Metro East Sun

The Lewis and Clark women's basketball team has made its home on the free-throw line this season.

According to Feb. 8 statistics on njcaa.org, the Trailblazers are one of the best in taking and making free throws in Division II of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They were second both in free-throw attempts per game at 24.8 and in free throws made per contest at 17.2. That is compared to their opponents' averages of 9.5 and 14.7, respectively, at that time.

Lewis and Clark's advantages at the free-throw line came as a direct result of the team's hard-charging style of play.

“One of the main things is, we like to push the ball in transition and we like to try to get to the basket as much as possible to get the defense to commit and decide and try to draw some fouls,” Trailblazers Head Coach Jaron Young told the Metro East Sun.

Individually for the Trailblazers, according to the njcaa.org statistics, freshman forward Janesha Munson leads the team with an average of 3.1 free throws made a game, with freshman guard Danielle Conley second with 2.9 per game.

Jordann Wilson -- an Alton native, graduate of Alton High School and redshirt-freshman guard, according to the team's online roster -- was second on the team with a free throw percentage of 80. She told the Metro East Sun that a big key to the team's free-throw proficiency is its speed and preference for driving to the basket. Wilson said the success also is based on people getting offensive rebounds.

“Just everybody putting in and chipping in their effort, which gets us to the free-throw line,” she said.

Free throws have always been important for her, Wilson said, going back to her days as a star player at Alton High.

“That's just a big part of my game, being a guard, being able to knock down your free throws during crucial times during a game, it's really important,” she said. “Getting to that free-throw line is what separates good teams from great teams.”

This season, through Feb. 8, Wilson averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in the first 18 games.

Wilson has been going through her first extensive action since high school this season. She suffered a second injury to the same knee during her senior year at Alton High, and rehabilitation ended up being a long process, she said. However, while she said she was down at first, Wilson looked at her situation as an opportunity to improve by training during the season while others were busy playing.

“I looked at the positive side of things and you know even though some people may have said, 'Oh, I couldn't have sat out that long,'” she said. “I think it really, really helped me to where I am I now in response with my love for the game. Sitting out made me appreciate it a lot more.”