In the final game of her freshman season, Giselle Dogan showed she had the potential to be impact player in the near future for the Jackson High School girls basketball team.
The 5-foot-5 point guard played a key role in the Timberwolves’ 51-42 victory over Monroe on June 9. Dogan poured in 19 points, including seven in the fourth quarter as Jackson overcame a one-point deficit entering the final period. The win secured a .500 season for the team.
“It was pretty cool,” Dogan said. “I was happy about it. I was just happy we went out with a win.”
The 19-point performance was a season high for Dogan, who split time as a swing player on both the varsity and junior varsity teams. That allowed her to play five quarters between both teams on game days.
“I’m looking forward to see how she grows the next couple years,” Jackson coach Corey Gibb said. “We’re gonna graduate four or five seniors next year, so it will be fun to watch her grow one more year with them and then kind of take over the reins more as a junior. She’s got a bright future ahead of her.”
Dogan’s stellar performance led to her winning The Herald’s Athlete of the Week poll for June 7-13. She went on to win The Herald’s Athlete of the Month poll for May/June by claiming 673 of 2,126 (31.7%) votes.
We caught up with Dogan to talk about her experience during her freshman season:
What was it like finding your role on the varsity team as a freshman?
I was like the sixth (or) seventh man, so I just had to do what I had to do within my minutes. … It wasn’t hard finding my role.
How do you feel like your chemistry progressed with the upperclassmen as the season went on?
I felt more confident playing with them. I feel like they trust me with the ball.
Do you think that getting a chance to play five quarters on game days helped you throughout the season?
I would say it kind of helped. Playing five quarters, I just have to take advantage of that. … It’s like a warmup for the varsity game and (it gives me the chance) to be the leader on JV that I want to be on varsity.
What did you take away from this first high school season?
It was a good experience. I think the competition is getting better, so I just have to work harder to prepare me for next year. Then I’ll be good.
Would you like to play basketball in college?
Oh yeah. I’d like to play in college for sure. Probably traveling overseas is something I’d like to do. Just see how far I will go.
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