PawneeSports
02-08-2006, 10:17 AM
Players to watch:
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Jenna Plumley, Frontier:
The most exciting player in the state to watch. Just 5-3 but can shoot, pass and defend. The OU signee will try to win her third state championship in the past four years.
Rose Hammond, Depew:
Nearly unstoppable going to the basket. And she can shoot the ball, too. The slasher is averaging nearly 22 points a game. She is an OU signee and was on The Oklahoman's Super Five team a year ago.
Andrea Coggin, Oilton:
One of the top scorers in the class. She is averaging a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds a game. And she is shooting nearly 61 percent.
Kae Lani Bryan, Picher-Cardin:
The athletic guard is leading the Gorillas in scoring at 18 points a game.
PawneeSports
02-11-2006, 11:10 PM
Stillwater NewsPress
Ready for the next level
Written by: Ryan Steele
Published: 02-11-2006
Frontier senior Jenna Plumley will have the opportunity to make her mark in Division I basketball in the near future, but the present holds a chance for her to earn a state title trifecta.
The 5-foot-4 guard has already led FHS (20-4) to two state championships in her freshman and junior seasons, but she said she’s not ready to stop there. The Lady Mustangs kick off their district postseason tonight at home.
“We’re really excited and we’ve just got to come to play,” Plumley said. “We’ve got to keep our mind on one game at a time.
“Everybody expects us to make it to state, but we can’t look ahead. Once we get that first win in the playoffs, everything else will fall in place.”
Plumley has been a crucial asset to the Lady Mustangs, averaging 25.4 points, eight assists and nearly six steals per game during her senior campaign.
“I think it’s pretty obvious how important she is to this team,” said FHS girls coach Clay Stephens. “She’s just amazing at what she does and she makes everyone else around her better.”
In some of her highest-scoring performances of the season so far, she put up 48 points in FHS’ 98-69 win against Chisholm, 35 against Class 3A No. 1 Sequoyah-Tahlequah and 33 against Pawnee.
Plumley, a three-time NewsPress Area Player of the Year, said she will miss the experience of playing at Red Rock as well as the atmosphere.
“I’ve enjoyed playing here,” Plumley said. “Our fans have been just great. They’re here for every game and they’ve given us a lot of support over the years.”
Regardless of what occurs in the playoffs, Plumley will have an opportunity next season that many high-school athletes can only dream about — the chance to step up to the next level.
The two-time state tournament MVP committed to the University of Oklahoma last fall, becoming the first athlete from FHS to sign with a Division I program.
“I’m so ready to be there (at OU),” Plumley said. “It’ll be very exciting to be a part of that team.”
OU coach Sherri Coale said Plumley has the capability to be a highly-productive player in her system.
“Jenna is just tremendous in distributing the basketball, both in the full court and the half,” Coale said. “I love her vision. I love the way she can move the ball around the floor and get it anywhere it needs to be without anybody on the defensive end having any idea where it’s going. I think she’s going to be an essential player for us.”
Coale said the transition from high school to college can be tough for some players, but feels Plumley can rise above the challenge.
“Every freshman has a bit of a learning curve, and she’s going to have a lot to learn defensively,” Coale said. “It’s a big adjustment to the pace and to the physical nature of play at this level, but from everything I can gather, she’s a real tough kid.
“She’s really talented and extraordinarily competitive so I think she’ll come in and make her presence known.”
Stephens is also confident in Plumley’s ability to succeed in her collegiate career.
“I don’t watch a lot of the college games, but in the little that I’ve watched OU play — and this is just my opinion — they need a guard and I think Jenna can do that.”
Plumley and the Lady Mustangs will face the winner of Woodland and Copan at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Red Rock. Win or lose, FHS will move on to the regional tournament Thursday at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.