Pair of juniors take on bigger roles

By: Juan López

Monday, December 7, 2009 - 10:09 PM

Nevada guard Johnna Ward jumps over a UNLV player to grab a loose ball. Ward is averaging a team-high 13.3 points per game and has stepped up to become one of the Wolf Pack’s leaders. Photo by Casey Durkin/Nevada Sagebrush

Before every Nevada women’s basketball game, the team’s forwards huddle up to give each other a pep talk. In the middle of the cluster, Shavon Moore stands tall, looks in her teammates’ eyes and exhibits confidence.

At the opposite end of the court, guard Johnna Ward speaks louder than anyone on the team, trying to rally her teammates for the battle that is about to ensue.

At tipoff, the two stand quietly, waiting for the ball to go up. When game time comes, their pregame personalities take over and the pair is the most dominant on the court.

Moore and Ward have gone from a pair of contributing sophomores last season to one of the top inside-out duos in the Western Athletic Conference, taking the reins of the team along the way.

“At the end of last season, when our seniors were leaving, coach (Jane Albright) talked to me a lot about leadership and gave me some of these quotes on how to be a good leader,” Ward said. “She was preparing me for this year and the bigger role I was going to take.”

Albright said she also looked to a few of the other team’s upperclassmen to step up, especially Moore, who was elected as a team captain prior to the season.

“Shavon, she’s just an example of how far you can get with hard work,” Albright said. “She’s really invested a lot of time with this team and is very attached to the team.”

Ward and Moore are first and second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points and 10.9 points per game, respectively. While Ward provides the outside shooting (20 of 61 on three-pointers) and has poured in 64.5 percent of the team’s made shots from downtown, Moore holds down the paint. She leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and is a beast on the offensive glass, leading the Western Athletic Conference with 32 offensive rebounds.

“We compliment each other really well in terms of playing inside and outside,” Ward said. “A lot of times, teams will key in on me, so Shavon and our other post (players) will get better opportunities down low and vice versa.”

The pair is a vital cog of not only the offense, where they account for 39.6 percent of the team’s points (29.2 of 61.1), but the defensive court, which they also hold down. Moore, whose long arms lead to a lot of blocks, and Ward, whom Albright called the team’s best perimeter defender, have 33.7 percent of the team’s steals this year (33 of 98).

But the added and more reliable production from the two has added demands and expectations.

“I do feel pressure and sometimes it’s very scary because there’s always that pressure to perform,” Moore said. “I need to work on being more consistent and getting less flustered at times, because I know there are people on this team who look up to me and follow my lead.”

A teammate who tries to emulate Moore’s play is sophomore forward Kayla Williams, who said Moore pushes her to be her best every day.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m still behind Shavon when it comes to conditioning,” said Williams, who is second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. “It frustrates me a little bit when I play against her because she’s such a good player, but she’s definitely made me a better player.”

The rise to success has been particularly enjoyable for Moore who started the season without a knee brace for the first time since her freshman year. Moore tore her anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her right knee as a freshman with the Wolf Pack.

“This time last year, physically, she could not perform because she was still in her knee brace,” Albright said. “When she came in this year, we knew she was an elite athlete. Every time we run sprints, it’s the guards that finish first and Shavon. I’m really happy she’s seeing the results of her hard work right now.”

The Wolf Pack will continue to rely on their pair of stellar juniors, who have already led the team in scoring in six games this year (three each) after doing so only five times last year.

And while much more is expected of them day in and day out, Ward said the progress that both of them have experienced this season has made it easier to adjust to.

“I think we’re both comfortable in the roles we’re in and we’re enjoying it,” Ward said. “There are a lot of players on this team who can go off for big points on any given night and it’s good that her and I are there as kind of the calming forces.”

Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.