With blossoming freshmen in key roles, SC4 women's basketball team starting to 'take off'

There are seven freshman on the the St. Clair County Community College women's basketball team. But you wouldn't know that without looking at the roster.

"The biggest thing is, compared to a lot of teams, we're younger," SC4 coach Craig Archer said. "So we've always known our season was going to be defined by our ability to grow ... you have to feel out every group every year to find the right buttons to press. But once you do and you get dialed in, then you really see the growth take off."

The Skippers believe they've reached that altitude. After starting the season 4-4, they've gone 9-4 (and 5-0 on the road) since.

"Playing together is a big thing for us," sophomore center Dareonna Little said. "We don't have the best of everything, but we try to make do with each other."

But SC4 does have Little, who is one of the better interior players in the MCCAA's Eastern Conference. In addition to being named the league's Player of the Week on Monday, she's garnered the respect of opposing defenses.

"I face a lot of double-teams and triple-teams," Little said. "I face it all."

The 5-foot-11 center is doubled just about every time she touches the ball. But the extra defender doesn't faze Little, who has team-leading averages of 16.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

"She's a phenomenal player," Archer said. "Obviously, our best player … she can be an absolute monster on the basketball court. You have to throw two (defenders) at her. She can finish (inside) well and she's good at 15 feet. We haven't seen anybody let her go one-on-one."

"She's one of the best post (players) in the area," sophomore guard Morgan McConnell said. "You've got to give her the ball when you can."

The Skippers trust Little to make the right decision. And she has the same belief in her teammates.

"We really connect (offensively)," Little said. "Because even when I'm getting triple-teamed, I know that I can kick the ball back out and it's going to move around. (My teammates) are either going to shoot it or they're going to try their best to get it back inside."

"We move the ball around on offense really well," sophomore guard Sarah Lohr said. "Especially if someone double-teams or triple-teams (Little), she finds a person and we move the ball ... we can rely on one another. If I kick it out to (McConnell), I trust that she's going to make the basket."

SC4's belief extends to its freshmen, especially starting point guard Arlonna Twitty.

"To come in as a freshman and have to run the offense, that's a lot," Archer said. "Her learning curve is steeper than anyone else's ... you're not just there being a player anymore, you have to run the show. And it takes time to understand what that means at a college level."

While Twitty has settled into the role of facilitator, her growth hasn't stopped. She finished with a career-high nine assists in Wednesday's 68-53 win over Henry Ford.

"When I see that as a coach, that's showing some mental maturity for the offense," Archer said.

Twitty's partner in the backcourt, Karmyn Lowry, is also a freshman. She ranks second on the club in scoring (7.1 points per game) and has impressed her veteran teammates.

"She's stepped up and put in a lot of work," Lohr said.

"Karmyn has most definitely (stood out)," Little said. "She works really hard and when she turns it on, it's on — automatically."

Lowry is one of seven Skippers currently averaging more than five points per game. After Little, SC4's offensive production is spread out pretty evenly.

"When I look around the conference, there are very few people that can go as deep to their bench as I can," Archer said. "And on any given night, I'm usually reaching nine (players) deep … which is not something I've necessarily had before. So that's a very unique thing with this team."

The Skippers hope that depth gives them an edge as they try to make one last push for a conference championship.

SC4 is tied for third place in the conference, two games out of first at 4-2. It can draw closer with a win over Schoolcraft College (5-1) on Saturday.

"That's where we go from here," Little said. "And then it's one game at a time."

"We feel like we tripped two games in our conference play," Archer said. "We think it's a messy conference so we're very much hunting for that title. We want to force our way into that final picture."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Youthful SC4 women's basketball team starting to 'take off'