Josie Paznokas knew she had to relax.
The Kentridge High freshman guard has struggled with her shot the last few weeks and was in need of some confidence. That confidence finally came on Friday, Jan. 21, when Paznokas poured in a season-high 16 points to lead the Chargers past Kent-Meridian 51-37 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game.
“Shooting has always kind of been my main thing, but I have been struggling a bit this year,” admitted Paznokas, who came off the bench earlier in the season for the Chargers but has since moved into the starting rotation. “My dad has always told me just to relax and play. I’ve been tense.”
Paznokas was able to relax against the Royals. And it paid immediate dividends, too.
Kentridge took a 9-5 lead in the first quarter, then turned up the heat in the second, outscoring Kent-Meridian 15-5 in the period en route to taking a 24-10 halftime advantage.
“(Paznokas) has been a real bright spot for us this year,” said first-year Kentridge coach Bob Sandall. “She’s a hard worker and ahead of her age.”
The win helped the Chargers (2-9 in league, 2-12 overall) end a 10-game losing skid.
Paznokas’ confidence certainly helped put an end to the slide. The Kentridge freshman entered the night having scored 17 points in the previous five games combined.
“It felt really good because I hate to lose, and we’ve been losing quite a bit,” she said. “To pull out a big win like that, it felt really good.”
And while the wins haven’t been as plentiful as Paznokas or Sandall would like, Kentridge has made some solid gains this winter.
“(The improvement) doesn’t always show up in the wins column,” Sandall said. “We’re definitely making progress. The win was big.”
Paznokas, however, wasn’t alone. Teammate Haley Crusch also deposited a season high, scoring 11 points. In addition, the 51 points Kentridge put on the board also was a season high.
Desiree Guitian led the Royals (0-11, 1-14) with 13 points while Kariona Micks chipped in 10.
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