Published Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:49 AM
Updated Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:51 AM

 

Hawkins gives the Lady Gators another offensive weapon

It’s not like the light just came on for senior Tyshonda Hawkins. She’s had the tools all along, Goose Creek girls basketball coach Tim Baldwin said.

“Her shot is coming around and her defense and speed have always been there,” he added. “She’s really worked on her offensive game and she’s taking better shots.”

The by-product of her efforts is a stronger mid-range jumper and better overall control that has helped her crack the starting lineup for the 17-1 Lady Gators. She began the season in a sixth-man role.

“With her quickness, she gets open a lot,” Baldwin said. “When she’s in there with all the scoring we already have, it makes us really tough to defend.”

Hawkins, a wing player, made her move to get into the top five over Christmas break. She was instrumental in a come-from-behind 46-45 win over Wesleyan, Ga. on the final day of the Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational Dec. 23 in Myrtle Beach. She had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Baldwin could see it was time to get Hawkins more minutes.

“That’s when I could tell she was buying into the team concept,” he said. “She started taking good shots and hitting them.”

She’s averaging 6.5 points a game heading into the third week of region play and still uses her track-star speed to her advantage on defensive.

Hawkins is the top performer on the girls track team and is getting a lot of Division I looks. Last spring, she qualified for the state meet in two sprinting events, finishing second in the 400-meter dash.

“That’s definitely a big asset for us,” Baldwin said.

Junior forward Aleighsa Welch averages a double-double for the Lady Gators and N’Dea Bryant is second on the team in scoring.

Baldwin’s team was to meet Wando Tuesday and begins the second run through the region Friday at Berkeley.