At the beginning of the season, Montgomery Academy fans knew about Gabby Ramirez and Margaret Head, but not many knew the potential of Leighton Robertson.
The sophomore guard was a talented defender and a hard worker, but she only scored a handful of points in most games and was just another contributor to the team concept of pressure defense employed by the Eagles.
By the end of the season, everyone knew Robertson, who transformed steals into points and was a vital component of the Eagles’ run to the Class 3A state finals.
“Coming into the season, I knew the talent I had,” Montgomery Academy coach Barry Fencher said, “but about midway through the season everything began to click for her. A lot of her stuff came off the break. Even in the championship game, (Miss Basketball) Annie Hughes tried to take it in front of Leighton a couple of times and Leighton ripped her right at the top of the key.”
Capital City Conference coaches saw it as well, selecting Robertson as the player of the year. Earning first-team honors were Ramirez and Head along with St. James forward Ashley White, Alabama Christian senior Josie Barlow and Trinity eighth-grade point guard Emma Kate Smith. The second team included St. James seniors Emily Olsey and Mallie Taylor, Alabama Christian senior Lindsey Glass, Catholic junior Lorren Pharrams and Trinity senior Mackenzie Avant.
Fencher was selected as the coach of the year after guiding his team through an unbeaten stretch in the Capital City Conference – losing only to 5A Brew Tech, 3A semifinalist Prattville Christian and 3A champion Pisgah – with a team that returned four of its five starters from the 2017-18 squad that lost in the sub-regional round.
“One of the best things that happened to us is to lose that game the way we did,” Fencher said. “I had some girls that really weren’t dedicated, more into volleyball and missing (basketball) practice. That’s the biggest thing from last year to this year, just buying in to basketball. I had about six girls getting ahead (in early basketball practice). The biggest thing was Margaret taking on the role as the leader. She was a great captain for me. And Millie (Stevenson) stepped in as a leader. On the floor, I had so many girls that were just dedicated to doing everything that I asked them to do.”
And no one bought into Fencher’s plan more than Robertson, who teams with her sister Mead on the state championship soccer squad but dedicated herself to basketball this past winter.
“Leighton is a perfectionist,” Fencher said. “I put her on the front end of a drill and make everybody else follows. She plays basketball like she plays soccer, she never quits. About midseason, he really caught on to everything I was teaching her.”
Robertson averaged 12.1 points, four steals and four rebounds per game, but by the end of the year she had doubled her output in every category, emerging from the shadow of Head’s post presence and Ramirez’s perimeter shooting with a do-it-all array of skills that has Fencher excited for his sophomore’s return in 2019-20.
“I’ve never had a girl with greater upside,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get her to buy in (to offseason workouts) to work on her mid-range jump shot. She can do it, but it’s not consistent enough. Just polishing up her game, she has a great upside because she’s tenacious. She’s relentless in her work ethic. Words can’t describe all that she does for our team.”
ALL-CAPITAL CITY CONFERENCE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Leighton Robertson, Montgomery Academy
COACH OF THE YEAR – Barry Fencher, Montgomery Academy
FIRST TEAM
Margaret Head, C, Sr., Montgomery Academy
Ashley White, F, Sr., St. James
Josie Barlow, G, Sr., Alabama Christian
Emma Kate Smith, G, 8th, Trinity
Gabby Ramirez, G, So., Montgomery Academy
SECOND TEAM
Mallie Taylor, G, Sr., St. James
Emily Olsey, G, Sr., St. James
Lindsey Glass, G, Sr., Alabama Christian
Lorren Pharrams, G, Jr., Catholic
Mackenzie Avant, F, Sr., Trinity