OF's Judice always ready to produce

[KFDM COOP]

OF's Judice always ready to produce

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

ORANGEFIELD — Orangefield senior Nichole Judice is not your normal bench player.

She is not there because she is not as skilled as others and just because she does not start does not mean Orangefield Coach Sondra Ancelot cannot count on her.

In District 21-3A, teams are loaded with guards and most run a four-guard offense.

Post play is limited so players at Judice’s position simply wait for their number to be called.

When Ancelot has called Judice’s number this season, the senior has responded.

“Nichole always gives us a spark off the bench,†Ancelot said. “A lot of time it is simply match-ups that dictate when she can get into a game. It can be tough to get posts into games during district play. Nichole is always ready when her name is called. Patience is a virtue and she definitely has a lot of it.â€

Judice’s biggest game came when the Lady Bobcats first faced the West Orange-Stark Lady Mustangs in district play.

With several Lady Bobcats in early foul trouble, Judice calmly stepped in and scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Orangefield’s 61-51 victory. She had another eight points and five rebounds in a 71-45 win over the Hamshire-Fannett Lady Longhorns when the Lady Bobcats struggled to find their game in the first half.

Judice explained she never minds sitting on the bench and rooting her teammates on.

“I am ready when she needs me,†Judice said. “It is always possible someone will get in foul trouble and I have to be ready. I am proud to be the one to make a difference off the bench.â€

The senior also knows her presence could be even more important as Orangefield starts its playoff push at 7 p.m. Monday against Cold Springs at Dayton High School.

“The games are only getting even more important,†Judice said. “Any game can be our last now. We are past our slump we went through and that lose against West Orange-Stark made a difference. We don’t want that to happen again.â€

Orangefield fell to WO-S 61-43 at Mustangs Gym, just three days after leading H-F 30-29 at half-time before pulling away to win 71-45. On Tuesday the Lady Bobcats were tied with Hardin-Jefferson 25-25 at the break before winning 49-32.

Judice is confident the slump is over.

“After the loss to West Orange, we were devastated,†Judice said. “It only made us better.â€

Ancelot appreciates Judice’s contributions and admitted it is players like Judice who complete a basketball team. “Sometimes it is her cheering and then other times it is her coming up with big scores that make a difference,†Ancelot said. “She leads our team in free throw percentage so I know I can always count on her at the line. In the playoffs that can be a huge difference. It is more comfortable for me to be able to have confidence in someone off the bench like Nichole.â€

Besides piling up the wins in Orangefield through the years, Judice has also had the pleasure of playing with her best friends.

“I really enjoy being out there with everyone,†Judice said. “This is our last year together. Basketball is always on our minds because it is such a big part of our lives.â€

So the big question is if the Lady Bobcats are ready to take the next step and reach the state tournament.

“Well when we were younger we could never get over the hump,†Judice explained. “Then in eighth grade we won nationals in the Little Dribblers league. In high school we keep getting closer and closer. We keep working harder and harder to get to state. This year might be different for us since it is our last year and we surely think it could be something special.â€

[catdaddy]

She's an awesome, unselfish kid. I'm glad to see others recognize just how deep this team really is. Congrats Nichole!