It’s nice to be known as a specialist as someone who does one thing really well. But Selina Apodaca couldn’t tolerate that label.
Opponents knew the Colleyville Heritage then-sophomore was the designated spot-up three-point shooter. When it came to other parts of the game, including her defense and rebounding, she was a little short. Everybody knew it, including her.“Shooting was my job,” Apodaca said. “Defense wasn’t.”So a massive basketball makeover has transformed the now-junior guard/small forward into a valued player in all areas. Not only is Apodaca still a shooter, she’s a contributor on the boards and on defense. It’s the ideal combination as the team’s sixth player.That’s one of the reasons why Colleyville Heritage (25-10) returned to the postseason as a district champion and favorite in Monday’s Class 5A Region I bi-district playoff matchup with Lewisville at Carroll High School. The game was played after the print deadline.If the Lady Panthers won, they would have advanced to the area around against the winner of Mansfield Timberview-Temple.At 5-8, Apodaca is not your typical rebounder. There are two six-footers on this roster in 6-0 Caroline Gonzalez and 6-2 Artavia Ford. But look at the averages and Apodaca’s 5.7 caroms per game average trails only Gonzalez (7.1).“It’s just an entirely different year for her,” coach Dianna Sager said. “Before, we would put her defensively on the other team’s weakest player. We don’t do that anymore.“She’s our leading guard on the boards because she crashes them so hard. She’s our best backside rebounder.”Apodaca realized that when the 2011-2012 season concluded, she didn’t want the final two varsity years to look similar to the first. She worked with a personal trainer for nine months on agility and quickness. Ladder drills mixed with a treadmill, jumping and diving for the ball became the agenda.The schedule was twice a week during the summer and once a week during the school year. While defense and rebounding are effort parts of the game, the workouts enabled Apodaca to deliver the better effort.“It was so exhausting,” Apodaca said. “For me, I just needed to play hard on every possession, but I wanted to get that edge. I wanted to be a better player for our team so we could get back to winning district championships.”Apodaca is still a handful to deal with from the perimeter. Her 39 three-point makes are second on this team behind Heather Roberts’ 45. The fact that she’s averaging at least one per game (6.2 ppg) presents enough of a defensive problem.“The boards have been something that coach Sager really stresses to us,” Apodaca said. “I really started focusing on that and crashing.”Grapevine updateThe Lady Mustangs (18-15) couldn’t have written the script any better. Their second half of District 6-5A play mirrored the first half. They handled Euless Trinity in the finale, 53-32 and clinch fourth place with an 8-6 record. Freshman Abby Sandy went for a career-high 23 points.“She was hot,” coach Steve Ganninger said.Grapevine played District 5-5A champion Flower Mound Monday at Carrollton Ranchview in a story you can read online. If the Lady Mustangs won, they would get the winner of Copperas Cove and Cedar Hill in the area round.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
