To see Bryan County senior Kenzie Stucker smile when playing basketball is a rarity. Off the court she has an infectious grin and laugh and all indications of a great sense of humor.
Stucker and the Redskins (20-5) open Region 3A-D1 play at 4 p.m. Thursday at Woodville- Tompkins with a semifinal game against the winner of Tuesday night’s Screven County vs. Metter game.
Bryan County got a bye into the semis thanks to a second-place finish in regular season play. A win will put them in Friday’s 7 p.m. championship game and also assure them of a home game in the first round of the state playoffs.
While the Redskins are pursuing team goals Stucker is closing in on some individual marks which will add her name to the pantheon of standouts who have played for Coach Mario Mincey at Bryan County.
The scrappy 5-foot-4 point guard needs 12 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark and 13 rebounds to hit 500. Assured of playing at least three more games Stucker is easily within reach of both.
“I wasn’t aware of being that close until Coach told me in the locker room after the game that I needed 13 more points,” Stucker said after last Thursday’s 49-15 win at Savannah Christian.
“I don’t keep track of things like that. I just push myself every game to set a standard.”
Stucker would be the fifth Mincey player in the 1,000-point club joining Olanna Rawls (2,276), Julianne Brown (1,676), Satashala Beasley (1,078) and Shelby Gunn (1,023).
In the rebounding department Jay Black, currently playing at Albany State, finished with 1,059 and current Redskins assistant Yasmine Crawford had 1,022 while scoring 877 points. Beasley had 832 rebounds, Rawls 657, Brown 634 and Gunn 577.
“I don’t have any records for anyone who played for Coach (Johnny) Miller,” Mincey said. “Kenzie rebounds well for a guard. She is a kid that does a little bit of everything for the team.
“She has made a lot of sacrifices in her game for the team this year. She’s accepted her role and everything she’s done is to make us a better team.”
After averaging nearly 18 points per game last year Stucker enters region play averaging 9.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.4 steals.
The drop off in scoring can be attributed to the addition of Kayley Wedlow who transferred from Statesboro and the emergence of sophomore Ashanti Brown as an inside force. Wedlow is averaging 23 points per game and Brown is at 14.
“I think I have,” Stucker said when asked if she had made adjustments in her offensive game. “The change in my offensive role just kind of happened but I think I have grown on the defensive side.
“I feel like we’ve improved a lot,” Stucker said. “When we started off our chemistry wasn’t there but it came quickly. We learned where each other was at, what our strong suits are and that helped us a lot.
“I think I’ve grown to be a better point guard. Last year I hated to be point guard, honestly, but this year I think my (basketball) IQ has grown stronger and I have more court awareness.”
Stucker, despite a height disadvantage, is not reluctant to go inside and bang with the big girls, either as evidenced by her rebounding numbers.
“Rebounding is just about boxing out,” Stucker said. “They’re way bigger than me so boxing out really helps me and knowing where they’re at.”