut out in the first half. Kubly drilled two 3-pointers in the second half and Zanow hit one 3-pointer in the second half and finished with two 3-pointers for the game.
Barneveld senior Rachel Slaney and Mia Whitish both added 13 points for the Eagles. Junior teammate Kelsee Fargo chipped in nine points.
Monticello will get another chance to play the Eagles at Barneveld. Will the Ponies look to slow up the pace and make it a halfcourt game after breaking the Eagles' press?
"We like to do it," Brokopp said. "We don't want to stop our instinctive play. We have a set offense and we know how to cut and seal. We will play our game."
DeVoe and the Ponies found out it was tough to simulate after Barneveld rolled to a 67-31 win over Monticello Tuesday.
Barneveld (6-0, 3-0 Six Rivers East) stymied the Ponies with a press and physical halfcourt trap forcing the Ponies into 28 turnovers. Barneveld has won 31 straight conference games and the Eagles' average margin of victory in the conference the last two years is 42.8 points per game.
"Their defense and press just killed us," said DeVoe, who scored a team-high eight points and had five rebounds. "We practiced against our JV boys and managers. It's tough when you only have seven players. Our physical play was there. Mentally, we were just not there. We played scared of them."
Barneveld junior Hannah Whitish scored a game-high 20 points and eclipsed the 1,000 career point milestone before the midway point of junior year. Is it hard to motivate players on defending state champion Barneveld when they are winning conference games by an average of 50 points per game this year?
"Maybe a little bit," Barneveld coach Jim Myers said after the game. "My job is to make them better all the time. That is why you practice. Hopefully, you get to play bigger games down the road and these games pay off. Monticello is short on numbers, but not on talent. We beat a good ball club."
The Eagles jumped on the Ponies (4-3, 2-1) from the opening tip with a 26-6 first quarter run. Barneveld sophomore Mia Whitish knocked down three 3-pointers and scored nine points to spark the surge. Hannah Whitish scored eight points in the first period and hit two 3-pointers.
Monticello coach Lori Brokopp understands what makes the Eagles' defense so successful.
"They really read well," Brokopp said. "They come from everywhere beside and behind you. They have great jumping ability. Barneveld is great at turning those turnovers into points."
The Ponies played short-handed with senior Paige Dilley (illness) and junior Samantha Gierhart (knee injury) missing the game. Brokopp stressed using an overhead pass in practice leading up to the game to attack the Eagles' press.
"We worked really hard at making the overhead pass," she said. "You can be successful with the overhead pass. We just have to be concise and selective of when we throw an overhead pass and we have to meet the pass."
Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly and senior Mackenzie Zanow each scored eight points. Senior Courtney Leuzinger scored five points and had five rebounds.
"I felt like we played scared in the first quarter," Brokopp said. "It took some time to get our feet under us."
Brokopp said the team did much better in the second half moving the ball and when they did get an open shot they hit it. Kubly scored all eight of her points in the second half. She entered the game averaging 15.4 points per game, but was shut out in the first half. Kubly drilled two 3-pointers in the second half and Zanow hit one 3-pointer in the second half and finished with two 3-pointers for the game.
Barneveld senior Rachel Slaney and Mia Whitish both added 13 points for the Eagles. Junior teammate Kelsee Fargo chipped in nine points.
Monticello will get another chance to play the Eagles at Barneveld. Will the Ponies look to slow up the pace and make it a halfcourt game after breaking the Eagles' press?
"We like to do it," Brokopp said. "We don't want to stop our instinctive play. We have a set offense and we know how to cut and seal. We will play our game."
