Aryn Sanders has blossomed. The Signal Mountain junior is the area girls' basketball scoring leader and the centerpiece of the District 7-AA champion Lady Eagles.
She doesn't like the "centerpiece" description, likely preferring to see herself as a cog in a five-gear watch.
"She's grown as a player. I could tell last spring that she wasn't crazy about shooting the ball from the outside," first-year coach Kendra Bell said. "I told Aryn she had to master the 3 and she had to master the 10- to 12-foot jump shot."
In the past the athletic Sanders -- a volleyball player, a sprinter in track and a fifth-place finisher in last year's state pentathlon -- relied on her speed and quickness. Heading into the Lady Eagles' Region 4-AA home playoff game tonight, she has become a more complete player, averaging 25 points per game.
"I definitely wanted to be a leader," she replied when asked about being a scoring machine. "But we have a lot of girls that have stepped up. Our post (Janie Boals) has had some double-double games, and Brooke Whitmire and Lydia Bledsoe have had double-digit games too."
The 5-foot-7 Sanders' speed fit well into Signal's pressing, up-tempo style.
"That style has benefited Aryn," Bell said. "She shoots the ball better than she has in the past, but she is a very special player in that she is unbelievably fast and quick. Some players might be able to run side by side with her, but I have never seen anybody get in front of her.
"Her speed and quickness put her at a different level, but that's what this team wants to do. I've told the girls that we're a form of entertainment and that (fast-paced basketball) is entertaining," Bell said. "I always wanted to do it but haven't necessarily had the 'Jimmys and Joes' to do it."
She does now.
"We're not the tallest or biggest team but we're probably one of the fastest," Sanders said.
They're fast enough. Whitmire -- sister of Hogan, the Eagles' state championship team quarterback a few years ago -- also is quick and plays up front on the team's package of press defenses.
"We have Lydia and Brooke. Kelsey McGowan has played well, and Janie's probably averaging 10 per game," Sanders said.
Sanders has proved she can carry the load. She scored 45 points in one game this season, and the opponent was running a box-and-one -- or at least trying to. But Sanders also loves to share.
"It's nice to have other people stepping up and scoring and rebounding. It's made for a very good year," she said. "Most of us have been playing together for five or six years, so we know each other pretty well."
"Aryn does get a lot of shots up, but she definitely is not selfish. She distributes the ball when she should," Bell said. "I've told the girls they were going to get some (open shots), because when Aryn drives she is not afraid to distribute. She sees the floor very well."
Both Sanders and Bell emphasized the team attitude.
"Brooke and Aryn feed off each other and Janie doesn't get a lot of the spotlight, but she obviously gets the rebounds to get us going on the fast break and she plays up on the press," the coach said. "Bledsoe has come a long way and she's now our best 3-point shooter, and our other starter is Kelsey McGowan, the only senior. She's a big, strong girl that's come on of late. She can hit the open 8-footer, and when people break our press she protects very well. She sets picks for Aryn. She does the dirty work and has accepted her role really well."
Bell also mentioned junior Stephanie Peterson and freshman Maia Rackel.
"Both have been steady. When we've needed them they've been ready and gone in and done a really good job," she said.
The group has blended so well that their record headed into tonight's region game is 23-5.
"They have done a great job of buying what I was selling, and it's been a special year for them," Bell said.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.