Junior guard Ayla Lollar, left, is emerging as more of a scoring threat for Indian Creek.
Daily Journal file photo
The green light was hers, but Ayla Lollar walked the path of reluctance.
After misfiring on a number of left-alone perimeter looks in the first half of a game at Northview last regular season, Lollar, at the time a sophomore guard for Indian Creek, opted for a pass-first mentality.
You know, the way young players commonly do.
Nine games into this season, Lollar’s bashfulness appears to be a thing of the past.
The 5-foot-7 junior, capable of playing either the 1 or 2 spot, has stepped up as the third-leading scorer for Indian Creek with an 11.7-point average. Fourth-year starters Faith Wiseman and Lauren Foster are at 18.6 and 16.0, respectively.
Indian Creek, 7-2 and ranked fourth in Class 3A, hosts Cloverdale tonight.
Lollar, herself a three-year starter, knew she would have to play a more substantial role with the graduation of Abby Fleetwood, a versatile wing who last winter helped lead the Braves to a 27-2 record and a berth in the title game at the Jasper Semistate.
“My teammates push me really hard in practice, and I worked really hard in the offseason and played AAU for Indiana Elite,” Lollar said. “I’ve had an interest in playing in college, so I decided I needed to work harder and push myself.
“I really focused on my shot and my ballhandling. Worked on my 3-pointers and scoring around the goal.”
Opposing squads continue to double- and sometimes triple-team the 6-4 Wiseman, an Indiana University commit who has experienced such attention throughout her career. Foster, a guard headed to Taylor University, has been known to draw an additional defender as well.
That numbers game has been known to leave Lollar with good looks from distance.
“Obviously, Ayla’s scoring numbers have picked up,” Braves coach Brian Ferris said. “She’s put in the extra time this past spring and summer, so it’s just kind of a combination of her hard work, maturity and comfort with the system.”
Apparently.
Through Indian Creek’s first nine outings, Lollar has taken 85 shots. She leads the Braves in 3-point attempts (41) and makes (18), and she’s third on the team in both assists (3.7 per game) and third in steals (2.4).
That last category is what jumps out the most, as Ferris has noticed Lollar’s improvement at the defensive end of the floor.
“Ayla has been aggressive since she’s gotten here, but this season she’s become more patient,” Ferris said. “It’s nice to be able to keep the big three on the floor. If we can do that, the others will feed off of it.”
As for last season’s 46-29 victory at Northview, Lollar, encouraged by coaches and teammates, did begin launching jumpers in the second half, winding up with nine points.
A sign of things to come.
Lollar opened the current campaign with 13 points against New Albany, and followed with 15 against Martinsville, 17 in a win over Monrovia and 12 against Greenwood Christian. She was 11 of 17 from deep in those four games combined.
Bashful, smashful.
“I’ve noticed teams sometimes guarding me tighter than last season,” Lollar said. “I like it because it opens up opportunities for other players on my team.
“Eventually, you just sort of gain that confidence and go out and play.”
