Sea Kings saddled up on Schulte’s back

Chris Yemma

When you’re 5-foot-7 and 115 pounds, you usually aren’t the most

physically dominating force on the basketball court.

So you adapt.

And that’s what Corona del Mar High girls basketball junior Katie

Schulte has done.

“It’s definitely hard,” Schulte said. “We had a tall girl (6-0

Danielle Briggs) against University (Tuesday) and it was a challenge.

They’re big but usually they’re not fast, so I can try and dodge

them.”

Schulte is the Sea Kings’ No. 1 option, and has adapted nicely to

her size. She’s by no means the smallest player on the court, but

there’s usually a taller girl on the opposing side during any given

matchup.

So, she usually matches up against the tall one, using her

quickness, speed and outside shooting game to get the upper hand.

Of course, she’s also left-handed, creating an advantage a lot of

teams don’t pick up on.

“It’s an advantage, but most players are good with both hands,”

she said. “Most teams don’t really realize it until halftime, and

then they make an adjustment.”

Schulte, a guard, also leads the Sea Kings (8-10, 0-2 in the Sea

View League) in scoring, averaging nearly 14 points a game. During

the last four games, though, she has averaged 22.3 points and led the

team to a crucial Back Bay win over Newport Harbor.

She drained two clutch free throws in the final seconds Saturday

against the Sailors to give CdM a comfortable lead, while also

pitching in 20 points.

“The last two games, against Tesoro and Harbor, has solidified her

as the main option,” Corona del Mar Coach Scott Kahawai said. “She’s

the leader, the person that whenever we need a tough shot, she’s

always the one that will give it to us.”

After starting the season 1-5, the Sea Kings have climbed within

two wins of evening their record, all with Schulte driving the bus.

In Tuesday’s loss to University, she had a game-high 24 points and

nailed four three-pointers, the most in either category she’s had all

season.

But sometimes, scoring isn’t everything.

“Without the rest of the team we would be nothing,” Schulte said.

“My 20 points a game doesn’t mean anything if we lose. It’s a total

team effort.”

It’s not just her straight athletic ability that gets opponents,

though. Her leadership presence and the emotional energy she provides

gets the team fired up and ready to go.

When the season began, she was unanimously elected the team

captain by her teammates, on a team that also consists of three

seniors. And with one season still left as a Sea King, Schulte has

time improve even more.

Most of her improvement comes through her understanding of the

game.

“Her best aspect is her basketball I.Q.,” Kahawai said. “She can

see the certain matchups and take advantage of them. She can beat you

in any way.”

Until next year comes, Schulte and the rest of the Sea Kings are

looking to finish this season strong. With an 0-2 league record right

now, it could be tough to come back and win the top spot.

But with Schulte at the helm, anything’s possible.

“I would say the sky’s the limit,” Kahawai said. “She’s the type

of person that will leave everything out on the court until she

doesn’t have anything left.”