By DAVID COOK
After going through some growing pains two years ago, the current group of Laingsburg girls’ basketball players are reaping the rewards of lessons learned as freshmen and sophomores.
Through the first half of the season, Laingsburg went a perfect 10-0 and 8-0 in the CMAC. “We’re off to a great start,” said coach Doug Hurst. “This is my third year as the varsity coach, and when I took over two years ago, we had five girls who were sophomores and freshmen. They have gotten more experienced and become better players. Now they are all seniors and juniors. We took our lumps as a young team, but now we are an older, more mature, and veteran group.”
Junior Lindsey Smith leads the team in scoring, while junior Julia Angst has also been a key player on offense. “Lindsey is doing real well and is very consistent,” Hurst said. “Julia is also having a strong season. She is leading us in assists and steals and can also score.”
Seniors Sara Hurst and Jalynn Mitchell have also been key contributors. “Sara has been a solid player as well. with her scoring, defense, and assists,” Coach Hurst said. “Jalynn has also been playing well. She is a strong rebounder and can also score.”
Junior Sam Mentus and senior Nicky McAvoy also play key roles. “Sam has been battling through ACL injuries the last two years,” Hurst said. “This is her first year back, and we want to keep her healthy. She is a good scorer and good defender. Nicky does a lot of the dirty work for us. She plays good defense and is our sixth man off the bench. She helps spark us and gets us going. She can also jump out of the gym and can get 15 rebounds on a given night.”
The Wolfpack also have some youth on the team, with two freshmen and a sophomore on the varsity.
Laingsburg was co-champion of the CMAC in 2011-2012, the first time it won a girls’ basketball league title in 54 years. With the start it has had this season, it won’t have to wait too much longer for another one.