Russell averaged nearly 40 points as Sunnyvale went 2-0 this week.
Sunnyvale’s Micah Russell
What she did: Russell averaged 37.5 points, 4.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game while shooting 58 percent from the field as Sunnyvale went 2-0 this week.
She scored 45 points – including eight three-pointers – while adding six steals, five rebounds and five assists in a 86-31 road win over Farmersville on Tuesday.
She scored 30 points – including six three-pointers – on Friday, out-scoring the entire 18-9 Kaufman team in a 61-27 home win.
Who she is: A 5-foot-5 senior guard. Russell signed with Ouachita Baptist in November, choosing the Tigers over Texas State. Russell is a McDonald’s All-American game nominee.
The stats: Russell is averaging 21.0 points, 2.7 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Russell set a Sunnyvale record for most points in a game against Farmersville, breaking the mark of 44 set by Brinley Andrews against Nevada Community on Dec. 21, 2021.
Russell has helped Sunnyvale – ranked No. 10 in The Dallas Morning News’ Class 5A-others area poll and No. 8 in the TABC Class 4A state poll – to a 25-5 overall record, 10-0 in District 14-4A. Friday’s win clinched at least a share of the 14-4A title.
She said it: “The best part of this week was my team helping me with everything, especially getting me the ball when I got the record on Tuesday. I’ll remember when Sarah Griffin told me I was close when I had 38 or 39 points. … I was happy with how we played team defense against Kaufman, keeping them under 30. We did a good job contesting shots. … I worked on being a better shooter in the past year. I’m better on my shooting range.”
Coach said it: “Micah has an outstanding individual performance against Farmersville. She would get the ball when there would be two or three players guarding her. She did a great job amping up the defense against Kaufman, especially in the second half when they got within a 13-point deficit.” – Sunnyvale coach Jill McDill.
Did you know? Russell did not start playing basketball seriously until she was 11 years old and playing for Sunnyvale Middle School. Her favorite sport previously was tennis. She was persuaded to take basketball more seriously by Griffin, who she has known for seven years. Russell said she started feeling she was good enough to play college basketball when she played AAU ball in the eighth grade. … Russell’s older sister Kourtni is a former multi-sport standout at Mesquite who ran track at Louisiana-Monroe, with her best event the 100-meter hurdles. … Russell’s favorite course in school is English, especially creative writing. She said she plans on majoring in business in college and would like to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist. … Russell’s favorite meal is either sushi (especially crunch rolls) or pepperoni pizza with a cinnamon roll and root beer. … Russell’s favorite athlete is nine-time NBA All-Star guard Stephen Curry of the Gold
