Friday, March 19, 1999
Opponents struggle to find weakness in Mason
Depth, focus worry Lackey
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A team without a weakness.That's the opinion of the most recent coach to try — unsuccessfully, of course — to beat the Mason girls this season.
It also explains rather succinctly why Mason, which puts its No.1 national ranking on the line tonight in the state Final Four, is just two wins away from securing both state and national championships.
The Comets, 25-0 and the top-ranked girls team nationally by USA Today, play Toledo Central Catholic (26-0) at 7 tonight in a Division I state semifinal matchup at St.John Arena in Columbus. Defending champion Pickerington (25-1) plays 1997 champ Wadsworth (24-2) in the 9 p.m. semifinal.
“Are they the No.1 team in the country?” asked Beavercreek coach Ed Zink, whose team gave Mason its toughest test in months last weekend but lost 61-55. “I don't know how you determine that. But I do know this: They don't have a weakness.
“They're so good inside, if you try taking that away, they shoot the three. If you try to take that away, they get the ball inside. You try to foul them, they hit their foul shots. And defensively, they're very, very good.”
To find the last hint of a Mason weakness, you have to go all the way back to last season — to Mason's last loss, in the 1998 regional finals to Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, when star Dallas Williams was held scoreless by tenacious defense. It is Mason's only loss in 50 games over the last two seasons.
But such a scenario would not mean automatic defeat this year, because the Comets have better overall balance.
“If Dallas were to get completely shut down, that's going to be tough on us,” Mason coach Gerry Lackey said. “But it's not as much of a problem as it would have been last year. Michelle (Munoz) is a little more integral part of our offense right now, and Jere' Issenmann is more mature now as a sophomore.”
Take this year's regional final against Beavercreek as example No.1. Munoz's touches were limited by a tough zone and foul trouble, and she struggled to score inside. But Williams played huge down low (20 points) while Issenmann (15 points) nailed four three-pointers, guard Beth Jones drove to the basket and guard Racquel Ellis hit seven of eight free throws.
Take away one weapon, you get hit with another. And another.
“You've pretty much got to play everybody straight up,” Lackey said. “You can't afford to double up on any one person, because we have the ability to find the open person.”
Lackey does like to have the ball in the hands of 6-foot senior Williams (18 points, seven rebounds a game) in crunch time, but he has no hesitation if 6-foot sophomore Munoz (16 points) or guards Issenmann (10.4), Jones (11.5) or Ellis (6.0) take the shot.
Battling in the paint with Williams and Munoz, both physical but graceful, is like trying to post up a pair of oak trees. Issenmann and Jones have deadly three-point shots and are active on the perimeter, and Ellis is a cat-quick penetrator who can block shots or pick your pocket with equal dexterity.
“That's what our team's all about,” Issenmann said. “Some people show more when we need it.”
“It's good for the team to realize the weight's not on anyone's shoulders,” Lackey said. “A lot of teams have a go-to player, and when she has an off night, that puts a lot of pressure on the other players. Our kids don't feel that way.”
Also guarding against the collapse of Mason's offense is Williams' attitude. She's more mature this year — smarter, more polished and determined not to have her senior season end the way her junior year did.
“It definitely was a motivating factor, not just in my mind but everybody's,” Williams said. “We have a chance to go out on top. That's how I want to do it. Leave on a great note.”
If offensive balance is a strength, defensive intensity is Mason's hallmark. Its five main cogs — along with starting guard Susan Lippert and forward Jenny Imbus off the bench — can stomp on any game plan. Defense is actually these girls' biggest strength.
But if 49 of 50 opponents the last two years have not been able to find Mason's weakness, Lackey has.
“I don't think there's an obvious weakness, but our depth might sometimes be a little suspect,” he said.
“We're by no means the perfect high school team. We just need to make sure we're consistent. Sometimes our effort seems to come and go. We need to maintain our focus.”
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