Alana Vinson enjoyed an outstanding freshman season at Roncalli in girls basketball, but knew her role would eventually have to expand.
That has proven to be the case this season, with the 5-foot-10 Bargersville resident helping more in the Rebels’ backcourt as a ballhandler.
Vinson, who leads the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (4.9), worked on her dribbling skills in the offseason in her desire to become a more complete player.
“This year we graduated our starting point guard (Paige Saylor), so we needed more ballhandlers,” Vinson said. “I think I can play multiple positions.
“Right now, the offensive part of Alana’s game is better than her defensive part,” said Rebels coach Stan Benge, whose squad is 10-10 and in search of the program’s 12th consecutive winning season.
“Her mid-range shot is really good, but she can shoot the 3-pointer, too. I think Alana’s got some great years ahead of her.”
Not halfway through her varsity career, Vinson’s 568 points have her on course to be the 11th Rebels girls basketball player to be part of the 1,000-point club.
She’ll be hard pressed to track down the leaders — all-time leader Lindsey Corsaro finished with 1,904 from 2012-16 and Sarah Hurrle 1,821 from 1992-96 — but getting as high as third or fourth remains a possibility.
As a freshman, Vinson started 18 of 25 games, finishing the season with averages of 11 points and a team-high 5.4 boards. Her knack for taking the ball inside and drawing contact already has led to 222 free throw opportunities in her career.
Entering Friday night’s home finale against Covenant Christian, Vinson’s 114 free throw attempts comprise 38 percent of Roncalli’s team total.
“Alana was a pleasant surprise to us as a freshman. She was really thin, but she proved she was tough,” Benge said. “Having Paige Saylor last year helped Alana quite a bit because she was more off the ball and people had to get her the ball.
“I see her as more of a 2 guard in the future, but we’ll see.”
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Name: Alana Vinson
Age: 15
Born: Indianapolis
Family: Parents Lance and Tracey; brother Layke, 19
Favorite TV show: “Friends”
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite athlete: Stephen Curry
Favorite team: Indiana University men’s basketball
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