Trio leads Daniel Boone in romp over Reading
DANIEL BOONE — The saying goes— “a good defense creates a good offense.”
That was the case Friday night as Daniel Boone defeated Reading High 45-27 to earn another Berks I victory.
Daniel Boone outscored Reading in each of the first three quarters thanks in part to the offensive contributions of Shelby Vanderslice, Kaitlyn Keeley and Alayna Roesener, who combined for 35 points.
“Our defense proved to be a big part of our game tonight, as it has been all season,’ Daniel Boone head coach Ray Cinquanto said. “Our defense is what keys our offense. We really controlled the tempo and we did a great job on both sides of the ball in all four quarters.’
Daniel Boone (3-1, 8-5) led 22-7 at the half, as the Red Knights (0-4, 2-10) struggled to get anything going offensively.
“We needed to come out with a lot more energy if we wanted a chance at competing tonight,’ said Reading head coach Tanisha Beatty. “They’re a really good team, with a lot of good scorers. They’re the type of team who, if you’re trailing early, it’s going to be really difficult to get back in the game.’
The Blazers proved Beatty’s point as Vanderslice scored a team-high 13 points, while Keeley had 12 and Roesener had 10 for Daniel Boone.
According to Vanderslice, who also added a three-pointer, three rebounds and three assists, the girls fed off each other’s energy as the game wore on.
“We were moving the ball really well and creating a lot of open lanes,’ she said. “Our offense tonight was about finding the open person; and a lot of times that turned out to be me. It felt really good to contribute in the win.’
“She (Shelby) is the general of our offense,’ said Cinquanto. “She knows where her teammates are supposed to be, she knows how to take care of the ball and she knows how to create open shots. She made some big shots to help keep us rolling tonight.’
After leading 10-2 at the end of the first quarter, the Blazers knew they needed to control the tempo and keep Reading’s fast-pace offense at bay.
That’s when Keeley took over.
The junior added nine of Boone’s 12 points in the second quarter while shooting 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, leading to a 15-point halftime lead.
“In the first quarter, it took us a little bit to figure out their defense and create open looks,’ she said. “But in the second, we started to make a lot of good passes and that led to a lot of good scoring chances.’
Boone outscored the Red Knights 14-11 in the third, as Vanderslice made all four of her field goals for nine points.
Leading 36-18 going into the fourth, the Blazers knew there was still plenty of game left.
“We knew we needed to come out in the fourth quarter and keep fighting to put them away,’ said Roesener. “They’re physical, fast and big. So we tried to limit all of their chances the entire way.’
Nina Rojas scored four of her team-high 13 points for the Red Knights in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Daniel Boone has now won four straight and now sits second in the Berks Conference I.
Still though, the Blazers know there is a long road head.
“We control our own destiny at this point,’ said Cinquanto. “We have Governor Mifflin and Conrad Weiser, both away next week. So that will show us what we’re really made of. They’re two really good teams, but we just need to show up and play our game the way we did tonight.’
Daniel Boone will look to keep rolling as they travel to Central Dauphin East on Saturday at noon while Reading High will host Wilson Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.
