Turns in strong performance in Normal.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
Timothy Christian sophomore girls basketball player Jordyn Strube performed well on the big stage recently.
Strube competed in the Class 2A state 3-point shooting finals at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.
Strube made eight 3-pointers in Group 3 of the preliminary round, falling one 3-pointer shy of potentially advancing to the Class 2A finals. Numerous players tied with nine 3-pointers made, which necessitated a shoot-off.
“Being only a sophomore and going to the 3-point finals is pretty cool,” Strube said earlier last week.
At the sectional round at Lisle that determined who would qualify for state, Strube admitted to having some butterflies.
“The day of it I was a little nervous, but when I got up to shoot I reminded myself I had to go shoot like I normally do, just like I did at the regionals,” she said. “Once I got up there the nerves started to calm down. Once I got into a rhythm I started to make them.”
Strube made nine 3-pointers at the sectional level and tied for first at Lisle. She advanced to sectionals after making six at the regional level.
“I like shooting from the top (of the key) and on the right side,” she said. “I’ve been shooting a lot lately. I took a little break (over last weekend) and then started shooting again (last Monday). I shoot the 15 balls just like in the competition. I do those over and over.”
Strube also saw her game take steps forward this season on the varsity level where she played for her mother, Michele, Timothy’s head girls’ coach.
“I improved a lot on ball handling,” she said. “I definitely needed to step it up on the varsity team. There was more pressure and we saw a lot more man-to-man defense. I got a lot better at it.”
Strube said going from the lower levels to the varsity was a big step. “It was an adjustment in the beginning,” she said. “I was used to playing at the lower levels and then you go up to varsity and it’s a lot more difficult. I got used to it pretty fast.”
Strube tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to go with three blocks and a perfect 12-for-12 on free throws in the team’s regional semifinal win. She had 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists in the regional final loss to Lisle.
Strube said playing for her mom has mainly positives to it. “It can be a little hard at times,” she said. “I sometimes will get the worst of what she’s saying, but that’s only a little here and there. It’s fun to be coached by your parents (her dad is the varsity assistant). I have learned a lot from them.”
She added it’s been a thrill to see her brother, Jonny, develop in the Timothy boys basketball program.
“My brother, honestly, is the one who got me going with this,” she said. “I would see him playing and want to do my best. I got going in basketball because I saw him. I like that basketball is a team sport. I like playing with my teammates and I like the team aspect of everything.”
Strube is excited about the prospects for next season. “It’s sad that all the seniors are leaving,” she said. “At the same time, we have some girls coming back and some younger girls coming up who will help us.”
