By John Ring
Published December 2, 2021 in The Burg
Coach Mike Rux’s Silver Streak sophomore team has hit the ground running, literally. They started the season off with wins over Limestone and Washington and then defeated Moline.
They sit with a perfect 3-0 record after Tuesday’s win over Moline in a game that featured the 1-2 punch of point guard Addyson McLaughlin and post Addison Peck. Each of those
sophomores scored 18 points in the win.
“Our coaches drill into our heads that you practice like you play the game,” said McLaughlin, who seemed to have an answer for every Moline scoring run. If she didn’t, either Peck or 5’9” sophomore Syriah Boyd did.
“Games like this makes us ready for the Varsity,” said Boyd. “Playing at that level will be tough but we’re ready for it.”
“This team is pretty solid early on,” said Coach Rux. “We’re still trying to put everything
together and finding out who we are. Limestone and Washington were both good teams and so is Moline. There’s no rest but when you play good teams you have to be on top of your game.”
One thing about Rux’s Streaks is that they never seem to waver; they constantly attack the basket and don’t try to hold the ball and nurse leads. They seem to be aggressive all the time.
Against the Maroons the Streaks hit the boards hard and ran like demons when they had the opportunity.
“I love this team,” said McLaughlin, a 5’7” point guard. “We keep plowing forward. We love the game of basketball so we play as hard as we can.”
McLaughlin has been a point guards since she was six years old. “I kind of like being in control of the floor and of the game,” she said.
Boyd and Peck are also in their second year with Rux’s sophomores. “You have to be mentally tough and we always need to be the aggressor,” said Peck. “If you play confident, it can change the game and that’s what we try to be. We try to keep ourselves up and we don’t get mad at each other.”
“We’re older and bigger now than we were a year ago as freshman and that’s a big difference,” said Boyd. “This team also has good chemistry, both on and off the floor. We have good relationships among ourselves and we get along.”
Boyd and Peck complement each other inside. Boyd has great hands and can covert tough passes to her into baskets. Peck is stead in the paint and a good rebounder.
“We have some new players on the team who are just learning our offensive sets and defensive schemes but their confidence builds every day,” said Rux.
Frosh-Soph Roster
Eliana Juarez Fr
Julia Robinson So
Mekenna Burford So
Naolmi Duke So
Annabelle Giles Fr
Addyson McLaughlin So
Ryleigh Clark Fr
Antonia Kisler So
Sofie Jones-Rhoades Fr
Syriah Boyd So
Addison Peck So
Josslyn Peck Fr
Molly Pleshk So
Cora Johnson Fr