By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SARCOXIE — Sarcoxie senior sharpshooter Annette Ramirez scored almost 100 combined points in recent games against New Covenant and Crane at A.L. Gurley Gymnasium.
Last Friday, she hit New Covenant with 45 and she returned home three days later to blast Crane with a school-record 54 points. She beat her own previous record by three points.
Ramirez entered Thursday’s contest at home against Wheaton with 1,604 career points and she netted 30 during a 65-43 victory for the Lady Bears (7-3 overall this season), highlighted by scoring the first six points of the game and the first eight after halftime. Only a few seconds in, Ramirez scored her first points on a layup.
“In basketball, we get caught up with physical size and we don’t necessarily take into account the size of the heart of the kid,” Sarcoxie head coach April Ellis said. “Her heart and her love of the game is so huge that it makes up for any deficit that she might have in height.
“She really got into a rhythm (against New Covenant, Crane). She put on a clinic for everybody in the gym. She went 14-for-14 on the free throw line both nights. She really hit her stride and the team is very supportive. If it wasn’t for them, we’re not winning games. She’s very conscious and I’m very conscious and aware that all my kids are contributing to Annette’s success. I’m just proud of all of them.”
Ramirez scored her points against Wheaton in several different ways — layups in transition off Wheaton turnovers (including two steal-and-scores), pull-up jumpers and one-hand floaters in the lane, a baseline jumper, a coast-to-coast drive and finish off a defensive rebound, and one and-1 late in regulation to close out her night. She made her only free throw attempt and did not connect on any 3-point shots to reach 30.
“Driving to the basket a little more,” Ramirez said in response to which area of her game she has worked hardest to improve. “Toward the beginning of the season, I was turning away, trying to avoid contact, but now I feel like I’ve got better about squaring my shoulders up to finish a shot.”
Ramirez touched on her daily routine and not surprisingly, she’s a gym rat.
“Just every day consistently getting touches,” Ramirez said. “Working on everything I could possibly do in a game and practicing my shots, so when the game comes and shots need to be made, I’m ready.
“Lots of free throws. At the beginning, I was in a slump just overall shooting, but I got in the gym more and started working on free throws, hitting more mid-range and more 3-point shots to get that under control.
“I leave here, I go home and I will practice. If my sister’s team has practice, I’ll go to that gym and practice over at the elementary, so it’s a lifestyle.”
Ramirez qualified for state in cross country twice during her time at Sarcoxie.
“Once they start going box-and-1 and double teaming, I got that endurance,” she said. “It’s helped a lot. I have the endurance to run around the court and typically those girls get tired and I’ve still got a lot left in me.”
Ramirez described what goes through her mind on the court.
“It’s just GO, GO, GO,” she said. “It’s all in the moment, because I put in the time and effort for it, so I feel comfortable whenever I’m on the floor. It’s just second nature.”
Entering the game Thursday, Ramirez was averaging 28 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 steals. The four-year varsity contributor averaged nearly 28 points her junior season, 17.2 her sophomore season, and 12.2 her freshman season. Ramirez could reach 2,000 career points, especially considering her recent offensive pyrotechnics.
Ramirez’s collegiate offers include NCAA Division III Aurora University (Illinois), Ozark Christian in Joplin, and area JUCO Crowder in Neosho. She said that she’ll make her collegiate decision after her final high school basketball season.
Undoubtedly, for the rest of that season, opposing defenses will dedicate themselves to slowing down or perhaps even stopping Ramirez, even more than they already have. This intensified focus should create more opportunities for Ramirez’s teammates.
“It’s not unusual for us to see a box-and-1 or even sometimes a triangle-and-2 against her,” Ellis said. “It’s good for my younger kids to step up and score. Our point guard Myra (Caddick) and our senior Tiah (Cupp) do a good job of scoring. Earlier in the season, she (Cupp) had a night where she scored 25. She’s double-digit scoring, so it takes a lot of pressure off Annette because it’s hard to run a box-and-1 when you’ve got another player on the team scoring. That’s helped and that’s why I say it’s a team effort, and they contribute to her success.”
Sarcoxie players found open teammates several times Thursday night and Ramirez fed the ball to Cupp for consecutive 3-point baskets early in the fourth.
“They trust me and I trust them,” Ramirez said. “From the start and they can say the same about me. We do everything together. We’re family. We’re always laughing together. We’re doing stuff outside basketball constantly and checking up on each other. It goes both ways.”
