By Steve Svetovich
In just her freshman year, Amanda Dempsey is playing a key role as a starter for the Dunmore Lady Bucks basketball team.
Daughter of Jack and Jennie Dempsey, Amanda, 15, is among the Lackawanna Conference Division III leaders in 3-point goals made. She is averaging 1.4 per game. She scored a season-high 14 points this season in a win over North Pocono.
She talked about what it takes to be a good 3-point shooter in high school basketball.
“I shoot a lot on my own and in practice,” she said. “I focused a lot on shooting from the 3-point range this season. I want to learn how to finish better going forward.”
The Lady Bucks had only two losses at press time. “Everybody on our team works hard in practice,” said Amanda. “We put our work in. We all take the game and our practice sessions very seriously. When you work hard, good things will happen.”
Mature and hard-working, Amanda is a middle hitter on the Dunmore volleyball team. She will also play softball this spring for Dunmore.
She is a member of SADD, TACT, the Art Club and French Club at Dunmore.
The freshman scholar-athlete, a straight A student at Dunmore, said she has learned a lot from new Dunmore basketball coach Carrie Bowen Toomey. “She preaches to work hard. She tells us nothing good happens unless you work hard all the time.”
Amanda said her parents taught her valuable life lessons. “They tell me to never treat others less than myself. Treat everyone with respect.”
Polite and well-spoken, Amanda said her favorite academic subject is geometry. She enjoys listening to music and would like to see Rihanna in concert.
She talked about her future. “Well, I definitely want to help Dunmore win a state title in basketball. That’s number one right now. Then I want to go to college, get a good job, and be successful. I will decide in the near future if I want to play college basketball. That decision will come.”
Amanda, who plays the three-spot on the basketball court, said she is enjoying her experience as a freshman at Dunmore both in school and with her teammates.
“I love Dunmore,” she said. “We are such a family here. Everybody is so connected.
“The experience playing basketball has been great. I get a lot of playing time and started every game as a freshman.
“It’s fun to come out of junior high and then be a part of this team as a freshman. It’s been a lot of fun to play with every girl on this team. I met a lot of new friends. Everyone welcomed me on the team. It’s been nothing but great.”