Don’t call it a statement; Ardrey Kell girls beat No. 1 Mallard Creek at Hoops Challenge
Ardrey Kell basketball coach Jeff Buseick didn’t want to hear the phrase “statement win” after his team upended Mallard Creek 54-43 Saturday night in the feature girls match-up at the Charlotte Hoops Challenge at Berry Academy.
Ardrey Kell is No. 2 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll. Mallard Creek, a state championship favorite in the 4A class, is No. 1.
“No, no, no,” Buseick said when the phrase was mentioned. “Tonight, we beat a very good team. But for us, this is just part of the process. This is part of developing.”
The process seems to be going pretty well.
The Knights, who were upset by Concord First Assembly, bounced back with a solid performance in front a sold-out crowd at Berry High School. Ardrey Kell got the advantage on Mallard Creek by settling down after some opening jitters and applying defensive pressure on the Mavericks in the second half.
“We beat a heck of a team,” Buseick said of the Mavericks, who won their first 29 games last season before falling in the Western Regional finals last season. “Most of the key pieces from that team are back.”
And Mallard Creek looked like a No. 1 ranked team in the early minutes of the game. The Mavericks built a 10-0 lead and forced Ardrey Kell into several turnovers. But gradually, the Knights began making their shots and closed to 27-21 by halftime.
“We settled into our tempo, and our shot selection got a lot better,” Buseick said.
A three-pointer by Muhammad with 1:29 left in the third quarter gave Ardrey Kell its first lead of the game, 36-34, and the Knights gradually pulled away.
Records: Ardrey Kell is 4-1; Mallard Creek is 0-1.
3 who mattered
Michelle Ojo (Ardrey Kell): One of several promising freshmen on the roster, Ojo scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Journey Muhammad (Ardrey Kell): The Knights senior guard scored 16 points, making three of her four three-point field goals in the second half.
Ahlana Smith (Mallard Creek): Smith, a UCLA recruit, led the Mavericks with 16 points, and she was the most accurate shooter (7-of-15) for the team Saturday night.
Observations
▪ This was Mallard Creeks opening game, and the Mavericks didn’t shoot well from the floor, hitting 17-of-51 for 33 percent.
▪ Neither team did well from the foul line. Ardrey Kell hit 11-of-28 free throws, and Mallard Creek made 7-of-21.
▪ One sign of how well Ardrey Kell settled down in the second half: the Knights made 11-of-21 shots from the floor after intermission. They hit only 7-of-33 in the first half.
This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Don’t call it a statement; Ardrey Kell girls beat No. 1 Mallard Creek at Hoops Challenge."