Sports
Ariel Massengale Asserts Herself As Leader In Win Against Benet
When her teammates struggled, Ariel Massengale pushed forward toward victory.
Maybe whatever pep talk Tony Smith gave Ariel Massengale on Wednesday should have been recorded and plugged into the headphones of the rest of the Bolingbrook Lady Raiders.
Massengale was unstoppable from the outset of Bolingbrook's sectional-clinching 64-44 win against Benet on Thursday night. She scored the Lady Raiders' first two points with a slashing drive toward the basket and the assertive nature of her game never took a back seat en route to a game-high 22 points.
"The last two games, Ariel hasn't had great games or good games to her standards," Smith said. "But we had a talk yesterday and she said she understood and I was hoping she did. Tonight, I know that she did get it and hopefully she has three more in her."
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It was apparent that whatever Smith told his star point guard clearly worked.
When Bolingbrook knocked out Naperville (Central) on Monday, Smith remarked that his lead guard didn't have her best showing against the Redhawks. Massengale has set high standards with her play throughout the season and early this postseason before hitting a bump in the road in the sectional semi-final.
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On Friday, the Tennessee-bound guard erased memories of Monday's performance by leading her team through a rough patch early against Benet. While teammates struggled to find the bottom of the net, Massengale was a steadying force on offense.
And as any god senior leader would do, she took charge and righted the ship and kept the Lady Raiders up by five going into halftime.
Even when the rest of Bolingbrook came around, Massengale still was the focal point on both ends of the floor. But by the time Benet came around to trying to fully put the clamps on Massengale, she was being a facilitator and distributor.
"That's what makes her a great player," Smith said. "She can play with anybody. She can play with great teams or she could put up crazy numbers. She's a kid who can win and that's what it's all about."
Smith -- and the rest of the Lady Raiders -- hope that Massengale has three more games like that left in her high school basketball career.
