Cobras impressive in district-opening victory over Ypsi
McKinsey Berlin lays in two of her 17 points Monday night agaisnt Ypsilanti.
Great things come to those who work.
Case in point: Canton girls basketball player McKinsey Berlin, who continued her extraordinary career Monday night for the Cobras with a 17-point effort in her team’s emphatic 52-29 MHSAA District-opening victory over Ypsilanti Community.
Berlin was simply too tall and too talented for the Grizzlies, who couldn’t come up with an answer for the terrific 10th-grader.
“There are times I forget McKinsey is a sophomore because she carries herself like a more-experienced player,” admitted Canton Head Coach Kayla Bridges. “She’s been huge for us. The reason for her success is that she is a really, really hard worker who put in a lot of time working on her game during the off-season.”
The brilliance of Berlin
With the problems Ypsilanti was having guarding Berlin, she probably could have poured in 30 points; however, it’s obvious by watching the sophomore operate that she likes to get her teammates involved in the game — even at the expense of her own stats.
“Yes, there are times when she’s a little too unselfish,” Bridges said, smiling. “But that’s the kind of person and player she is.”
Canton played one of its most-complete games against the Grizzlies, snatching rebounds at a relentless pace and starting fast-breaks with pinpoint outlet passes.
Defensively, she’s a menace for opposing players who venture into the paint with the ball.
Early surge leads to rout
The Cobras surged to an 18-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back, stretching their lead to 33 -13 at the half before sealing the triumph by outscoring Ypsi 12-4 in the third stanza.
Berlin had a lot of help Monday night, particularly from Ava Murphy, Julia Allen and Essence Jelks, who all contributed seven points. Jelks was especially strong in the paint, hustling after offensive rebounds and finishing most of her putbacks.
Murphy is the Cobras’ glue-girl as she helps set the pace by either slowing down her team’s tempo when its gets too rushed and speeding things up in transition when Canton has numbers on a break.
She can also shoot the three-ball with profiency.
Hurt was good for Ypsi
Ypsi’s Charity Hurt was stellar throughout the contest, netting a team-high 12 point. Hurt was the only Grizzly who finished with double-digit points.
Canton’s prize for winning Monday: a date with top-ranked Belleville, which has dismantled most of its foes throughout the course of the 2024-25 season.
Canton and Belleville’s district semifinal game tips off at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ypsilanti Lincoln High School.
“Obviously, given Belleville’s talent level, it will be a tough match-up for us,” Bridges acknowledged. “But I have all the confidence in our coaching staff that it will prep up our team as much as possible.
“I have a lot of confidence in our team and we’re going to give Belleville as tough of a game as possible.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
