Portsmouth's MacCannell causing problems for Division I girls basketball teams

ROCHESTER - Portsmouth High School junior Maddie MacCannell can do it all on the basketball court, and just like her first two seasons with the Clippers, MacCannell's third campaign is shaping up to be a promising one as well.

MacCannell scored a game-high 12 points in Friday's 54-29 Division I win over Spaulding. It was her eighth game scoring in double figures of the season; her high being a 19-point performance in a 55-53 win at Bedford on January 24th. It was the ninth straight win for the Clippers, who improved to 11-1 on the season. Spaulding is 7-5.

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"(MacCannell) impacts every game in so many different ways," Portsmouth head coach Tim Hopley said of the three-year player. "Offensively, she's got such a nice, soft touch around the paint, and she's able to use both hands from weird angles. She's sturdy enough to play through the contact of it, and she, obviously, can face up."

Defenders are in for a battle for all 32 minutes in hopes to slow down MacCannell and her arsenal of different moves and ways to score. Her 3-pointer was the first points of the game.

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"She has that (outside shot) in her game if that's something we need," Hopley said.

MacCannell has always had the ability, and for her, coming into this season, her main focus was continuing to strengthen the mental aspect in her approach.

"I think I'm a lot more confident than I was my freshman and sophomore year," MacCannell said. "I was learning a lot freshman year, and sophomore year I was starting to apply some of the things I've learned. I feel like junior year, I'm just really getting in my stride and working off of what has happened so far. Hopefully, that will continue."

Portsmouth ended Spaulding's three-game win streak, and held the Red Raiders to their lowest point total of the season. MacCannell controlling the paint is a big reason why for Spaulding's limited scoring output. This game was the second time a team failed to crack 30 points against Portsmouth's stout defense.

On the win, MacCannell said the shots weren't falling for the Clippers, but that didn't stop them from getting after it on the other side of the ball.

"We're always working on our defense, and we knew, especially tonight, that if our shots aren't falling, we're going to have to win with our defense," MacCannell said. "I think we did well getting in gaps, and help defense. I really think that helped us win."

MacCannell a force in the paint

The Clippers have many great defenders on the team, and overall as a team, has one of the best team defenses in Division I - allowing 39.4 points per game - and MacCannell is one of the focal points.

"I really feel like we try to get into gaps so the (opposing teams) can't dribble penetrate," MacCannell said. "We really try to defend the paint and let teams shoot outside. I think that's really worked out for us so far."

Hopley said MacCannell's great defensive efforts starts with her understanding of what the opposition is trying to do.

"She puts her body there, she plays with her hands in the air, and she's a tough defender," Hopley said. "She's 6-feet with long arms, and alters shots. Basically it's about her turning and getting herself in position to rebound the ball, which she does a very good job of pretty much every single night."

Spaulding head coach Scott Blake said MacCannell is a tough player to deal with.

"We talked about that if we're not in front of her, then we're going to be in trouble," Blake said. "If (MacCannell) gets it inside, she's going to shoot over us, so we had to make sure we were in front."

"We definitely use my height to my advantage, so a lot of players wouldn't necessarily assume that I would shoot outside," MacCannell said. "But I've been doing a lot of that and it opens me up to be able to drive more. Or just shoot if they're not walking out, so I think that's been a big help to the team. Everyone shoots well, but if we have one more player who can shoot or one more player who can do post moves or pass out, I think that's really good."

Leaving MacCannell single covered, she can easily score pretty much every time she gets the ball, so knowing that teams will double her, MacCannell has been a step ahead.

"We practice (facing double teams) a lot in practice because it's been happening recently," MacCannell said. "I'll just get the ball and immediately look to pass out, and a lot of the time, I'll be able to feel (the defenders) and know where they are. If I move (the ball) out fast, then we can continue to move the ball and eventually we'll hit so many 3's from the outside that teams will have to go back to (one-on-one)."

Along with 19 points against Bedford, 17 points in win over Pinkerton, 16 points against Salem, 11 points against Windham, 10 points against Exeter, she started the season with a 13-point performance in a win over Londonderry.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: MacCannell, Portsmouth girls basketball beat Spaulding in Division I