Laurens – Even though the Laurens Academy girls basketball team was returning a number of players from last season’s team that played for the SCISA Class A state championship, a 21-1 overall start and a 10-0 start in Region 4 has been more than head coach Jason Marlett expected.
“We have played even a little above my expectations,” Marlett said. “I have been happy with how our team has developed other scoring threats in the lineup, and we have developed more depth this year coming off the bench. We have a couple younger players who are further along than I thought they might be this year.
“We play in a tough region which helps us by providing tough competition consistently, and we have played a challenging non-region schedule.”
The Crusaders are led by senior Olivia Huck. She was averaging 19.9 points per game and an even 8.0 rebounds. Huck has 24 3-point baskets and is shooting 75.8 percent from the free throw line (100 for 132). She’s also averaging three steals and a tick over two assists.
Huck recently scored her 1,500th career point.
Another senior, Rylee Ballard, was averaging 8.9 points and 2.1 assists. Sophomore Madisyn Graham was averaging 6.1 rebounds.
Other seniors on the team are EK Moore, Hannah Ervin and Emily Suttles.
As the state tournament draws near, Marlett said there are two keys to postseason success for Laurens.
“Our keys are staying healthy and improving our rebounding consistency,” he said.
LAURENS BOYS STRUGGLING WITH LOST OF RUBIO
The Laurens Academy boys basketball team was having to deal with a lot of youth this season with just one senior on the roster in Hector Rubio. That lack of experience became more pronounced when Rubio suffered a broken wrist in early December.
“We have struggled since the loss of Hector Rubio,” said LA head coach Travis Plowden. “There is a chance he can return.
“Our team has battled through that and other adversity, and hopefully, we can finish strong.”
The Crusaders were 10-15 overall and 7-9 in region play.
Junior Jared Willard and sophomore Brayden Burke are two returning starters from last season. Two other starters are junior Garrett Murphy and sophomore Garrison Vaughan.
Burke was averaging a team high 12.0 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Willard was averaging a team high eight rebounds to go with nine points, while Vaughan was averaging eight points and seven rebounds, and Murphy was averaging five points and two assists
Other players who are regular members of the rotation are junior Tristan Bates, freshmen Evan Asalone and Elijah Hornberger and eighth-grader Micah Straight.
Other members of the team are junior Elijah Straight, sophomore John Walters III and freshmen Hunter Campbell and Weston Jones.
Plowden said becoming better at the fundamentals is a key for his team.
“We have to protect the basketball better and limit turnovers, especially turnovers of the live ball variety,” he said. “Furthermore, we have to improve immensely on defense. We have to defend the paint better and take more charges. Also, we can sometimes be inconsistent in boxing out and defensive rebounding.
“If we can improve in those two areas we can certainly give people a lot of problems down the stretch.”
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