NEW RICHMOND – After a pedestrian start to the season in which Wyoming East junior Kayley Bane scored just four points in the opener against Shady Spring and fared no better with three points in a 62-28 loss to Parkersburg Catholic, she was challenged by her coaches.
She accepted that challenge and ran with it.
In the third game of the season Bane had the best performance of her career, scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 71-33 win against Bluefield on Dec. 16.
For her effort, Bane has been named the Week 2 Lootpress Girls Basketball Player of the Week by the Lootpress sportswriters. The Award is sponsored by Bodyworks and The Law Offices of Brandon Steele.
Mercer Christian’s Kayley Trump was the winner of the fan vote with over 3,000 votes.
For Bane the performance was a longtime coming. The junior guard had struggled to find a rhythm in the first few games and needed to play within her limits.
“Really it was the energy I’ve been surrounded with,” Bane said. “I’ve been struggling with getting focused and these last few games I’ve been reeled in. Honestly that game I was running on adrenaline because I was mad. But then I got reeled into this game and my game is off the dribble and shoot. That’s what I did and eventually my outside shots fell.”
The game itself has been a turning point for Bane who has been East’s leading scorer in the following two games against Mingo Central and Summers County, averaging 15 points per game over that span. She’s also carved out a role as a rebounder for her team.
“Yes very much,” Bane said when asked if she finally hit her groove. “I’m playing within my strengths and everything else will come. The first two games I was very timid and I realized I’m stronger than that so I’ve gone in for more rebounds. I got in there and I fought a little bit.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
