STARKVILLE — It’s only natural for the Starkville Academy girls basketball team to look to Anna Prestridge to be a leader.
Many of the Lady Volunteers might not know it, but Prestridge grew up with a basketball in her hands and has played point guard all her life, so it isn’t surprising she transitioned into that role at Starkville Academy.
Last year, though, Prestridge had to adjust. On a young team with no seniors and less than 10 players, the Lady Volunteers looked to Prestridge to provide a steady hand to guide them through their growing pains.
“Last year, I was kind of forced into a leadership position, so I had to step up,” Prestridge said. “This year, as a senior, it is more natural.”
Prestridge’s maturation as a point guard and as a leader has played an integral role in Starkville Academy’s magical season. The Class AAA champions will look to add another title to their haul when they kick off play in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools overall state tournament against Bowling Green Academy at 3 p.m. today at Mississippi College in Clinton.
Starkville Academy (35-5) will have to win three more games to close the best season in school history with another championship.
It doesn’t matter to Prestridge whether it is Anna Lea Little, Sallie Kate Richardson, April Burney, Tiffany Huddleston, Nora Kathryn Carroll or someone else leading the way in scoring. As point guard, she is perfectly content working as conductor making sure everything runs smoothly. If she is called on, though, she won’t hesitate to provide a scoring punch to give her team a lift.
“I definitely think I have grown a lot just because of the experience,” Prestridge said. “I think I have become a better leader in just setting the pace for the rest of the girls.”
Starkville Academy coach Glenn Schmidt said Prestridge has been a leader who has set the tone by embracing the team concept. As the floor general who most often has the basketball in her hands, Prestridge directs an offense that takes what the defense gives it and has confidence in everyone to play their role.
“She is not affected by the way she is playing,” Schmidt said. “If somebody is pressing us and she is struggling, and she rarely ever struggles, but if it is taking more of her to do what she is doing, if she is not able to score, if she is guarding somebody who is extremely valuable to the other team and it is taking more of her emotions and her mentally, it doesn’t affect her game at all. She is the same person and the same player. She seems to know when to push the ball and when not to push the ball. She seems to know when to turn the defense up and when to lay low for a minute.”
Schmidt said Prestridge rarely gets loud to demonstrate her leadership qualities. She said Prestridge is more apt to encourage her teammates with a quiet few words or with a tap on the shoulder or the back, and that Prestridge’s focus and steadiness helped her the respect of her teammates.
Prestridge transferred from Parklane Academy to Starkville Academy for her sophomore season. She said she has learned how to become a bigger threat on offense the past two seasons. She said she is more comfortable creating scoring opportunities for herself and for her teammates, even if she considers herself more of a defensive player.
“I just try to get things going on defense and to get my teammates going with intensity,” Prestridge said.
Prestridge feels everyone on the team has matured so much and has learned how to persevere, especially in the past two games when the team faced double-digit deficits against Jackson Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy.
In a way, the team’s development mirrors the path Prestridge has followed to become a leader. She has learned how to motivate her teammates and how to pick her spots to provide a key basket or an uplifting piece of encouragement to help spark the team or to help it re-gain its focus.
“She believes in her teammates and herself and what we’re trying to do,” Schmidt said. “I think that is characteristic of her whole life. A leader cannot lead anybody else until they lead themselves. … She leads by example. It is the best kind of leader I know.”
n Leake Academy 63, Hebron Christian 41: In the opening-round of the MAIS Overall State Tournament Tuesday afternoon, the Hebron Christian Lady Eagles saw their season end with a loss to Leake Academy.
Tori Nichols paced Hebron Christian (25-12) with 27 points. Alaina Hill added nine points.
Leake built a 32-11 lead at halftime.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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