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Mason County's Cline signs to play basketball at Thomas More
Thursday, May 15, 2008 7:46 PM EDT
Lacey Cline, the program's second leading all-time scorer with 2,543 points, signed a national letter of intent Thursday to continue her career at the Division III school in Crestview Hills.
"I'm still going to be wearing blue though," Cline responded when a joke was raised about the Lady Saints nickname, also used by Mason County's crosstown rival St. Patrick.
The similarity between the two schools that Cline is most enthusiastic about is a tradition of winning, considering she was a part of five 39th District championship teams and three 10th Region runners-up while at Mason County. Last season, Thomas More, in its fifth year under head coach Brian Neal, finished with a 29-1 record, its third consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season championship and its second straight PAC Tournament championship.
"We won a lot (at Mason County) so hopefully it's not going to be much of a change," Cline said. "I'm hoping to go up there, be successful and win a championship."
In her senior year, Cline averaged 20.3 points and 3.6 assists per game, earning Ledger Independent First Team All-Area, All-10th Region and all 10th Region Tournament honors while helping lead Mason County to a 24-8 record. Paula Buser, who retired as Lady Royals coach following the 2007-08 season, had high praise for her point guard of the last five years.
"Lacey has been an integral part of our girls' basketball program," said Buser. "We're extremely proud of her, what she's done for our program and how she has conducted herself both on the court and in the classroom. We know she's going to be a great addition to Thomas More. Lacey is going to go to a program that is going to excel, and we think she's going to be a big part of that."
Cline also excels on the softball diamond for Mason County, playing shortstop and currently carrying a .473 batting average and leading the team in nearly every offensive category. Lady Royals softball coach Meredith Fraysure echoed many of Buser's sentiments, praising Cline's leadership in addition to her athletic abilities.
"Lacey's a fantastic athlete, and an incredible team leader," said Fraysure. "She does a great job of transitioning (from basketball to softball) and when she gets on the field she's ready to play. I can always count on her to set an example for the other girls, and since we have a lot of young players, that's been very important that she fills that leadership role."
The multi-talented Cline left open the possibility of playing softball at Thomas More as well, but will take a wait-and-see approach.
"I'm going to see how things go with managing my time in my first year of school," Cline stated. "I'll have to see if (playing softball) will be too much of a sidetrack, but it's a possibility."
Though Cline received several kind words from her coaches and friends, her parents, LeAnn and Stacy, had the most obvious sense of pride.
"She's a wonderful daughter and great all-around kid," her mother said, while her father added, "She's worked really hard for this."
Though the transition of a child from high school to college can be tough on any parent, both agreed that their daughter made a good choice.
"We're excited about Thomas More," LeAnn said. "Coach (Brian) Neal is very nice, and I think she'll fit in really well there."
The proximity to home was especially appealing to her father.
"We're really happy she's going to be close where we can go down and watch her play," said Stacy Cline. "Since I work down that way, I'll be right there if she ever needs anything."
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