Jackson County boasted one of the most talented young guards in the state this past season.
Tallying 458 points, Trinity Lutheran’s Maddie Roark led all state freshmen in scoring during the 2014-15 season.
The 5-foot-6 guard also ranked fifth among all girls in Class A for scoring.
From the field, Roark went 94 for 196, about 48 percent shooting.
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Behind the arc, Roark hit 125 3-pointers on 61 percent shooting.
“I can only think of three players, she being one of them, that were freshmen, that they have this kind of skill level in my 19 years of coaching,” Cougars coach Mike Lang said. “Two were boys and now Maddie. I’ve never had a girl come in and make this big of a difference as a freshman.”
Roark plays with controlled aggression in games, and isn’t afraid of contact — finishing second in Class A with 203 free-throw attempts while shooting 62 percent for the line for 125 points.
“I think that contact goes back to her soccer skills,” Lang said. “That’s the mentality she has. She gets the ball and drives. I think that carried over to basketball from soccer. She’s not afraid of contact”
On top of her scoring, she led the team with 48 assists and 69 steals.
One of the areas Roark is looking to improve is her ball handling. She led the team with 117 turnovers this season.
“She’s got to understand when to pull up and when to drive in,” Lang said. “A lot of teams have scouted her, the games she struggled where when they adjusted to her game. She needs to adjust on defense.”
While the school’s season may be over, Roark will compete on the Indiana Elite AAU team.
“Maddie is 100 percent ‘go’ all the time,” Lang said. “What you see out of her in games is what you get out in practice. She goes to the gym a lot on her own. That’s something that us coaches only really know. On her off days she’s working. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is in the gym (today).”
At 15 years old, Roark has loads of potential if she can stay healthy.
“Maddie is 100 percent all-athlete,” Lang said. “There is a ton of skill set. She’s just a fantastic athlete. A lot of things we’re going to work on is her working on her left and improve on defense each and every day.”
Last month, Roark was voted as a Class A IBCA Subway player of the week.
She’s currently getting votes for postseason accolades, including All-State Underclassmen nods. Final results will be released in March.
On pace for nearly 2,000 points, Roark could break Seymour’s Amanda Moore’s Jackson County career scoring record of 1,687 in 2012.
“She very well could pull off a 2,000-point career,” Lang said. “She’s going to get quicker, stronger and smarter.”