Monday, July 18, 2011

Defense never rests for VCU-bound McRae

Someone forgot to tell incoming VCU freshman Aprill McRae you're not supposed to worry about defense in an all-star game.

Or maybe they did tell her, and McRae simply refused to listen. For it seems there's only one way the 6-3 center from Raleigh's Southeast High knows how to play - even in an event where players would typically prefer to just  run, gun and have fun.

With starters McRae and Richmond-bound Amber Battle helping to lead the way, the East all-stars put the clamps on the West counterparts, holding them without a field goal over the final 4:31 en route to a 66-58 victory at the North Carolina Coaches Association all-star girls basketball game Monday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

McRae made no apologies for the defense-first approach.

"You're not going to walk away from a game saying you didn't play hard defense,'' McRae told the Raleigh News & Observer. "(Southeast High) Coach (Nicole) Meyers won't have any of that. Defense is in our game. It's been drilled in us since freshman year."

That sound OK to you, Beth Cunningham?

Although it clearly wasn't her focus, McRae also contributed seven points. Battle, a 6-3 forward, added three points, four rebounds and two blocks, one of which drove the shooter to the floor.

Sounds like these two are ready for college.

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