Stillwater NewsPress

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January 17, 2013

Pawnee's Jensen steps up scoring in junior season

By Andrew Glover Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — Pawnee junior Natalie Jensen has established herself as a scorer but she didn’t always have that personality.

“When she started playing she was kind of timid,” coach Jeff Tatum said.

Now as a veteran player, Jensen is one the Lady Black Bears’ leading scorers.

“I try to do my best,” Jensen said. “Getting more playing time helped my confidence. my teammates have confidence in me.”

On Jan. 7 against Frontier, Jensen helped lead Pawnee to a come from behind 46-42 overtime victory against the No. 3 Class A Lady Mustangs. Jensen was the leading scorer with 18 points adding it was a huge win.

“We play them again on Monday,” Jensen said. “We hope to come in that game with some confidence. It’s an honor to play them.”

The Lady Black Bears rematched with Frontier in the championship of the Mike Kerr Classic last Saturday but lost 48-47. Jensen scored a team-leading 12 points. On Jan. 10, Jensen scored 14 points to help Pawnee beat Southwest Covenant 54-29 in the first round of the Mike Kerr Classic. Jensen was the second-leading scorer in the Lady Black Bears’ 58-31 victory over Afton. Tatum said Jensen is a really good shooter.

“She’s a really good 3-point shooter,” Tatum said. “She’s added a jump shot where she penetrates a little bit and is finding more success. It’s nice to have someone on your team that can consistently score.”

Jensen said she spends a lot of time in the gym.

“I come to morning shoot arounds three days a week,” Jensen said. “I started working on my jump shot and it’s helping me be more consistent.”

The Lady Black Bears are 7-3. Jensen said their team chemistry has improved in the second semester.

“We needed a little help with teamwork,” Jensen said. “During the break we had team meetings and group meetings. The new year has been really good to us.”

Honorable Mention

Tony Aska, Coyle

Marissa Goodman, Frontier

Sydney Pappan, Frontier

Jordan Gorham, Perkins-Tryon

Kylie Ladd, Ripley

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