This Knoxville senior has led the way on basketball court for three seasons. Find out who.
KNOXVILLE — Kynlee Stearns is a key member of the Knoxville High School girls basketball team.
The senior serves as the Blue Bullets' starting point guard, and Stearns brings a lot of knowledge to the position.
"She has a high basketball IQ. She understands things," Knoxville coach Dean Axcell said of Stearns on Monday night before the Blue Bullets handed the Cougars of ROWVA/Williamsfield a 45-35 loss. "She does things on the floor that I don't even tell her to do. We'll call a play and she'll see somebody open on the other side of the floor cutting to the basket, and she'll hit them and they'll score an easy basket or whatever. Other kids, if we run a play then they're going to run that play whether or not somebody is wide open underneath the basket.
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"In my opinion since I've been here and that I can remember even before that I would say she's the best point guard that's come through Knoxville," added Axcell, who is in his ninth season. "She's a good leader to the younger girls, and I tell the other guards to watch Kynlee not that they have to be Kynlee but to see the things that she does and the reads she makes. She can read defenses."
And what's Stearns like about being a point guard?
"I know everyone's position," Stearns said. "I like to know what's going on, and I just know everything that's going on. I feel like it's a good role for me."
Stearns has been calling the shots for the Blue Bullets since her sophomore year, and she's proud of what she's been able to accomplish on the hardwood.
"I feel like I've come a long way, and I feel like I've brought others with me," Stearns said. "I feel like I've really grown as a leader. I not only help myself but I help my teammates a lot."
Stearns, who dons No. 11 for Knoxville, is still working on her leadership skills.
"I feel like a lot of my teammates are really down on themselves sometimes, and they look at me to score the ball but I feel like I need to put more pressure on them to step up," Stearns said.
However, Stearns can relate to her teammates, too.
"My confidence has grown a lot. I remember my freshman year I was scared to even touch the ball if I got in on varsity," Stearns said. "If someone is going to stop me then they're going to stop me but I've got to try at least."
Heading into the week, Stearns, who stands at 5-foot-5, was netting an average of 15 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals this season for the Blue Bullets.
"She's short but for her size she can jump," Axcell said of Stearns. "She's strong. She's a pretty good 3-pointer shooter. She can get to the basket when she wants and her ball handling skills are through the ceiling."
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At the moment, Stearns, who will rep Knoxville in track and field this spring, isn't content with the way things are going for her on the court beyond the perimeter.
"My 3-point shot has kind of gone downhill this year. I've been depending on driving to the hoop," she said. "I've been working on my 3-point shot. I don't have as much confidence in my 3-point shooting as I do driving.
"My defense isn't terrible but sometimes I sit and watch," Stearns added. "This year, I struggled at the beginning because I didn't do cross country. I was really out of shape but I'm fine now."
Matthew Wheaton can be reached at (309) 315-6073 or at mwheaton@register-mail.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthewlwheaton
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: IHSA Basketball: Kynlee Stearns steers Knoxville's girls basketball team
