Senior Jackie Kane

SOUTH BUFFALO - Mount Mercy Academy has seen steady improvement as the season has gone on, and a lot of that can be contributed to the play of seniors Emily Barrett and Jackie Kane.

Barrett has been a force inside, when healthy, while Kane can take over a game whenever she wants to.

"We have been getting better," stated Kane after a recent practice. "Our entire team is a lot closer compared to last year."

Being a close knit group does help on and off the court and so does having a scorer like Kane.

In their recent win over Mt. St. Mary Academy, Kane made sure her team was ready from the opening tip as she slashed the Thunder defense for quick points.

Her play during the game drew rave reviews from her coach Jackie D'Orazio.

"She seemed like she was dialed in tonight," stated D'Orazio after the 36-33 Magic win. "And, she was ready to go before the game. She just came ready to play and she had numerous steals and came up with some big baskets - went to the basket hard."

It seems that when Kane gets going, her team gets going.

Her speed allows her to get easy looks at the basket and if the baseline is cut off she can knock down the jumper.

She also uses her speed to draw the defender before kicking out to Madeline Parisi, Meghan Sheehan or Marissa Stack.

"I think I have more confidence, especially with making my layups," stated Kane. "My outside shot isn't that good, but when I get on a roll they go in."

Her biggest asset to this team could be her defense. D'Orazio stresses strong defensive play and Kane leads the way, at times. In their win over MSM, you could see a huge bump on her head as she was diving for every loose ball on the floor.

That kind of effort from her, and her teammates, could lead to some surprises come playoff time.

"Our defense is really good," she said. "We make them [the other team] work quickly, so we can make some easy stops."

This is the second of two sports for Kane. During the fall, Kane played on the soccer team and credits coach John Glose for her conditioning.

"It kept me in shape. It makes my game faster," she said. "Plus, half the girls on the basketball team are from the soccer team.

The Monsignor Martin Athletic Association playoffs begin Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Canisius College.

Metrowny.com will have you covered as well will cover the 2012 MMAA playoffs.