Beaty’s Freshman Season Solid For Dragonettes

The York Institute Dragonettes currently sit at third-place in their district, just behind Macon County and Upperman.

While junior Haylee Johnson has a lot to do with that, the Dragonettes have also had a reliable source of production from freshman Gabby Beaty.

“In middle school, she played a lot of post on the block,” Head Coach Michael Green said. “Now, she’s our best shooter. I’ve tried to venture her out to the three-point line, and she hadn’t been used to being out there a lot. She’s, hands-down, our most solid shooting threat.”

Some of Beaty’s best outings include her Jan. 14 game against Livingston Academy where she scored 14 to help the Dragonettes take down the Lady Cats. She showed her three-point shooting prowess on Jan. 9 against Oneida when she knocked down four threes and scored 15 points in the win.

While she’s struggled as of late with tough games against some of the state’s best 2A teams in Macon County and Upperman, Green knows how tough his team can be to beat when she gets going again.

“She’s struggled a little bit here in the last week or two, but she’s really come on from the three-point line,” Green said. “That’s a part of her game she didn’t know she could be as good at as she has been.”

One thing that has helped her success along has been her versatility. She lines up next to fellow freshman Ellie Leffew as the power forward on the team, and while she has the moves to take on any defender on the block, it’s her ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three that Green maintains has helped their offense.

“She’s comfortable on the block, and these last couple of games, she’s been very aggressive on the drive,” Green said. “When she realizes that she’s a good player, she’s going to be solid every night. She’s very versatile as far as if you have a big on her, she can take them off the dribble. If you put a guard on her, she can post them up.”

Beaty and the Dragonettes will be back in action on Tuesday when they hit the road to take on Livingston Academy.