Ciara Knight is taking on a new challenge this year of being a more prominent leader for the Bordentown Regional High School girls basketball team.
The junior point guard has been helped by last year’s far bigger change when a midseason promotion put her in the starting lineup.
“I was really glad to be moving up, but it was scary at first,” Knight said. “Not only moving to the starter position, but moving in as a point guard. That was super new to me, but I like to take things on like that as a challenge and I think I did a very good job last year.”
Knight is using last year’s experience to help run the offense for the Scotties, who got their year off to a strong start. A tight 42-39 win over Lower Cape May after falling behind, 12-4, in the first quarter pushed Bordentown to 7-3 through their first 10 games.
“We’ve been doing great and working together as a team,” Knight said. “We have a great group of girls this year, and I feel like we’ve been really using our skills to work together and win a lot of games this season.”
The win was their fifth in six games after a 2-2 start while solidifying their roles. The fast start was expected by Bill Lloyd.
“We brought back a lot of starters, so my expectations were high for this group,” said the Scotties head coach. “I have a good group of seniors this year, a hard-working group. They all get along and that’s really important. But they had such a great season last year and only graduated two seniors so we were bringing back our major contributors. So my expectations are high and so far, other than that Palmyra game, they’ve met all the expectations that I had.”
The Scotties started ahead of last year with more advanced concepts and play execution because they had so much returning experience. They look to build on their good start with a chance to avenge their 41-34 loss to Palmyra in Burlington County Scholastic League action Feb. 3. Knight is looking forward to seeing the improvements for the second half of the season.
“We definitely have a lot to work on obviously,” she said. “But I feel like it’s only up from here. It’s been a little bit of a rocky start. But we’re working great as a group together and we’re only improving every day. So I feel like we can really have another one of those seasons this year.”
Knight plays an important part for the Scotties. She has to orchestrate the offense in her first full season starting.
“This year I want to take on more of a leadership role,” she said. “And for me, that doesn’t necessarily mean like scoring a lot of points, but it’s really doing what’s best for the team, whether that’s getting the assist we need or passing the ball around so we can get some more points.”
The Scotties expected that Knight would move to point guard for their future. Last year, they gradually increased her role to prep her until she was able to take over.
“The girl is the most positive person you’ll ever want to meet in your life,” Lloyd said. “She’s always smiling. And she’s a hard, hard worker.
“She’s got a very high basketball IQ. And she’s just an all-around great kid who works hard and is starting to see the rewards of the effort she’s been putting in.”
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Knight was more of a wing or off-guard as a freshman and sophomore before last year being handed the reins midway through the season. The position change was one big adjustment.
“It’s way different,” Knight said. “You have a lot more responsibilities. You have to control the plays. You have to keep your head up, look for open passes. It’s a lot more. You have a defender right in front of you putting pressure on you like 24/7. So it is a challenge, but I love to take that on.”
It was a big step for her, but she took valuable lessons and experience out of her new role. She came into this season more settled in the position and what the Scotties needed.
“Last year I was young and I was very rushed on the court with a little bit of fear going out there,” she said. “But now I’m more confident in my moves, I’m more aggressive, I drive to the basket more. And that’s just like a big part this year that’s helping us out.”
Knight’s value to the Scotties doesn’t have to come from scoring, and it isn’t only at the offensive end. She is second on the team in scoring behind senior standout Maddie Wylie this year. Knight also is playing rock solid defense at the other end.
“I get my hands in everyone’s face,” Knight said. “I move fast. I keep up and I get a lot of steals, so I would consider myself a good defender.”
Knight has been enjoying the game even more than she could have anticipated. She also plays shortstop for high level travel softball and outfield for the BRHS team. She grew up playing the game, but this winter her mind has been solely on basketball with a new conviction.
“All my life it’s been softball, softball, softball,” Knight said. “So I am surprised that I am leaning towards basketball a little bit more, but not in a bad way. I think it’s a good thing.”
Knight wants to excel in both. While she may not ultimately end up playing either sport in college, she still would lean toward continuing softball at the next level. And in a couple of months, she will be pouring her energy into softball. She is devoted to whatever season she is playing.
“All my effort, all my attention goes to that,” Knight said. “I put my all in it.”
Outside of athletics, Knight is interested in math and science for her future. She is considering studying biomedical or mechanical engineering after graduating high school. Knight is goal oriented, and came to this year’s team with a new approach knowing she would be playing point guard from the outset.
“I really want to focus on keeping my head up and looking for open possibilities for the team,” Knight said. “I don’t want to get points for myself. I want to really help and feed my teammates if that’s what’s best for the team. Obviously I will drive to basket if I need to, but a lot of the times I’m not open because I’m being defended a lot. So it’s really important for me to pass to my teammates and really get those assists.”
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Knight has worked at being a bigger leader, something she’s shown throughout high school. She is in student council and works as a tutor. Her next step is being more vocal for the basketball team, which is a challenge on a team with strong seniors. Wylie is their main scoring threat, Mackenzie Morton is a lockdown defender who does her job as well as anyone, and Natalie Crowell is a solid three-year contributor while Asia Brown brings depth.
“I just like to talk to my teammates, especially the older ones,” Knight said. “I want to make sure they know I’m not trying to step up and be the boss of anyone. I just want to make sure the team works efficiently, so I just communicate with them and it always works great for us because we have a great group of girls.”
Ciara Knight is an important piece of the success of the Bordentown girls basketball team. She is filling a vital role, and in her second season as point guard she has increased her responsibilities and leadership to give the Scotties a lift.
“It was great to take on this role this year, especially because I feel like I’ve always kind of been that way and had that role,” Knight said. “But now as an upperclassman, I can fill it a little bit more with the team.”
Junior point guard Ciara Knight in action for Bordentown.,
