Freshman forward provides laughter, rebounds and wins -- By Ryan Sonner (Daily Staff Writer)
QUICKSBURG — It was supposed to be a simple radio spot to help promote the team, but it turned into a laugh-out-loud moment not soon to be forgotten.
Stonewall Jackson girls basketball coach Jeff Burner went first and his players followed, each saying something different about the team.
Brittany Smith blocks shots, Jessica Richardson gets rebounds and Connor Shirley drives in to shoot.
But Molly Beall stole the show when she announced to everyone that she was teammate Kallie Hovatter's hero.
"She rolled that out and we lost it," Burner said Monday after playing the 30-second clip. "It was the funniest thing in the world."
And it helped the freshman forward gain a little acceptance from the team's upperclassmen — all three of them.
"In the beginning of the season, there were cliques," junior guard Brittany Koontz admitted. "It's not like we hated each other. You could just tell there was an inexperienced group and an experienced group. They broke that barrier at the beginning of the season."
The transformation started with Beall's punch line. All four freshmen have contributed in one way or another, but Beall's emergence is a big reason why the Generals will play for a spot in the state championship game. Stonewall (21-5) will battle Clarke County at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Group A semifinals at the Siegel Center in Richmond.
Beall's talent on the court is well-documented, but her dry sense of humor helped her mesh with the rest of the team.
"She's a jokester," said Hovatter, a junior who was recently named the Region B Player of the Year. "She's always making people laugh by doing goofy stuff. She's always a part of the fun."
Nobody was laughing Saturday, though, just before the Generals' state quarterfinal matchup against Region A champion Franklin. Normally one of the team's most outgoing players on game day, Beall sat alone in the locker room, stone-faced.
"She wasn't really talking to anybody," Koontz said. "It seemed like she was really exhausted and worn out."
Beall had had trouble sleeping the night before — "Hotels aren't that great to sleep in," she said — but she swallowed a shot of NyQuil in hopes of a good night's sleep.
Apparently it didn't work, and her teammates were worried something was seriously wrong. That apprehension disappeared in the first quarter.
Franklin took a 12-10 lead, but Beall hit consecutive layups to give Stonewall a two-point advantage. She hit two more baskets before the period ended and the Generals took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter.
"I was worried about her performance, but I guess that was her game face," Hovatter said.
Burner knew that one of his freshman forwards — Beall or Richardson — would have a chance to break out against Franklin. The Broncos' starting center, 300-pound Janice Holeman, would be matched up against one, leaving the door open for the other.
Holeman defended Richardson and Beall took advantage. She finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds — the signature performance of her brief varsity career. She hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor, sank 6 of 8 at the line and helped carry the load when Hovatter encountered foul trouble in the second half.
"She gets big rebounds and makes big shots," Hovatter said. "She's filled that role nicely"
That role has been waiting for Beall ever since she attended one of Burner's basketball camps as a sixth-grader. She had the size, agility and mean streak needed to compete in the tough-as-nails Shenandoah District.
Burner knew Beall could be a dominant player, but Beall herself had doubts.
"I had to improve my defense because it wasn't that great on JV," she said. "I really didn't expect to have a big impact, like 20 points a game or anything."
Actually, she averages about 12, but the scoring load falls on Hovatter's shoulders. The junior led the Shenandoah District with more than 22 points per game and averaged more than 30 in the Region B tournament.
Beall's biggest contribution has come on the boards, grabbing more than eight rebounds per game. She kept several missed shots alive against Franklin, many of which turned into easy buckets.
Her toughness was put to the test earlier this season when a back injury threatened to derail her freshman year. She played just 10 seconds against Riverheads before pulling herself out of the game. She sat out Stonewall's next contest — against Buffalo Gap — but has played in every game since.
"She wasn't 100 percent through the district tournament," Burner said. "By the time we got to regionals, she was getting back into it."
Beall will have to be at her best against Clarke County, which defeated Stonewall Jackson in the Region B title game. She will battle for control inside against all-region players Taylor Warner and Maddie Crosby, each of whom stands taller than the 5-foot-8 Beall, who didn't even earn all-district recognition.
Following Saturday's 62-53 win against Franklin, Beall looked more like herself, walking around with a big smile on her face, hugging everyone in sight.
"She was in a great mood after the game," Koontz said. "She was a whole different person. When she's in a bad mood, she'll usually tell us. I guess she was just really focused on the game."
