ESSEXVILLE, MI – Audrey Ball doesn’t blink in big-game situations. That would spoil her game face. Locked in and fully focused for the cross-river rivalry with John Glenn, the Essexville Garber senior never batted an eye while taking complete control for a 49-31 girls basketball victory.
“When she gets that look in her eye, I can relax a little bit because I know she’s going to do what it takes,” Garber coach Kim Klein said. “She is a competitor and she’s going to compete to the whistle. “And she was bound and determined this game wasn’t going to go any other way but our way.
” Ball delivered a 25-point, 25-rebound performance, emerging as the difference-maker in an otherwise toe-to-toe battle. And that’s not uncommon for the 6-foot center who is a four-year varsity standout and two-time, first-team MLive Bay City Dream Teamer. But the manner in which she nailed this Tri-Valley Conference Red game shut came as a bit of a surprise.
After working the paint in dominating fashion throughout the contest, she stepped out beyond the arc. With a cool, calm, left-handed stroke, she drained her lone 3-point attempt of the game to give the Dukes (4-4, 2-2) a 10-point lead with 2:50 to play. “Every team knows I play around the rim,” she said.
“But sometimes I have to take that shot.” Klein, for one, was thrilled to see it. The outside shot is an underrated part of Ball’s game, and it’s a weapon she often unveils when it’s needed most.
“Sometimes you�.
