Freedom senior guard Taylor Emery is slaying the competition.
"I have never had a kid like Taylor," said the Lady Patriot’s girls basketball coach Laurie Pacholke. "She's a once in a lifetime player."
"Whether there is a good defender or a bad defender, I'm going to come out and my main goal is to kill," said Emery.
The Lady Patriot shooting guard is living up to her position. She is currently the number one player in the nation, according to MaxPreps, averaging 40 points per game. That is 4-0.
"I'll hit layups, I'll drive to the bucket, I'll hit short jumpers, I'll hit threes," said Emery. "I like the short jumper because I can come up, dribble and stop on the dime and hit a bucket. A lot of high school girls can't do it."
"She is a 5'10" guard and she shoots at the top of her shot," said Pacholke. "It's impossible to defend her pull-up jump shot and she's probably shooting 80-85 percent on that pull-up jump shot."
With a 3.8 GPA, the four-year varsity star, is 217 points away from 2,000 for her career. At this rate the milestone is inevitable. She will be just the 13th girl in Hillsborough County to reach that mark.
“2,000 points, I'm excited for it, but my main goal is just to win states,” said Emery. “That’s what I am shooting for. I have bigger dreams and bigger goals.”
Committed to Tulane, the Green Wave is getting much more than a scorer. She averages six-and-a-half rebounds, four steals and three assists per game.
“Tulane recruited me for scoring but they also saw over the summer that I can defend,” said Emery. “Defending is all about heart.”
“When she's gone I truly believe she will be the best player that has ever played in this county,” said Pacholke. “Hands down.”