It's all in the family
CHERRY TWP — Court time at the Sloan household is always at a premium, so it's not uncommon for siblings Zach and Amanda to share some of it.
“We give each other pointers,” said Amanda, a junior at Moniteau. “He takes me out to the back and he's taught me a lot, including my reverse.”
“She doesn't like one-on-one because I stuff her,” said Zach, a senior.
The two, who serve as captains on their teams, have brought their prowess to their respective Warriors programs as they prepare for the District 9 playoffs.
With 29 points against A-C Valley in the regular-season finale Thursday, Zach has 1,001 points, making him the eighth boys player in school history to do so. Teammate Kyle Armagost went over 1,000 points two weeks ago.
Zach is averaging 17.2 points per game this season, up from 14.1 as a junior and 12.0 as a sophomore.
Amanda led the Warriors girls with 12.4 points per game, something that wasn't a given.
“I had foot surgery last April and missed track season,” said Amanda. “I had it then so I wouldn't miss the (basketball) regular season.
“I thought I'd pick up where I left off last year and thought this season I would be a lot better. At the end of last season, I finished strong and thought it would continue this year,” she added.
“We figured she's be a pretty good shooter,” Moniteau coach Mark Yeager said. “We were hoping she would just be healthy and we didn't do anything with her until September.”
Last season, Amanda was the team's third-leading scorer (7.2 ppg) behind Jenna McCorry (11.6) and Alex Guercio (10.9). In 2010-11, Sloan averaged just four points through the first four games, but has since scored 10 or more points in 16 of the past 18 contests.
“My goal was to average double digits so I'm extremely happy about that,” said Amanda
For Zach, he was a member of the 2008-09 team that boasted four double-figure scorers (Armagost, Zach McCormick and Tyler Armagost) and three last year (Kyle Armagost and McCormick), so scoring is something he's been a part of in his time at Moniteau.This season, Kyle Armagost leads the team with 19 points per game. Zach leads the team with 11.3 rebounds per game while Armagost has chipped in 10.1.“We just play our game,” said Zach. “Whoever has a big night has a big night. No one says, ‘Kyle, you get 20 points tonight or Zach, you get 20 points.'”“A lot of our offense goes thought Zach,” said Coach Armagost. “In my mind he's been the solid core of our offense and defense. He's been the anchor in the middle.”Zach and Amanda have also benefitted from a strong support system at home and away.With the way the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference schedule is structured, the boys and girls teams play at opposite sites on the same night.That hasn't been too much a problem for the Sloans.“Our parents alternate,” said Amanda. “My mom will go to my game one night, then she'll go and my dad to Zach's, then switch the next time. They go back and forth.”“It's nice to play in front of your parents,” said Zach. “That helps big time.”
