Angel LaSalle is enjoying the moment. ‘Toughness is back’ at East Chicago Central, and it’s a lot of fun. – Chicago Tribune

All of it comes right down to enjoyable for East Chicago Central junior Angel LaSalle.

The 5-foot-4 guard’s robust play as she continues to develop her sport.

The Cardinals’ dramatic enhance in victories this season.

The assumption they will hold pushing ahead.

That idea lies on the coronary heart of all of it.

“First, we have now enjoyable,” LaSalle mentioned. “We simply should pay attention and persist with the plan. We simply have to know and belief what the coaches are saying to us.

“We’re speaking extra. There’s extra dedication in observe. It’s actually all simply having enjoyable on the finish of the day — having enjoyable.”

LaSalle, who unabashedly says “I like the sport of basketball,” is averaging 6.8 factors, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and three.2 steals for the Cardinals (15-6), who went 5-16 final season. As this season has wound down, she has picked up her play, posting 9.4 factors, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and three.9 steals of their previous 5 video games.

“It’s protection,” LaSalle mentioned. “I get the ball, get layups. I share the ball with (junior guard) Taliyah Jackson. We share the ball backwards and forwards, making buckets. She finishes, I end. I like sharing the ball on the courtroom.

“I belief myself. Final yr, I began to indicate out and take it severely. However I didn’t actually belief myself. This yr, I belief myself and waft.”

LaSalle started gaining traction in this system in eighth grade. She has saved constructing.

“Angel was all the time a child you could possibly see the uncooked expertise, her velocity and athleticism,” East Chicago Central coach Eric Kundich mentioned. “She has a excessive motor. She’s reserved, however she’s a terrific child. She’s right here each day, within the offseason and in observe. Angel’s all the time devoted herself to being right here, engaged on her sport.

“As a result of she was dedicated and has a ardour for the sport, we needed to ensure we labored on her talent growth. We needed to attempt to work on her fundamentals and her understanding of the sport. I’m blissful for her these items are lastly paying off this yr.”

LaSalle has centered on strengthening her left hand and ending extra successfully. As she has expanded her offense, protection has remained her calling card.

“She performs good on-the-ball protection,” Kundich mentioned. “She will be able to hound and harass a ballhandler together with her foot velocity. She will be able to chase down a guard dribbling up the ground, poke the ball away or entice from behind. That basically helps. She additionally has the power to learn passes. She anticipates properly. And as soon as she will get a steal, she’s exhausting to catch within the open flooring.

“When her teammates see what she’s doing, they attempt to do it too. It’s all the time good when your staff is seeking to anticipate passes on the defensive finish and get steals and get out within the open flooring. That’s been a staple of East Chicago basketball — stress protection and attacking the basket. That’s made her teammates into higher defenders as properly.”

Higher normally.

“Her power is nice,” senior ahead/middle Cierra Battle mentioned of LaSalle. “She simply uplifts everybody on the courtroom.”

It took time for Battle, who described herself as “probably not a basketball participant and extra of a volleyball participant,” to ascertain her position as a defender and “crashing the boards.” She meshes properly with LaSalle.

“I exploit my top to my benefit, get the ball off the glass, throw the ball out and make a very good move to my teammates for a quick break,” Battle mentioned. “Angel actually helps with that as a result of each time I get a rebound, she’s down the courtroom for a quick break — each time. She’s fast. She’ll get down there actually quick.”

It’s comparable on the opposite finish of the ground.

“Once we turned the ball over or missed a shot, we had been fighting getting again down the courtroom,” Battle mentioned. “Angel was having these struggles, too, initially of the season. However now she’s the primary particular person again down the courtroom chasing the ball. She will get the ball, grabs it again. She simply hustles.”

Additionally a sprinter on the monitor staff, LaSalle ran cross nation and performed soccer within the fall for the primary time, managing to steadiness the 2 sports activities in the identical season. She was a ahead in soccer.

“I’m very quick, and the coaches needed me to make use of my velocity,” LaSalle mentioned.

However basketball has remained her precedence. East Chicago Central has posted its first successful file for the reason that 2018-19 season.

“We had been a step gradual on all the things final yr,” Kundich mentioned. “All of our children had been a step gradual. We labored and labored and labored, within the offseason, in observe, on protection, on offense, on blocking out, and our children had been a step gradual.

“Angel was a step gradual. It takes time. Children want extra video games to learn these items. This group has been collectively now. She’s been right here all three years. Children had been out due to COVID, some sat out, however she wasn’t a type of. All of the spokes of the wheel are working now.”

The Cardinals will face their stiffest check but this season. They open a Class 4A sectional Wednesday at Lake Central (18-5), which is the Area’s high staff and is ranked No. 15 within the state coaches ballot.

“It’ll give our children nice expertise,” Kundich mentioned. “We simply need to exit and compete for 32 minutes and attempt to present that some toughness is again in East Chicago women basketball. We’ll see what occurs.”

LaSalle took an analogous strategy, circling again to her central theme.

“We’ve come a great distance,” she mentioned. “We’ve already made it, actually. Irrespective of how the sport ends, simply bear in mind to have enjoyable.”