Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Bradey McDonnell
School: Beth-Center
Year: Junior
Sport: Basketball
McDonnell’s week: The 5-9 shooting guard led the Bulldogs to the King Coal Lions Club Tournament championship Saturday at Carmichaels High School with 13 points in a 36-23 win over the Mikes.
In a first round game against Jefferson-Morgan, McDonnell scored 17 points to lift Beth-Center to a 54-44 victory and a spot in the title game.
Though the Bulldogs lost Tuesday to Waynesburg, 59-41, McDonnell scored a team-high 16 points.
“He came through for us,” Beth-Center head coach Gary Amos said. “The first night against J-M, we had scoring from everybody. But in the second game, we only scored 36 points and I believe he had 13. He carried us. He took over in the fourth quarter when it was a tight game. He did step up big time in that game.”
Though McDonnell was a sophomore last season, it was his first year of WPIAL basketball after moving into the district from Bridgeport, Ohio. When the speedy guard showed up for tryouts, Amos immediately saw a skill set that the Bulldogs could use.
The slashing guard had an inconsistent first season but not because of a lack of effort.
“Last year, he was playing too fast,” Amos said. “He kind of slowed things down this year a bit. He lets the game come to him more instead of forcing the issue. We thought he was a really smart player. He could shoot the ball well. We thought he’d probably help us out a lot even last year. We knew it right away.”
Managing his aggressive style of play has always been a challenge for McDonnell, but he is beginning to hone that skill and it’s translating into offensive production for Beth-Center (0-3, 5-5).
“I’m fast-paced, driving and dish it out sometimes,” McDonnell said. “I like to drive and kick it out. I play at 100 miles per hour, really. It’s total chaos. The coaches let me know before every game to play controlled chaos and slow it down in my head. It’s not tough anymore.”
The Bulldogs entered the King Coal tournament as the underdog. Jefferson-Morgan has the majority of its team back since dropping to Class A, including Observer-Reporter First Team All-District selection Rece Henneman, but it did not matter Friday night.
McDonnell’s 17 points lifted the Bulldogs to victory and into the title game. The victory over the Rockets came almost three weeks after Beth-Center lost to J-M, 61-44.
McDonnell then led a fourth quarter surge against Carmichaels to help the Bulldogs capture the tournament title.
“Against J-M, we wanted it. They beat us at their place the first time and we wanted revenge,” McDonnell said. “We wanted to beat them and we wanted to win the whole tournament, to be honest. It’s the first time we’ve ever done it and it felt pretty good.”
McDonnell, a two-year starter and team captain, will be a key component for B-C as it tries to reach the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in two seasons. He is the facilitator for an offense that has improved from a year ago.
“He can penetrate well, but his main thing is the three-point shooting,” Amos said. “He’s a good outside shooter, but he can drive to the basket. He gets a lot of assists.”
Compiled by Lance Lysowski