STARKVILLE — Anna Prestridge doesn”t light up a stat box.
The point guard for the Starkville Academy girls basketball team doesn”t possess blazing speed or have a deadly outside shot.
But without her, the Lady Volunteers wouldn”t be 15-12, or sit a win below .500 in conference play.
The team”s performance last weekend proved just that.
Starkville Academy beat Madison-Ridgeland Academy, the Mississippi Association of Independent School”s top-ranked team, 49-34 at home Friday before beating Oak Hill Academy, a team that entered the matchup with 19 victories, 55-45.
Playing all 64 minutes of the games and guarding each opponent”s primary ballhandler, Prestridge helped the Lady Volunteers play without Anna Lea Little, the team”s leading scorer, against MRA.
Prestridge had seven points, five rebounds, and two assists against MRA and 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds against the Lady Raiders. For her accomplishments, Prestridge is The Dispatch Prep Player of the Week.
The linchpin of Starkville Academy”s eight-player roster, which lacks a senior, Prestridge is the team”s most-experienced player as a second-year starter.
Starkville Academy coach Glenn Schmidt covets a quality point guard and admits she has been fortunate to have a string of them at the school.
Prestridge had three seniors in the starting lineup as a sophomore and didn”t shoulder as much leadership and responsibility on the court as she has this season. She leads the team with 57 steals, 89 free throw attempts, and 78 assists, and is third with 46 offensive rebounds.
“I guess being in the position last year and having to learning everything, what we expect from her and how much we relied on those seniors, I guess she said to herself, ”I”ve got to do this,”” Schmidt said. “It”s never been a deal where I”ve had to talk to her about her role, or what she has to give this team. I just kind of let her see it.”
Schmidt said Prestridge”s ability to drive into the lane with either hand has broken defenses and allowed the team”s forwards to thrive. But while she has been able to drive and dish, Prestridge is becoming a bigger threat on offense.
“You can see where we”re working on things with the ball on the move in her hands because she can find the open person,” Schmidt said. “Pretty soon, they”re gonna quit guarding those open people that she finds and she”s gonna take the ball to the basket herself. I see her outside shot improving (in the future). I see her being the person everybody looks to, just like now. I see her doing a better job of it.”
Living up to expectations doesn”t always go as smoothly as Prestridge has made it for Schmidt and Starkville Academy, especially after transferring from Parklane Academy prior to the start of her sophomore season.
Having played point guard throughout junior high and in ninth grade, Prestridge had a good sense of how her responsibilities would grow in the next couple of years.
“You can”t really focus on the expectations,” Prestridge said. “You”ve got to play your game and do the best you can. Knowing we would be a young team, I knew I”d be a leader for the team. It”s just not something I think about every time I play.”
With four games left before the start of the Class AAA Division 1 tournament, Prestridge feels the Lady Volunteers are seeing the results of a season”s worth of learning.
Freshman forward Sallie Kate Richardson is averaging 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in 20 minutes a game, while classmate Nora Kathryn Carroll scores 10.3 a game.
Little, a sophomore transfer, is third on the team at 10.1 points per game.
“We knew we would be in games this year because we had athletes, but we”ve done a great job getting better,” Prestridge said. “Not everybody has a six-foot freshman and two five-nine forwards. And everybody comes back. The MRA and Oak Hill wins were huge for us. In our league, anybody can beat anybody, so we were confident before playing MRA. That”s kind of how we”re approaching all of our games.”
Aside from the defense, passing, ballhandling and all-around point guard play Schmidt has gotten from Prestridge, she has been just as impressed by Prestridge”s selflessness.
“Sometimes girls worry about letting someone down or not messing up,” Schmidt said. “But you”ve never had to worry about Anna being focused and mentally tough. She is not about Anna. She”s not about her best friends, or how well she played last night. She”s not about the mistake she just made. She”s not about anything except wearing the blue and orange.”
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