Monarchs early runs help JM pull away from Brooke
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WELLSBURG -- Despite losing by a large margin to Wheeling Park Friday night in the Sam Andy Classic, John Marshall head girls' basketball coach Brock Melko had no concerns entering Monday night's game at Brooke.
The Monarchs (2-1) didn't let their coach down as they roared to a 26-6 lead after one quarter and never looked back in rolling past the Bruins (0-5) by a 74-25 count inside the Brooke High School Wellness Center.
"I know what we have. It's a young season but I've been telling them there hasn't been a day that I've been disappointed with their performance," Melko added. "I know what type of team we have. These girls are winners and they will bounce back."
Kayli Derrow scored 11 of her game-best 21 points in the initial eight minutes and John Marshall's swarming defense forced Brooke into 10 of its 29 turnovers in the first quarter in taking command early.
Dwerrow finished with half-a-dozen rebounds, five steals and a trio of assists.
The game was deadlocked at 2 before the Monarchs went on runs of 9-0 early and 11-0 late in the first quarter.
"We talked about setting the tone early and really focusing on us and what we can control," Melko added. "I don't think we did a good job of either in the last game. We played hard and physical, rebounded and passed the ball hard. Those are the little things that we didn't do the other night.
John Marshall didn't let up as it held a 46-13 halftime advantage 63-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
"We've been emphasizing defense, especially in the halfcourt. We need to get better as a team of grasping what we are supposed to do," Melko continued. "It's a five-player defense and everyone has to see the ball. Everybody needs to rotate and be in the right spot. We've been over-rotating and giving teams easy layups. Hopefully, as the season goes on we can correct that."
The lone bright spot for Brooke was senior Rylee Schwertfeger who netted 15 of her team's 25 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
Rilee Storm added 19 points, charted seven steals, six rebounds and handed out four assists for John Marshall. Kaylyn Reese came off the bench to score 10 points and pull down six rebounds. Kaylee White recorded six rebounds and handed out five assists. Masyn Inclan had four helpers.
John Marshall heads south for the weekend as it plays at Capital on Friday and South Charleston on Saturday.