MOUNT VERNON – Slow starts had become the norm for the Mount Vernon girls basketball team.
Coach Nathan Short was determined to end that.
The Yellow Jackets began Saturday’s game with a 13-2 run, putting to bed any hopes of a Lexington upset. By the time the dust settled, Nevaeh Williams had put up a double-double, and McKenna Brokaw came one rebound shy of the same in Mount Vernon’s 50-38 Ohio Cardinal Conference victory.
“I really challenged them to be the aggressors from the start,” Short said. “I was really proud of their effort, getting that lead.”
The game was sloppy on both sides, especially once the early Mount Vernon run ended. The two teams combined for 65 turnovers and 48 fouls, with both teams reaching the double-bonus in free throws in each half.
The fouls didn’t bother the Jackets, who took advantage of their chances by shooting 18 of 31 (58 percent) from the charity stripe. Brokaw and Emilee Burke combined to go 12 for 12.
“We have a goal where we try to make more free throws than they shoot,” Short said. Lexington attempted 16 free throws. “That happened because we were more aggressive toward the basket. I’m really proud of them.”
Brokaw led all scorers with 16 points. She pulled down nine rebounds and blocked one shot. Williams finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 14 boards.
“McKenna is a tough matchup for anybody,” Short said. “She’s a really good athlete, and she’s tough to handle when she heads downhill with the ball.
“Nevaeh is definitely a difference-maker. She’s power. She moves people around and gets position. She did a good job today finishing.”
Mac Schlosser scored nine points for the Jackets. Addy Christopher scored five points, and Burke added four.
Madi Basilone led Lexington with 11 points. Kaitlyn Delano-Goodman blocked five shots.
Mount Vernon (5-2, 3-1 OCC) scored the first seven points of the game. When Basilone scored a bucket at the 4-minute mark, both teams went on a scoring drought that lasted until the closing seconds of the first period. To open the second period, Brokaw scored, got a steal, then passed to Schlosser to give the Jackets a 13-2 lead.
Mount Vernon expanded that lead to 24-10 at the half, then led by as much as 20 points throughout the fourth quarter.
