GIRLS BASKETBALL

On the court, King rules for the Knights

But off-court, the Bishop Luers sophomore is more of a jester.

By JEFF LOCKRIDGE of The News@Sentinel

Rachel King never said anything about a twin sister.

The Bishop Luers sophomore guard, noted for her fiery play and intense persona on the basketball court, was joking around at practice last week like she was auditioning for the circus.

"She's just goofy," Luers backcourt mate Jennie Moppert said. "Yeah, that's it. She's goofy."

Even when Moppert tried to give her interview, King was nagging her left and right.

"Get away!" shouted Moppert, who was trying not to laugh. "I don't want to talk when you're around. Go away!"

Surely, this was not the same Rachel King who rarely cracks a smile during a game, the Rachel King that competes with such tenacity that one would think her life is riding on the outcome.

"I know when to have fun on the court, and I know when to get down to business. Off the court, I'm just goofy and a girl who likes to do girl things. That's a big thing for me -- being feminine," King said.

"But I take basketball very serious."

King takes competition in general very seriously. If coach Gary Andrews gives his team a shooting drill in practice, King wants to make the most shots. If he asks his team to race, King wants to finish first.

"I can play a game of pingpong with my friends, and I just have to win," she said. "I get that from my dad. We can never play sports together."

King, 16, can certainly play with her teammates. The Knights have compiled a 14-1 record this season and are the only unbeaten team remaining in Summit Athletic Conference play. They have done so primarily with their full-court pressure defense, which King and Moppert headline.

The Knights are multidimensional in their offensive attack, but King is their go-to girl.

In her second year as a starter, she leads the team in scoring at 13.3 points a game. She also averages 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.7 steals a game.

"Rachel has so much confidence in herself and ability," Moppert said. "She knows if she is playing well, there's really no one that can stop her. And that's what you need as an athlete. You have to be cocky in a sense."

Luers is in a position to determine its own destiny, having avenged its lone loss to Snider in the SAC Tournament. It can clinch the conference title in the next two weeks, barring an unexpected slip-up.

Andrews is already calling this the best girls basketball team Luers has ever seen. King is a major reason why.

"She's our emotional leader," Andrews said. "She gets the team fired up. She always plays hard, and she'll do whatever it takes to help us win.

"(In) the Homestead game she scored 34 points when we really needed her scoring, and there's other games when she'll score two or four points but she'll do other things like rebound, steal the ball and get assists. Rachel just kind of plays by her feel of the game."

Fans and players alike noticed King had a feel for the game in her first varsity outing. As a freshman, she sank eight of nine free throws to help the Knights knock off the Spartans.

It wasn't quite the offensive show she produced against Homestead this season, but it raised everyone's expectations for her.

"I had a big game against Homestead my first game, and then there was a lot of pressure on me," King said. "I remember (Homestead guard) Julie Johnson's dad came up to me and (said), 'You're a great player.' To be able to live up to what everyone was saying, it's a lot of pressure. A lot of pressure."

If there's anyone who can carry such a burden -- and carry it all the way to Market Square Arena -- it's King.