In her second season, Kaylin Stewart wanted to improve her game. She took a major step in her freshman year when she emerged as a viable number two scoring option behind Hailey Jenkins, who was among the area’s leading scorers last season.

For Stewart, it simply was a matter of shooting the basketball.

“I feel like I adjusted my game a lot from last year by taking more shots and driving to the basket more,” stated Stewart. “Things I learned from last year is that you consistently have to put in 100-percent.

“Because once you let up, that’s when the game outcome can change.”

This season, Stewart again is an effective scoring option for the Rough Riders, who had a 4-3 mark through their first seven games. Playing in the middle, Stewart is averaging 13.7 points per game.

She and Jenkins had formed an effective inside-outside game.

“Kaylin is off to a great start this season,” beamed Roughies’ head coach Tara Belfield. “As our only true post player, she has to battle so hard in the paint and she is. Her growth shows in the positioning. She got the moves, and she has added a nice midrange jumper.”

Stewart started playing basketball at the age of eight, but she admittedly didn’t start taking it seriously until seventh grade. Over the last few seasons, Stewart has developed rapidly.

She also has realized how to recover from any failure. Stewart also worked hard in the offseason.

“I know now that it’s OK to make a mistake in the game, but it matters what you do after the mistake.,” noted Stewart. “This summer, I worked on a lot of shooting and ball handling.”

Heading into the second half of the season, Stewart is ready to help her team get back to the district playoffs.

“I do feel like I am in a more of a leadership role this season than I was last year,” said Stewart. “I know what I can do out there. We are all playing together, and we believe we can go far.”

Belfield also is confident about her team’s chances.

“Our current sophomore class shows a lot of confidence in themselves,” boasted Belfield. “I definitely did not see last season.

“We just need to keep working together.”