Carley Hamilton helps Huntington girls' hoops to first state title; named Player of the Week
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Huntington girls' basketball is coming off a historic season winning the program's first state title. A big reason for the Lady Raiders' success is senior Carley Hamilton.
'Carley is Lady Raiders basketball,' said Huntington girls' hoops head coach Brian Shyne. 'She is what it means to be a Lady Raider.'
The senior has been a heartbeat of the Huntington girls' basketball program.
'We've told Carley all year that this team was going to go as she went,' explained Coach Shyne. 'She's heard it time and time again. Some days she didn't want to hear it, but she knew it was the truth. To see her thrive in that moment, she means a lot to this team.'
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The road to being named a state champ was far from easy for Hamilton. Heading into her sophomore year, she dealt with a bad back injury that kept her off the court for a season.
'To go from playing every day, to not being able to do something you love really took a toll on me mentally,' recalled Hamilton. 'That was really probably the hardest thing I've ever experienced in life really.'
Hamilton recovered from the back injury and learned how to mentally deal with adversity.
It was something she would experience again though when she broke her hand the summer before her senior year.
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Carley knew what it would take to overcome that obstacle, and she leaned on the support of her teammates and coaches to get her through it.
'When I was (with the team) they would take everything off my mind, ' reflected Hamilton. 'When I was at home, then I would deal with it, but when I was here it felt like all of that went away.'
It's a surreal feeling for the senior to go from sitting on the sidelines a few years ago to winning a state championship.
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Hamilton put up 27 points, 8 boards, and 4 steals in the state title game which got her the Most Outstanding Player award.
'It made me feel like everything I went through and all the work I put in on the hard days, the good days, all the tears, all of the adversity, was all worth it because I finished on top,' explained Hamilton. 'There's really nothing more you can ask for.'
Carley will be heading to Southern Mississippi to play basketball, but her legacy as a Lady Raider will remain etched in Huntington history.
'To know that we just made history,' expressed Hamilton. 'It's not even that we just won state, we made history. To be the first (Huntington) basketball team in boys or girls to win state, I feel like that means a lot.'
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There's been a lot of people who have poured into Hamilton's growth both on and off the court over the years.
'I appreciate everybody that has helped me throughout my journey,' Hamilton said. 'And the people who are going to continue to stay there for me.'
'You won't find a bigger Carley Hamilton fan than Coach B and Coach Ricky,' added Coach Shyne. 'We love her to death. We are so proud of her and wish her the best moving forward.'
Hamilton will now be eligible for the Player of the Year Award, which comes with a $2,500 scholarship. The Player of the Year Banquet will take place this May.
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