Peninsula sophomore guard Frazier sparks program’s turnaround

The Peninsula High School girls basketball team is enjoying its best season in years, posting a 13-3 overall record with a 7-3 mark in the Class 3A South Sound Conference.

The biggest catalyst for the turnaround has been sophomore guard Belle Frazier, who is averaging 20 points per game and has solidified herself as one of the league’s best players as an underclassman.

“It’s been really fun,” Frazier said. “We just have a really strong team this year.”

Frazier is also averaging nine rebounds and five steals per game. The Seahawks have also benefited from having a healthy Kirsten Ritchie in the post this season. The 6-foot junior’s sophomore season was marred by injury, but Ritchie has been healthy and productive this season, averaging six points and eight rebounds.

“She’s been playing really well,” Frazier said of her junior teammate. “It’s been amazing having her this whole year. She’s a big part of the reason we’re doing so well this year.”

Frazier was a breakout player as a freshman, but has taken her game to the next level in her sophomore season. In the offseason, she worked on different ways to score.

“Dribble pull-ups, working on the Euro step, just different ways to put the ball in the hoop,” Frazier said.

Her work and leadership has benefited the Seahawks in a big way. Under second-year coach Shane Patrick, the program has enjoyed quite a turnaround.

Before the season, all the players signed a poker chip, a symbolic way of saying everyone on the team was “All in.” While metaphors can sometimes fall short of translating to on-court results, Frazier said she’s seen a different mindset and intensity from the team this season.

“I think we’re really unified,” Frazier said. “The girls are competing now. We have a really good team.”

Frazier and the Seahawks are playing with heart and with pride this season.

“It makes me so happy, just what we’ve built this year,” Frazier said. “We have a pretty good chance of doing well in the playoffs this year. We just have to have confidence, believe we have the skills. We have the players and the athleticism. We just need to come together and be confident in ourselves.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Peninsula sophomore guard Frazier sparks program’s turnaround."