Righetti High School senior Zane Sheckherd, and the rest of the Warriors girls’ basketball team, got all geared up for their first games of the 2017-18 season on Dec. 8 for a preseason tournament in San Marcos.
But then the Southern California wildfires broke out, and plans changed.
“It got canceled,” Sheckherd told the Sun. “We’re trying to get some scrimmages going [on Dec. 8 to 10] instead, so we can go into the season having played some games.”
Any extra reps the young Righetti team can get are valuable, according to Sheckherd. The Warriors are coming off of two straight seasons of dominance—a 47-5 combined record since 2015—but the last year’s team graduated several key players.
“We definitely still have a lot to work on, being a younger team,” Sheckherd said. “Our whole team isn’t satisfied on where we are now, but we definitely have a lot of faith in each other. We just have to keep practicing and working hard.”
Sheckherd will be foundational to whatever success the Warriors find this season. The nearly 6-foot-tall guard made a big leap last year after Righetti’s then-senior star Danita Estorga went down with an injury. Sheckherd not only shouldered the burden of replacing Estorga’s scoring, but she transitioned from the post to the perimeter. The gamble paid off, and Sheckherd finished the season second in scoring on the team.
Sheckherd said her experience stepping into a new and bigger role last year helped her prepare for her senior campaign—both on and off the court.
“Last year has definitely helped me this year, knowing what it’s like being outside the paint and helping the younger girls on the team,” she said.
She said her personal goal for the season is to “be more aggressive and not slow down” offensively.
As a kid, Sheckherd liked to flutter from sport to sport, excelling in soccer, softball, water polo, volleyball, and basketball. But when asked which is her favorite today, she doesn’t hesitate.
“Basketball for sure,” she said. “Growing up I never could really find that sport that I truly loved, until basketball came around in high school. It has to do with coach Des [Desiree Hitch] too. It’s hard to find a coach like her that makes your high school experience fun. She helped me love the game even more.”
This article appears in Dec 14-21, 2017.