ORANGE — High School basketball programs use summer basketball leagues to work on deficiencies within each player’s skill set. It’s exactly what the Mahar Regional High School girls basketball program sought to do this summer as expressed by Mahar coach Scott Parker.
Through the first week of competition, Mahar’s Micalyn Mailloux has used the opportunity to the fullest. Mailloux will enter her sophomore season next winter, but has scored 22 points through two games this summer, an average of 11 per game. Mailloux averaged 4.2 points per game during her freshman season.
“When we move the ball well, players like (Mailloux) are going to be open,” said Parker. “That’s what we’ve got to look for. Kids moving off the ball will allow so many quick passes to happen. If everyone is moving the right way, we’re going to be able to get the kick out to players like Micalyn or Delaney (Parker) or Jazmyn (Vautour). They’re all major shooters.”
Mailloux showed spurts of scoring during the regular season, netting 13 points against Athol High School, 12 against Hopkins Academy and 10 against both Smith Academy and Frontier Regional High School. Mailloux spent a majority of time on the bench, mostly because of her freshman status, but the increase of shots and production during summer basketball bodes well for a program that lost four seniors to graduation.
Mailloux has looked confident during summer basketball too. In the team’s latest game against Oakmont, Mailloux was creating more plays with her passing, directing plays verbally and seemed more confident with her shot selection.
“She’s definitely getting more confident,” said Scott Parker. “It’s only going to grow from here. I think, her and Delaney, will be the leaders of the team in the future, but you love to see that confidence in any player. Just as long as they don’t panic and don’t feel like they can do it all themselves because you will become a better player forcing teams to work to your strengths.”
Mahar will need to replace top scorer Hannah Paul come next winter, who had a team-high 218 points and averaged 10.3 points per game. Although Mailloux certainly will provide scoring, Jazmyn Vautour has filled in the top offensive role this summer. After averaging 8.8 points per game and netting the second-most points on the team with 185, Vautour has led the summer team with 25 points after the first week of competition. Vautour possesses a good three-point shot, which has continued to show during the summer season, netting seven 3-pointers through two games.
Last season, Mahar averaged 43.5 points per game. So far this summer, the team has averaged 40 points per game, an unfair comparison because the team has played only two games this summer, but nonetheless, Mahar has not had any less production so far.
The players have taken advantage of summer basketball so far, now they just have to maintain and continue to grow.