Grace, Lindy, Kayla – Stanford’s sharpest shooters

Freshman guards Grace Mashore and Lindy La Rocque along with sophomore forward Kayla Pedersen topped their teammates at the annual Cardinal Nation Shoot-a-thon at Maples on Feb. 23.

Grace won the general competition with a total of 269 points out of a possible 300. Lindy was the top 3-point shooter, knocking in 15 within 30 seconds. Kayla was the first to make a half-court shot.

It was an informal event with fans standing along the sidelines during the fund-raiser. Fans pledged monetary amounts for each point scored by their chosen player or players. Proceeds will go toward the team’s trip to Italy in September.

During the general competition, the players paired off at baskets around the court and took turns taking 100 outside shots (worth 2 points each) and 100 layups (worth 1 point each).

Don, Bob and Peter tally the scores

Next they split into two groups, with each player given 30 seconds to shoot 3-pointers. Then the top two players from that round, Lindy and sophomore guard Melanie Murphy, shot for top honors. Lindy’s 15 bested Mel’s 13.

To complete the evening, the entire team took turns at shooting from the half-court. It took several rounds, but Kayla finally sank her shot, earning cheers all around.

Grace tries a half-court shot

One pleasing surprise was that senior forward Morgan Clyburn participated. Still recovering from extensive foot surgery last year, Morgan is out for the season. However, she had just been cleared to jump, allowing her to join the team for this event. Paired with freshman forward Sarah Boothe during the general competition, Morgan showed she hadn’t lost her shooting touch. She tied for third with 262 points and made 10 3-pointers.

Sophomore guards JJ Hones, recovering from ACL surgery, and Hannah Donaghe, awaiting knee surgery, stayed on the sidelines. The barefoot JJ had fun scooting around in an office chair, and then pushed the crutch-using Hannah to center court for team pictures. Junior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude was absent because she was tending to family business, said assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey. She’ll shoot for her points later.

Here are the point totals from the general competition:
Grace, 269
Sarah, 266
Morgan, senior Jillian Harmon, sophomore Ashley Cimino, 262 each
Kayla, 260
Lindy, junior Michelle Harrison, 259 each
Freshman Nneka Ogwumike, 250
Sophomore Jeanette Pohlen, 246
Junior Jayne Appel, 234
Mel, 217

Altogether, they amassed 3,046 points. The total amount raised will be tallied later.

Harriet won the "Guess who'll sink the half-court shot" contest