Name: Lelanie Posada

School: St. Charles North, junior

Sport: Girls basketball

What she did: In a DuKane Conference matchup against Geneva, Posada scored a game-high 15 points and also hit two buzzer-beating shots to secure a 43-37 victory for St. Charles North to remain undefeated on the season.

Posada was selected as the Athlete of the Week via an online vote.

Here is her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

How do you feel the team performed on the court last week?

Posada: We came into the week ready. Geneva is obviously a tough team in the conference, and any conference win is one we want to get. We have a “punch-first mentality” where we want to come out really strong and get them down right away. That’s what we try to focus on as a team, and once we do that, that’s when we come out strong.

You had 12 of your 15 points in the first half of that game. How big was it getting out ahead early against them?

Posada: The main focus is to always get in front. But I feel like that just gave us a lot of energy. A few seasons ago, Geneva is the reason our season ended back in my freshman year. So anytime we can punch first and get the lead, especially against a team like that is great.

You also had two buzzer-beaters in the first half of that game. How’d it feel to have multiple big shots in the game?

Posada: I try to work on shots where I put myself in positions I usually wouldn’t be in. Sometimes randomly I’ll just shoot a far shot or try to work on things that I usually wouldn’t do in a game because you never know at times when it might come up, and it feels really good when it works out.

Your team is returning all but one player from last season. What kind of trust do you all have in each other?

Posada: It’s such a good vibe. Our practices and everything has been going extremely well and we also do a lot of team bonding outside of that. We connect really well, whether it’s on the court or outside the court, and I just feel like we have so much trust in each other. And it’s good to see some of the same faces because for a lot of us we’ve been together for the last three years. So we know each other’s weaknesses, our strengths and how to lift each other up.

What’s it been like doing this all with a new head coach?

Posada: Coach (Grant) Oler has done a really good job of taking our word into consideration and even incorporating our opinion. He’s very lenient but at the same time it’s really good. And he just knows us really well, he’s seen us since as early as sixth grade and how we’ve grown and developed. So even though it’s his first year as a head coach, it isn’t his first getting to know us.

Do you have any superstitions?

Posada: When I get my ankles taped, it has to be from the same trainers from my school, mainly our head athletic trainer Shannon Moose. I also get the same snacks before the game. I get the Paige Bueckers’ bag of Trü Frü and then I get a bag of Drizzilicious.