Girls basketball players don’t often score in double figures in their first start, but Quinn Kelly took it a step further.
The Greenwood forward did so on her 15th birthday.
As a freshman forward for the 2018-19 team, Kelly was inserted into the lineup by then-first-year coach Justin Bennett in time for a Nov. 9 blowout of visiting Herron.
It was only the fourth game of the season, and Kelly, who tallied 10 points and pulled down six rebounds in the win, has been as consistent as her school’s uniform colors ever since.
Now a 5-foot-11 senior, Kelly’s varsity career still includes only 12 victories, a trend she wants to help reverse before she exits the Greenwood gymnasium for the final time as a player.
“When I first started, my career was going at a normal pace, but the past couple years it’s definitely gone so much faster,” said Kelly, citing the uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic her junior season, when she still managed to average 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.
“Seeing all the upperclassmen leave and the bonds we created with them, it lets me know the position I’m stepping into.”
Kelly finished the 2020-21 season with five double-doubles, including 17 points and 14 boards in a 53-40 loss to Whiteland. She has nine for her career, but even more impressive is that Kelly is a Woodmen captain for a third consecutive year.
“Having Quinn has been a coach’s dream. She’s a four-year starter who plays inside and has expanded her game,” fourth-year Woodmen coach Justin Bennett said. “She’s what we call a pillar of the program.
“Quinn has always been a leader for everyone to look up to. She’s vocal when she needs to be, and very tactful when she talks to the younger kids.”
During the summer, Kelly played AAU for Indianapolis-based Pride Attack, a team that included some players from the Evansville area. That experience helped her work on parts of her game that should prepare her for what she hopes is her best high school season yet.
“I definitely wanted to improve my confidence level and aggression on offense,” Kelly said. “I feel my mid-range game is my best attribute, but I’ve become a lot more comfortable behind the 3-point line, too. As a team, I think we’re mentally and physically tougher now, and when we have to pull through, we’ll pull through.”
