Girls basketball: Freshman Delaney Peters carrying on the family name at Keystone

LAGRANGE — For most of the last decade the Peters name was synonymous with Keystone basketball. Now the Wildcats have a new Peters for a new decade. Freshman Delaney Peters, who grew up watching sisters Jillian and McKenah play for Keystone, is quickly forging her own identity in a Wildcats uniform. Over the first 11 games of year, Peters is averaging 14.1 points and in Keystone's three wins, she's put up 22 points per game. Despite recording numbers rarely seen coming from a freshman, Peters is reserved and humble when talking about the individual success. "So far my freshman season has been going pretty well," she said. "I knew coming into the year we lost some good seniors from last year and I might have to step up. We've got a good team and I'm just happy I can contribute like I have." With Keystone battling through a number of injuries and a lack of depth early in the season, there have been nights that Peters had to carry the team. In an early-season game against Amherst, Peters scored 16 of her team's 20 points. Against Black River, she scored 23 points in a 36-33 win. According to Wildcats coach Rocky Houston, Peters has been a steadying force for a team that started the year with only one senior on the active roster. "It's great to have that player that you can count on to get a couple of buckets when we need a score," Houston said. Houston coached Peters in youth basketball when she was in fifth and sixth grade and knew he was getting a great scorer and leader. "This isn't something unexpected," he said "She was a really good player back then and she always worked hard at basketball. Delaney put in a lot of time to get to where she is today." The fact Peters also leads the Wildcats in steals at 2.5 per game and is tied for the team lead with a 5.9 rebounding average might be a little bit more surprising. "Delaney has really grown this year," Houston said. "She's been really involved on defense, rebounding and ballhandling." Peters credits Houston and her AAU basketball experience last summer for helping her make a smooth transition to high school basketball, but admits there have been adjustments. "The biggest transition is how tall the girls are," the 5-foot-7 Peters said. "And of course the high school game is so much faster than middle school. Coach Rocky has really helped me through some stuff in practice to help me adjust." Delaney grew up around the Keystone program with her oldest sister Jillian playing on the 2012 team that went 16-0 in the Patriot Athletic Conference and advanced to the Division II district finals. McKenah Peters, the 2017 Lorain County Miss Basketball and school's all-time leading scorer, was a four-year starter from 2013-17. "I didn't think this day would ever come but I'm so happy it's here," Delaney Peters said. "Sometimes when I'm at home talking with my parents, I think about some of McKenah's records. I saw how hard she worked and the work she put in every offseason with her AAU team. I know I have do the same things to achieve my goal." Peters is also quick to point out that she's a different player, with a different skill set than her sisters. When she's on the court, she's focused on being herself and playing her game. While the Wildcats had more than a few detours on the road to success over the first half of the season they are in fourth place in the Lorain County League and with Peters leading a core group of young talented players it appears that even better days are ahead. "Knowing the player Delaney is and that we're going to have her for several more years, combined with the growth of our other young players, has really boosted everyone's confidence level," Houston said. And if Delaney's first 11 games are any indication, the Peters name may be even more prevalent in the Keystone record books in the coming seasons. Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.