This breakout star is rewriting the record books for Dee-Mack girls basketball
MACKINAW — Sure, Addison Swadinsky’s scoring is great. And her ability to distribute to her Deer Creek-Mackinaw teammates is nice. too.
But, according to coach Joni Nightingale, none of her senior’s best contributions will show up on the stat sheet.
“The best asset that Addison Swadinsky has,” the Dee-Mack coach said, “is those intangibles of just leading a team, of having that competitive fire in her belly and putting her team on her shoulders and just willing a way to a win.”
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Dee-Mack (25-5) has collected plenty of victories this girls basketball season, resetting the program’s all-time win total with each victory they collect past 22. The 5-foot-8 guard has become a breakout star in her final prep campaign in helping guide the Class 2A eighth-ranked Chiefs.
Tough to defend
Swadinsky may have experienced a 62-54 loss to No. 7 Fieldcrest on Thursday, but her play leaves opposing coaches like Mitch Neally of Fieldcrest scratching their heads.
“Addison is one of the types of players in the conference you feel like has been around for eight years trying to gameplan for," Neally said. "She is a complete player on both sides of the floor …
“As a coach, you love competing against a player like that, but I’ll be happy to see her graduate.”
In the third quarter against the Knights, the all-Heart of Illinois first-teamer scored nine straight points on 4-of-6 shooting. She sliced through the Fieldcrest defense on three different occasions including a pretty move to avoid contact.
If that wasn’t enough, the Illinois Central College commit stepped back and hit a corner 3-pointer right in front of a rowdy Dee-Mack student section for an eight-point lead.
“They tightened up their defense, so I took that to my advantage,” said Swadinsky, who finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds, “and I took it to the rim. My teammates were finding me, so that made it really easy.”
The top-scoring Dee-Mack player ever
Her scoring prowess has landed her in the Dee-Mack record book. She recently became the program’s all-time leading scorer, passing Wendy Cameron’s 1,117 points from 1985-88.
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Some of the credit goes to rising freshman Dalia DeJesus, who had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against Fieldcrest. The confidence DeJesus displays in the post has helped carry over to Swadinsky.
“Addi has really blossomed as a scorer,” Nightingale said.
Being a senior, Swadinsky mentors DeJesus and the two have developed great on-court chemistry. The veteran varsity player feeds the 5-foot-11 center down on the block whenever possible.
“(We) get along really well off the court, too,” Swadinsky said, “so it makes it really easy.”
Postseason ahead
Dee-Mack has earned one of the two top regionals seeds feeding into the Taylor Ridge Rockridge Sectional. Last season, the Chiefs made a run to the regional championship and in the process set the program record for wins with 21.
Now, Swadinsky looks to end a regional title drought dating back to 1987, guiding a team with an undeniable belief in themselves and each other.
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“Our main goal is postseason,” she said, “and I think that the rest of the season is just going to keep us carrying on into the postseason.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Dee-Mack basketball: Addison Swadinsky program all-time scorer, record wins
