With 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, Courtney Zensen drove from the top left of the arc into the paint where she powered through a close-line from two defenders to still make a left-handed layup.
Zensen’s old-fashioned, three-point play gave Whitwell’s senior point guard a career-high 41 points as she dominated Tuesday’s 57-23 road win over Sale Creek.
“You have to go out there and play with an unstoppable mentality,” Zensen said. “Starting in high school, my dad always told me I needed to be aggressive and look for my shot. For me, I am very comfortable driving to the basket with either hand and getting to the line.”
Despite missing the last two weeks with the flu, Zensen starred all-around in her return. The Union University signee also asserted herself defensively with 10 steals, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Zensen’s shooting touch was in full affect too, as she made 12-of-14 free throws along with five 3-pointers from the left wing.
Still with two key contributors out due to the flu and having cancelled two games last week — Whitwell coach Eric Zensen was worried coming into Tuesday’s game.
“Courtney has been out for a while, so I was a little bit concerned,” said Coach Zensen, Courtney’s father. “She said it feels like I haven’t played in forever. She was in bed sick for almost 5-6 days and I thought she might be fatigued quicker. But she stepped up and played well tonight.”
Whitwell senior Adrianna Elledge also stood out, drilling a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 11 points.
Sale Creek (6-2) trailed 15-9 after one quarter of play when freshman Caroline Holland banked in a 3-pointer off the top of the glass. Trinity Smith also had a strong start with six points in the first quarter.
However, the Lady Tigers (5-6) pulled away, led by Zensen who had 23 points in the first half.
“I just told myself to play like normal,” Courtney said. “I felt like the game came right back to me. I have been playing AAU since I was in elementary school and have put so much work into this game that I am just comfortable out there.”
A season after losing 41-39 in a Class A substate game to Clay County, Whitwell is hoping for another strong campaign.
“This team has improved so much from our first scrimmage until now,” Coach Zensen said. “I have to give a lot of credit to all the girls. We lost six seniors last year but we have not changed our expectations or goals. These girls have competed against a tough schedule so far and are working to give ourselves a chance to reach that next level.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.