Huntingdon girls expecting success

HUNTINGDON – Kaitlin Belew knows how a good partner can help.

Belew, a senior post, and junior forward Jesica Keith are leaders on the Huntingdon girls basketball team, and on the court together they are tough for opposing teams to handle.

Belew and Keith don’t share a name or family, but their partnership reminds Belew of when her partner was her older sister Hannah.

“I feel like we’re working the exact same way we did when I played with Hannah because we can look at each other and just know when to pass it and when not to pass it, when to cut and when not to cut,” Belew said.

“I think that helps a lot because without the chemistry between [players], nothing would flow.”

The Fillies are 15-3 overall and 9-2 in District 13-A play entering Friday’s game at Clarksburg. That’s a credit not just to Belew and Keith but also an improved core of teammates who have Huntingdon aiming beyond last year’s loss early in the regional round to Gibson County.

“Huntingdon’s a football town,” Keith said. “And basketball doesn’t really get that much attention, so we want to give them something to be excited for as much as they are [for] football.”

Belew said it helps she and Keith get along so well off the court - they both like eating at the Japanese restaurant Miso in nearby Paris, for example - and Keith said the two learn and improve from playing against each other in practice.

Head coach Farris Lowery said Keith gives maximum effort and is more confident and mature this year.

Lowery likes how Belew, who will attend Freed-Hardeman next year but is unsure if she will play basketball, has answered his challenge to be a more active rebounder, especially on defense.

But Lowery and the girls made sure to point out Huntingdon is not built upon Belew and Keith alone.

Sophomore point guard Taylor Smith, senior guard Allyn Swenson and junior guard LeAnn Webb are among a handful of Fillies who are contributing more and making a difference.

“We were picked third in our district and some people kind of looked over us a little bit I think, so I think pressure really is not on us as much this year as it was last year,” Lowery said.

Huntingdon has lost once this year to Class AA member South Gibson and twice to District 13-A leader Dresden, which is ranked seventh in the state.

“Last year it was mainly just us two, and we didn’t have those other outside people shooting,” Belew said. “Now this year it’s changed a lot because they’re hitting shots left and right from out there. I think that’s what helps a lot.”

“You can’t just guard two of us this year. You have to guard all five of us,” Keith said, “or somebody’s going to kill you.”

Smith, the sophomore point guard, stands out in particular to Belew and Keith for her improvement.

“Last year she was a freshman and she didn’t understand the game as much as she does now, like her mentality’s different and she knows how it flows,” Keith said.

Lowery believes a little offensive improvement will have his team playing the way it needs to in the postseason.

The Fillies have a daily shooting drill with partners in which frontcourt players practice their midrange shots and guards shoot 3-pointers, and Belew noted with a laugh the runs to halfcourt and back after too many misses have become less frequent than at the start of the year.

Huntingdon has been deliberate in trying to improve its mental approach this year. The players have a tiny green ribbon they tie within their shoelaces for practices and games.

“Our whole thing this year with our team is staying in the green, like on a red light, staying in go motion,” Belew said.

Huntingdon has not reached the state tournament or even a sectional in recent years, but the Fillies expect to challenge favorites like Gibson County, Middleton and Dresden in the postseason.

“I think it’s how much potential we have. That pushes me a lot,” Keith said. “This team could really go so far because we have potential all over the court, and that pushes me a lot to not give up. The harder we play, the farther we’ll get.”

Craig Thomas, 425-9634