Mycah McDonald, seen at top right, talks to Journalism 101 students during a press conference about her senior basketball season, in which she was named the most valuable player in District 12-6A. (Photo by ANDY ADAMS/Lufkin ISD)
By KATELYN SEGURA/Lufkin High School Journalism 101
Mycah McDonald was scared when she first started going up against bigger girls on the basketball court. Then she discovered she had something they didn’t.
Speed. Raw speed.
“I figured I was fast when I got a steal one game and nobody caught me,” McDonald said.
The 5-foot-5 Lufkin High School senior was recently named the Most Valuable Player of District 12-6A after averaging 25 points a game for the Lady Panthers during the 2017-18 season. She talked about her basketball career during a press conference in Journalism 101 this past week.
Lufkin High School senior guard Mycah McDonald races down the court during the Lady Panthers’ playoff game in February. (Photo by ANDY ADAMS/Lufkin ISD)
McDonald, 17, has been playing basketball since she was 6. Her main supporter is her mom, who taught her to be independent and has always been her No. 1 fan.
McDonald had to battle back after missing her junior season after a leg injury.
“When I tore my ACL, I was kind of depressed because I couldn’t play,” she said.
She said she went to a lot of summer workouts to get mentally and physically stronger to come back for her senior year. It paid off when she led the Lady Panthers to a third straight district championship and earned the MVP honor.
“I was super excited when my coach told me and I saw it in the news and headlines,” McDonald said about the award. “It made me feel like I achieved something.”
Two of her teammates, juniors Kurstyn Harden and Alexis Hood, also made the All-District first team. Senior Destinee Holman and sophomore Je’Dayshia Runnels earned honorable mentions, while Head Coach Harold Scroggins was named the Coach of the Year.
McDonald said she felt like the team could have gone further in the playoffs, but she hopes the experience of this year will help next year’s team succeed.
She described her style of play as being “at a fast tempo and aggressive.”
“I play aggressive, but at the same time I play clean,” she said.
When asked what she does to prepare for competition, McDonald said, “Before every game I have to dance, put on lots of lotion, and tie my shoes extra tight.”
Off the court, McDonald likes to ride her bicycle, hang out with her friends and play video games.
She said she has gotten a scholarship offer from Central Christian College of Kansas. Her dream school, she said, would be the University of Connecticut.
McDonald said she wanted to thank “God, my mom — well, my entire family — my friends, my team, Coach Lamb, Coach Ray, Coach Scroggins, Coach Boyd, and Mr. Andy.”