Linda Stepney, Lake Taylor girls basketball

NORFOLK

Lake Taylor point guard Linda Stepney’s leadership qualities are abundantly evident to her basketball coach.

“If she went to the Campostella Bridge and jumped, I’ve got six girls who would jump with her,” Titans coach Saundra Sawyer said. “She has that influence.”

Stepney, a junior, has led the Titans to unprecedented heights this season. Lake Taylor is 20-0, ranked No. 1 in South Hampton Roads and No. 1 in the state in The Associated Press Group AAA poll.

USA Today ranks the Titans, who have won seven games by more than 50 points, 22nd in the nation .

“We need to keep going hard,” Stepney said. “Don’t let up. Don’t get big-headed. Stay level.”

Stepney’s statistics are just as impressive as her team’s record. She leads Lake Taylor with 12.9 points per game.

Although she often defends the opponents’ top guard, she has far more steals (70) than personal fouls (19).

More significant to Stepney, her assist to turnover ratio is roughly 3.5-to-1; by comparison, Phoenix Suns star point guard Steve Nash’s ratio is about 2.9-to-1.

“I don’t need to be selfish when I have other players around me who can do just as good as I can do,” Stepney said.

Stepney, a 5-foot-6 junior, already is attracting interest from several Division I programs , including West Virginia, Virginia and Louisville, as well as Old Dominion and Virginia Tech.

But in the coming weeks, Stepney’s focus will be on leading her team through the postseason. Lake Taylor lost 71-62 to Oakton in last year’s Group AAA state semifinals.

Sawyer said she hears her players already honing in, talking about what it will take to win a state title.

And the coach knows if Lake Taylor rises above the competition this season, her charismatic point guard will lead the way. 

“She just means so much to our team,” Sawyer said. “As she goes, so go the Lady Titans.”