Tomlinson's leadership crucial for Lee Academy as she claims Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Lee Academy's Mazie Tomlinson has been a staple for the Lady Cavalier basketball team since long before she ever put on a uniform.

As a third-grader, she served as the manager but was essentially the team mascot. Ever since, she's been the heart and soul of the program. As a player throughout high school, she's been a double-double machine and a critical leader.

Last week, she provided another outstanding statistical performance, earning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors.

"It definitely means a lot to me," Tomlinson said of recognition. "It was nice to get that support from everybody."

Lady Cavalier head coach Kim Langston remembers that little third-grader who wandered her way into her practice all of those years ago and feels incredibly blessed to have an athlete like Tomlinson to guide her team, which sits atop SCISA Region I-2A.

"She's a great leader; she's a great person and a wonderful teammate. I can't say enough good things about her. She's been a leader in everything that she takes part in, whether it's volleyball, basketball, softball, cheerleading. Whatever she's playing, she's a huge leader; that's just who she is," Langston said. "She's been around this program since she was in the third grade. She started with me in the third grade. She was the manager, and the team just wrapped their arms around her and loved on her. They got her out there, and she would warm up with them before a game. Every day was Mazie's birthday; we'd sing happy birthday to her every day.

"Being around the program for as long as she's been around it, growing with and watching the leaders that we've had in the past and looking at what they do and how they are, I think that had somewhat of a role in how she leads. Of course, her family life, her mom and dad are great parents. Looking and listening, she's like a sponge, she soaks all that up."

Last week was not a perfect run for the Lady Cavaliers. Lee dominated the first half of their game against Conway Christian on Jan. 27, but the Lady Eagles chipped away in the second half before draining a miraculous half-court shot to force overtime. The Lady Cavs were a bit rattled in the extra period, falling 55-50, but Tomlinson and her Lee teammates didn't let the loss define their week. They came back on senior night two days later and demolished Marlboro Academy 53-15, recovering nicely from their first loss in region play.

"It was a tough loss, but it's how we handle it after that, to move on and not hang our heads and learn from it," Tomlinson said. "I think that's really what matters."

Tomlinson did her part in the loss. She scored 13 points and had a dominant performance on the glass, pulling down 24 rebounds on the night. Ten of those rebounds came on the offensive end, keeping possessions alive for the Lady Cavaliers. She also dished out a team-high seven assists, keeping her fellow Lady Cavs involved all night long.

"I think I hear that I have to box out and rebounds about a million times per game," Tomlinson joked. "I definitely have a good support system with my teammates and my coaches to remind me what I'm supposed to do."

Having a rebounder of that caliber is a true weapon for the Lady Cavaliers.

"It's a comforting fact that she can go in there and get a rebound pretty much every time she wants one," Langston said. "We're constantly on all of them to box out and rebound because that's a big part of the game. If we can control the boards, we'll have good success."

Tomlinson and the three other Lady Cavalier seniors shared the starting lineup two nights later against Marlboro Academy and played a nearly perfect game on senior night. Tomlinson led the way with 18 points, adding 15 rebounds, four assists and a steal. She was proud of the way the team recovered after a frustrating loss earlier in the week.

"It was nice to have. We talked about it and said we were just going to move on from it and put it behind us," she said. "It definitely hurt our record, but it wasn't anything we couldn't bounce back from. We went into practice the next day, then the game and said we were going to have fun with it and we were going to do what we knew we could do and not let that Conway game affect us."

While it was Tomlinson's turn to put up the gaudy numbers last week, she's not one to hog the basketball. She's Lee Academy's second-leading scorer on the season and leads the team in assists. Her game is rooted in the ability to trust her teammates. She used their trust in her to notch a pair of double-doubles in the process.

"I know that they have my back, so if I'm having an off day, they're there to pick me up, and if they're having an off game, I'll pick up the slack," Tomlinson said. "It's nice to know that we're there for each other like that."

That mindset is nothing new for the Lady Cavalier captain.

"Mazie always works hard. She's the team leader. She'll try to get an assist before she tries to score; that's just the kind of player she is. She's just trying to look out for everybody else, and that's what she's done her entire career," Langston said. "She's always been a huge team player, putting others first. She knows everybody has her back and she has their backs. They just work well together."