Larkin’s Sanaii McPherson grew up playing basketball with boys. She received the physical punishment that comes as a byproduct of it.
It also has served her well, with the junior forward entering her third varsity season as a starter and key contributor for the Royals.
“I love contact,” McPherson said. “That’s how I grew up playing — with a lot of contact. Although I couldn’t finish (Thursday), we just keep playing as a team.”
McPherson didn’t have a great shooting night Thursday for host Larkin during a 57-33 Upstate Eight Conference victory over East Aurora, but she showcased her entire skill set in Elgin.
Despite shooting only 5-for-15 from the field, McPherson scored 13 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal for the Royals (3-3, 1-1).
“Sanaii missed a lot of layups, but I can handle those misses,” Larkin coach Stephen Knapp said. “She’s getting where she needs to get to, and sometimes she goes too fast.
“She just needs to learn to slow down.”
McPherson’s strength is getting to the basket, but she can also shoot.
So can junior guard Mia Carter, who drilled five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 29 points with 10 rebounds. Yaritza Servin paced East Aurora (1-4, 0-2) with 11 points and nine rebounds.
McPherson and Carter have been starters since they started walking the halls at Larkin, and their bond is evident.
“Mia is a shooter and knows I like to drive,” McPherson said. “She knows I like it in the paint. Being together as long as we have, that combination, knowing each other’s next step is unstoppable.”
It was especially evident on a night when Carter shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range.
“It was good to see Mia hit from the 3-point line,” Knapp said of Carter. “She’s been struggling from the 3-point line. That’s huge.”
Carter knows it could be either player on any given night. Although Thursday was her chance to come close to 30 points, she knows that could be McPherson’s stat line the next time around.
“A lot of times she knows where to find me on the perimeter when she’s being double-teamed,” Carter said. “I also know how to find her in the post. That’s really the main dynamic with us.”
The main thing McPherson has developed is her leadership style.
When Carter and McPherson arrived, they immediately took on huge roles for the team. It doesn’t mean that freshmen can start telling seniors what to do, and McPherson took that to heart.
“It’s really hard when you’re in your head and you can’t be yourself,” McPherson said. “When you can lift up others, that’s when you bring yourself back. I’m trying to be a leader.
“Being around the game for so long, it’s just so natural. My teammates look up to me. I do it with my heart and soul. I like being a leader on the court. Even if I’m not scoring, I love that.”
Carter is a quieter leader, so McPherson’s role is a big part of the Royals’ season.
“She’s our vocal captain leader,” Knapp said. “That’s her role on the team, and she does a pretty good job with that. I think she learned a lot from Baylei (Johnson) when she was a senior.
“She couldn’t take that role, because Baylei had that role. But when she left, Sanaii realized it.”
Knapp has even loftier expectations for McPherson’s overall game. The name he pulled is one of the program’s all-time greats.
“It reminds me of Marlee Kyles,” Knapp said. “(Kyles) grew up playing with boys, too. She’s not afraid of contact. I think it helps the girls when they do that.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
