Shelbyville Lady Golden Bears Basketball

SPORTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Print this Article Email this Article SHS sophomore ahead of curve By BRIAN HARMON bharmon@shelbynews.com Playing alongside Sarah Laird last year on the Shelbyville girls’ basketball team, Gretchen Haehl wasn’t expected to be the Golden Bears’ “go-to” player. Laird averaged almost 18 points per game from the shooting guard position, while the freshman Haehl ran the point guard spot and averaged 10.5 points and 3.9 assists. It was, by all accounts, Laird’s team. If Haehl struggled, as freshmen are apt to do, it was expected. With Laird now playing collegiately in Missouri, Shelbyville no longer has the luxury of waiting for Haehl to mature as a basketball player. And after three games this season, it appears Haehl is well ahead of the learning curve. The 5-foot-5 sophomore is averaging 21 points, six rebounds, five steals, and four assists per game — all while shooting 61 percent from the field. Not bad for a player who a year ago was the youngest starter on the team. “I thought at times last year that, with having Sarah, Gretchen sometimes went in peaks and valleys,” Shelbyville coach John Fair said. “This year, she knows she can’t do that. “Gretchen is ultra competitive and when the team needs her ... she knew she had to step up this year.” Haehl agreed that Laird’s loss meant increased responsibility for her, as well as the rest of the squad. “I kind of knew I had to (score more), but there is also eight other people on the team that can score, that I know I can trust and get the ball to.” While Haehl has excelled from the point guard position, it could be that “point-guard mentality” that remains her biggest hurdle. Fair said he wants Haehl to take charge late in tight games, which sometimes means not passing the ball as much. “She still has a lot to learn, like when the game gets close. She is the main ball handler and she’s the best free throw shooter. She’s got to take control of the team. She’s got to know her personnel a little bit better, who does what things correctly,” Fair said. “And she will. Gretchen is a very heady player. As soon as she knows exactly what we want from her, she’ll get everything together.” Considering the way she’s playing right now, Haehl getting “everything together” must be a scary thought for opponents who probably think Haehl is good enough as it is. But Haehl herself is quick to point out that she has room for improvement. “I can always get better, just like anyone can. I want to get a little quicker. I want to improve my defense a little, because I had a little trouble with that tonight,” Haehl said after Shelbyville’s 88-23 win over Oldenburg Tuesday. A game in which Haehl recorded 10 steals.