McKenna’s double double earns Green Canyon 1st Region win

A slow start by star forward Maren McKenna had Green Canyon down early in the first quarter against region foe Mountain Crest on Wednesday night in North Logan. A quick timeout and some coaching adjustments made by Coach Alexis Clegg helped transform an underwhelming start into an impressive double-double performance for McKenna. Having only made one of her first six shot attempts, McKenna quickly turned her game around into a 17-point, 15-rebound, and 8-assist night. 

In a game where Green Canyon only shot 48% from the field on 20-for-41 shooting, and 23% from 3-point range on 4-for-17 shooting, McKenna’s resiliency on offense inspired Green Canyon to finish the first quarter on a 6-0 run to tie up the game. 

“I love just being out there and being able to help my teammates feel confident,” McKenna said. “I think that is the biggest thing when I can get my teammates involved. That is the time when we are the most successful.” 

McKenna quickly got to work in getting her team involved, recording a season-high eight assists making sure her teammates were getting open shots. 

“It has unlocked a whole new part of me that I didn’t know was even inside of me,” McKenna explained. “Today I think it opened up the fact that I can do more than score.” 

McKenna’s tough play not only sparked offensive production but also inspired a tough defensive performance by a fellow teammate, Cambree Tensmeyer. The senior guard clamped down on defense, recording four steals in the game. 

“It is our team's emphasis to play team defense,” Tensmeyer said. “Defense creates good offensive opportunities; being able to make defensive stops gets our offense started.” 

Despite good individual performances on defense by McKenna and Tensmeyer,  Clegg acknowledged that overall team defense needs to be better. 

“It was lackadaisical,” Clegg said. “It wasn’t team defense. We were playing individually. As soon as we cleaned that up and communicated, good things happened. When we didn’t, we let Mountain Crest fight their way back into the game.” 

Green Canyon has another tough region matchup against Logan High on Friday and Coach Clegg’s sights are on improving their team’s defensive performance moving forward.

“We've got to play better defense,” Clegg reiterated. “Playing better team defense leads to better team offense. The girls know that. It is time to start walking the walk.”