Look out, Coulee Region girls basketball coaches and players.
Alahnna Simpson is not only shooting 3-pointers, she is knocking them down.
The Central High School senior and Eastern Illinois commit has been an offensive factor since joining the RiverHawks as a freshman, but most of that has been accomplished by attacking the basket.
Simpson spent a lot of her offseason time trying to develop another weapon, and she showed during Thursday night’s 64-55 season-opening victory at West Salem that the perimeter is a much more comfortable place nowadays.
“When she added a mid-range jumper, which is something she worked on previously, that was great,” Central; coach Quartell Roberson said. “Adding the 3-pointer gives her the three-level (scoring) ability.”
Simpson, listed at 6 feet tall, made five 3-pointers in the victory and finished with a game-high 22 points. But she looked comfortable both when pulling up and n catch-and-shoot situations and used her success to get to the basket effectively when able with a pump fake that put several West Salem defenders in the air.
“I put up a lot of shots this offseason,” said Simpson, who entered the season with 1,363 points and 655 rebounds over 77 career games. “My numbers haven’t been too good on the outside shot.
“I had the mid-range, but I needed to get better on the perimeter.”
Simpson made 14 3-pointers on 76 attempts as a junior and the 23 she made as a sophomore are her career high. Expect the momentum of Thursday’s performance and the confidence built from doing it in competition for that number to rise significantly this winter.
That, along with some other factors, makes the RiverHawks contenders in the MVC, which has been owned by Aquinas for the past 10 years.
No one has beaten the Blugolds since Holmen’s 51-49 victory on Dec. 11, 2015, and Aquinas has won 114 straight since. Central and Aquinas play at Central on Jan. 20 and at Aquinas in the regular-season finale on Feb.19.
Central certainly has the ability to give the MVC a new champion this season with Simpson, junior Ellie Gillitzer, freshman Ellie Apuan and sophomore Malayah Simpson leading the charge, but that still has to be accomplished on the court.
What the RiverHawks did against the Panthers — a team with a 105-20 record the past five seasons — was impressive, especially in the second half.
With both teams playing a little fast and out of control during the first half of the game, West Salem took a 30-27 lead to the halftime break. The Panthers came out and pushed that to 41-30 before Central found its rhythm behind Simpson.
The RiverHawks made nine second-half 3-pointers — they had 13 in the game — and used a 21-4 run to turn that 11-point deficit into a six-point lead.
Simpson had eight points and three assists during that stretch, setting up two of Apuan’s three 3-pointers.
Apuan also showed on her very first night the ability to take some pressure from Simpson’s shoulders by making five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points.
Upcoming nonconference games against Marshfield and Eau Claire Memorial will further test this Central lineup, which appears to have more balance than it’s had in years.
Simpson will then try to turn whatever momentum she and her team can put together into more as she enters the next stage of her basketball career.
She said Eastern Illinois reached out to her early in the recruiting process and maintained contact until she made her decision. Simpson said the style of play and dedication of the staff since that first contact from coach Marqus McGlothan sold her.
The Panthers were 18-12 last season and placed third in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 15-5 mark. Eastern Illinois had the best scoring defense in the conference.
Improved shooting will certainly help Simpson make a quicker impact with the Panthers when the time comes, and her athleticism will allow her to contribute defensively.
“I think she can play multiple positions, and that’s what translates best (to the college game),” Roberson said. “That would help any team she’s going to play for.
“She can definitely play the 1 through the 3, and she’s going to get a lot stronger before she gets to college.”
Simpson said that last aspect Roberson mentioned is going to be the most important.
“I have to get stronger and be able to play through the contact,” she said. “In college, everyone will be bigger and stronger, and that’s something I really have to work on in the offseason.
“It’s hard to get those workouts now with practices and games, but I have to focus on that.”
