McShae's balanced effort leads RV by Delran
Katie McShae's assist late in the second quarter generated the loudest cheer of the night. The Rancocas Valley sophomore forward drove to the net, absorbed pressure from the defense, and dished a nifty pass to a wide-open teammate under the basket.
Katie McShae's assist late in the second quarter generated the loudest cheer of the night.
The Rancocas Valley sophomore forward drove to the net, absorbed pressure from the defense, and dished a nifty pass to a wide-open teammate under the basket.
At that point in RV's 53-13 win over visiting Delran, an assist was about the only stat McShae hadn't checked off in the box score.
The fans knew it - and the cheer was their way of thanking her for putting on a show.
McShae looks unassuming on the court. And at 5-foot-7, on appearance alone, she comes off as a standard post player.
But versatility sets her apart - just as it sets apart her team as a whole.
There's nothing McShae can't do, and she went out of her way to prove it Tuesday night.
"Our mentality is that you get points by contributing in other aspects of the game," McShae said. "If you rebound, you're going to get points off that. If you have assists, that goes in the book as helping your team score.
"When we walk off the court, none of our players care how many points they scored. It's about the collective number of points - and we know every little thing we do helps."
McShae finished with 13 points (11 in the first half), 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and a block. She handled the ball in transition, drained two three-pointers, and locked down the paint on defense. And she did it all with a distinct lack of flash or flair.
On a young, scrappy, deep RV team that lacks a true superstar, it's hard to tell the difference between the team's bench and starters.
Six players scored in a first quarter that saw RV (2-0) build a 21-5 advantage over Delran (0-2).
In her second game with RV, sophomore transfer Lauren Lewis chipped in 10 points. Lewis is a sniper from beyond the arc, but typical of her team, she's is out to prove she can drive to the net and play tough defense.
"That's what's great about this team," Lewis said. "Every player contributes."
RV's defense was relentless. Red Devils coach Anthony Corrado could be heard throughout the game screaming for his team to play with more intensity - each time they answered his call.
"Defense is going to win us games this year," Corrado said. "They all want to play, they're fighting for minutes every night. It's a fun team to coach-we have a lot of players who can contribute in different ways."
Corrado noted that, because of injuries - and another transfer, Aurora Ball, sitting out the 30-day waiting period - he has yet to see his entire team play together, including in the preseason.
It was hard to tell Tuesday night.
Delran 5 2 6 0 - 13
Rancocas Valley 21 13 10 9 - 53
D: Brenna Cloud 4, Bri Gizzi 6, Morgan Ryan 3.
RV: Brianna Boyd 4, Katie McShae 13, Lexi Williams 6, Lauren Lewis 10, Tre'Mil Trotter 4, Julie Foering 7, Marissa Woods 9.