Taylor Robertson, McPherson girls overwhelm Derby

The challenge for the McPherson girls basketball team every game will be making defenses pay for the extra attention they give Taylor Robertson.

On Tuesday night in a meeting between two highly-ranked teams, McPherson found the support it needed to roll over Derby in a 49-36 victory.

McPherson (2-0), ranked No. 3 by the coaches association in Class 4A-I, was led by 23 points by Robertson, who connected on five three-pointers, but received crucial performances by Riley Hett (eight points), Jordan Bruner (six), and Mandi Cooks (10) to easily defeat Derby, ranked No. 4 in Class 6A.

“I love when (defenses) leave them open like that,” Robertson said. “I think the best part is when somebody else hits a wide-open shot.”

Derby opened in a triangle-and-two defense with defenders tailing Robertson and Emma Yowell, McPherson’s two-best shooters.

For the first half, McPherson relied solely on Robertson running through a myriad of screens and making three-pointers as its source of offense. The junior hit four threes and scored 17 points to boost McPherson to a 25-17 lead at halftime.

Then the help came.

Cooks started to roam free in the lane, scoring six points in the third quarter, then Hett drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give McPherson a 22-point lead heading into the final quarter.

“I think our girls were just really focused on the task at hand,” McPherson coach Chris Strathman said. “We were able to step up and hit some shots and and once we did that, then we made them come out of that defense. We aren’t able to do that if we don’t make those shots.”

McPherson also came through with a superb defensive effort. Although Derby’s two best players, Tor’e Alford (15 points) and Kennedy Brown (13), each reached double-digit scoring, McPherson held Derby’s supporting cast to eight points.

Defending Brown, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who also has an outside shot, can be difficult, but Cooks and Bruner did well to limit her, especially early in the game.

“We were focused on not letting them get any second chances and I thought we did a great job,” Bruner said. “(Brown) is 6-6, so of course we’re not going to be able to completely stop her. But I thought we did a good job of boxing her out and making her feel uncomfortable.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Taylor Robertson, McPherson girls overwhelm Derby."