Over the past two seasons, Catasauqua’s Hailey Jenkins has emerged as one of the area’s premier shooting guards. In each of those seasons, Jenkins has averaged roughly 17 points per contest for the Rough Riders.

Jenkins was a primary factor in the Roughies’ late-season rush toward the postseason last season. The Roughies lost in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial League tournament, but they rebounded well in the district playoffs.

Behind Jenkins, the Roughies beat both Executive Education and Palmerton before they fell in the District 11 Class 3A championship game, 34-26. Jenkins had 16 of the Roughies’ 26 points.

This season, the spotlight on Jenkins shines with more intensity. The Roughies lost four starters and six seniors overall from their 16-11 team, and also welcomed a new head coach.

With Jenkins receiving mostly of the attention, first-year head coach Tara Belfield has been surprised how Jenkins had handled the pressure.

“Teams have come out and tried many different approaches to guarding Hailey,” said Belfield. “Fortunately for us, she has done an amazing job handling everything that is being thrown at her.

“She has been a great leader. There have definitely been situations where she could have gotten frustrated with her teammates and instead she just continues to encourage them.”

In a recent loss to Kutztown, Jenkins scored a career high 34 points and became the 23rd player and 11th girl in Catasauqua history to score 1,000 career points (See page A8).

Despite the loss, Jenkins likes the direction her club is heading. She also recognizes the ongoing contributions of teammates freshmen Shakala Roberts and Kailyn Stewart.

The Roughies began the second half of the season with an overall 2-5 record and as of early this week sit at 6-8.

“I think we’ve been doing really well against our opponents,” noted Jenkins earlier this season. “We have been playing better against some of the better teams. Those games have been teaching us how to be more patient.

“Stewart’s game gets better every day. She works hard in practice and it definitely shows in games. Roberts is one of our three main ball handlers. She is a very crucial part of our offense. If I can’t get to the ball, it’s her responsibility to step up.”