Rebounding to Success

Lackawanna Trail's Clarissa Eggleston's basketball season did not get off to a strong start.

Her teammates were in much of the same boat as the senior until everything came to a head after the Lady Lions fell to Montrose, the eventual first-half champion in Division III of the Lackawanna League.

Since that loss, the team has rebounded and Eggleston has been a crucial ingredient in that recent success, both in terms of scoring and rebounding, as well as in leadership. While leadership may be hard to quantify, her 14.7 points per game isn't, a number that ranks third in the division according to the Scranton Times-Tribune, and shows what she means to the scoreboard.

"She struggled a little bit early as she tried to find herself," Lackawanna Trail girls' basketball coach Errol Mannick said. "She's been playing really well, a lot of double-double games of late."

Back at the start of the season, hopes were high for the Lady Lions.

"We've improved over last year," Eggleston said. "Since we got the new coaches (prior to last season), we've been improving."

Even though there have been changes due to graduation, Eggleston believes the program is on the right track.

"We're all working well together," Eggleston said. "We needed (to replace) two starters, but we've gotten really close. It's a small school, and we've been playing together for a long time."

"Plus, it's my senior season and I really want to do well," she added.

That has meant a lot of work during the off-season, putting in the necessary time to develop her skills as well as seeing the team get more cohesive as a group.

"Over the summer we did Riverfront (the sports complex in Scranton), playing in a summer league," Eggleston said. "I worked a lot on my post moves."

The second-year coaching staff has played a big role in the elevation of Eggleston's game.

"Last year, I didn't know a lot of them," Eggleston said. "Coach (assistant Bob Fitzsimmons) showed me a lot of different moves."

"He's done a lot of work on her post moves," Mannick said. "I've worked on her outside shot. She would go in all the time, but if you don't shoot outside, all those ball fakes aren't going to work."

Having a larger variety of moves has made the 5-foot, 7-inch senior much more effective for the Lady Lions. As she has gotten better and produced more often, she is trying to make sure her teammates stay involved in the offense.

"Once they (the opposing team) see I'm scoring a lot, they start to double-team me," said Eggleston, who plays an inner position on the Lady Lions field hockey team in the fall and is the center fielder for the softball team in the spring.

She starts looking for and finding her open teammates on the floor with passes and that means the Lady Lions offense is flowing smoothly.

She started the season a little slowly, but she kept plugging away, waiting for her shot to return, and it has.

"I was struggling a lot, but I didn't have the confidence I have now," Eggleston said. "When I started scoring more, it gave me a great boost of confidence."

A 20-point game against Mountain View played a pivotal role in Eggleston's improved play.

"She had 20, and she played very aggressive trying to score," Mannick said.

But it took that loss to Montrose to get the team headed in the right direction.

"We scored 20 points and we got into it after the game," Mannick said. "The next day we had a good, long talk and they've been playing better since."

Eggleston has contributed increased points, but her behind-the-scenes work may be just as important.

"She's become a good leader for us," Mannick said. "She has a good attitude in practice, and she takes the time to show the younger players some things."

To her credit, Eggleston shook off the team's poor game, much to Mannick's relief.

"She played hard that game, and she's really become a leader," Mannick said. "We sorted it out the next day at practice, and she was instrumental in that."

Having leadership skills will help her through life, a life she expects to continue at Penn State-Altoona where she plans to major in nursing.

For now, she'll worry about leading the Lady Lions' drive for the second-half division title and a run for post-season honors for the team and herself.

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