Although junior guard Sadie Misner hasn’t been paying attention to it, she’s shooting her way up the Fort Lewis women’s basketball record book this season.
With two games to go, Misner is shooting 56 of 61 (91.8%) from the free-throw line this season.
If Misner were to not shoot another free throw this season, she’d be second in Fort Lewis women’s basketball history for the best free-throw percentage in a season minimum 50 attempts.
Lindsey Adcock still holds the record with a free-throw percentage of 92.6 in the 2003-04 season. Misner is on pace to pass her own record of 90.4% from last season, which is currently second best.
“I feel like with all things in basketball, you have to work at it,” Misner said. “There's countless times I was in the gym with my dad just working on it, because it never comes easy. I remember I used to go through slumps all the time, and once I found my routine I just stuck with it.”
Misner said she’s had the same routine since sixth grade. She twirls the ball in her hands, takes a dribble and twirls it. Before she shoots, she prays to God to help put the ball in the basket. She credits her success at the line to God because she feels like God has her back.
Skyhawks coach Taylor Harris said he doesn’t devote much practice time to shooting free throws. He mixes in a drill once a week involving free-throw shooting, which takes five to seven minutes.
Harris said the players rely on their muscle memory and that this is the least he’s worked on free-throw shooting in his three years, and this team is shooting the best percentage in his tenure.
At the end of games, Misner is happy to be fouled because she loves free throws and said it’s the “easiest thing in the world and is like a breath of fresh air.”
“When the other team is trying to foul you, to have somebody like Sadie who not only can make her free throws, but she also makes great decisions as well,” Harris said. “So it's very comforting, especially because late in the game, everybody focuses on Lanae (Billy). She tends to get their best defender, especially in a sideline out-of-bounds situation. So we can generally get Sadie a catch pretty well.”
Misner and Harris both agree that the next step in her game is to embrace contact when driving to the basket because she still shies away from it. Misner said she loved contact in high school, but that changed in college when she started facing more athletic, stronger and taller players.
The junior guard said she’ll work on embracing contact when she scrimmages with her teammates in the offseason. Misner also said it’ll take training her mind and body to embrace contact.
Harris believes if Misner can embrace contact and get to the foul line more, it could help her become an all-conference player her senior year.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
