It’s hard to fathom now, but Marian Catholic’s Taylor Bolton started out as a cheerleader.
Then Bolton ended up getting a little bored, so in sixth grade, she began playing basketball. It has turned out to be a good decision, especially these days for the Spartans.
“My dad was a basketball coach, so I started going to practices with him,” she said. “In seventh grade, my range started getting deeper, and I started enjoying basketball more.”
You might not discern that from the court because she doesn’t really smile too much.
That applies even when Bolton is hitting key shots that keep her team in games like she did Tuesday night in a 53-45 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory over Joliet Catholic.
The Angels, who led virtually the entire first half, simply wouldn’t go away in Chicago Heights, so Bolton took over in the second and third quarters by making five 3-pointers.
That was enough to keep Marian Catholic (5-2, 1-0) in the game before senior guard Madison Davis got loose by scoring 13 of her 18 points in the second half.
Upset-minded JCA (1-9, 0-2) received five 3-pointers from senior forward Sophia Mihelich, including four in the fourth quarter. She finished with 17 points. Freshman guard Abby Dulinsky added 11.
Marian coach Dan Murray said Bolton, a guard/forward, has struggled a bit with her shot this season, so he was heartened she finished with 17 points. Her 3-pointers hit nothing but net.
“It was good to see her kind of break out a little bit,” Murray said. “Because obviously, her and Maddie, back and forth, really put quite a bit of pressure on the defense and open things up for some other individuals.”
Although virtually nobody wants to remember the start of the pandemic, the 5-foot-8 Bolton used that time to her advantage. She worked on shooting, ball handling and getting stronger.
Much like everyone else, she was stuck at home, but her effort has paid off.
She was brought up to varsity midway through her freshman year and started as a sophomore. Along with Milan Hall and Gracie Jensen, she’s one of three starting juniors.
“Last year, it was definitely a different stage for me,” Bolton said. “As a freshman, I was bought up midseason, so I got to watch what the varsity type of environment was.
“As a sophomore, I just tried to get the pace of everything and felt like I got better and better.”
That’s the current game plan — just keep improving. And she has a big motivator.
Bolton counts on Davis as someone who helps her maintain an upbeat mindset when shooting, even when those shots aren’t falling.
“She’s one of the best shooters around,” Davis said of Bolton. “The best shooters have short memories.
“I keep telling her, ‘You missed a few shots but keep shooting because you’ve got to keep going.'”
The other aspect Bolton has committed more focus toward is team leadership, something Murray said he’s emphasizing with the entire team.
How does she approach the leadership question?
“I try to help my team because they look at me because I’m a scorer,” Bolton said. “Even if I’m not going, I make sure my teammates are getting going.”
Bolton has a long way to go until she graduates, but she’s already mulling what her situation will be after high school.
She wants to study something in the medical field, but she recently made a big decision. She wants to play basketball in college.
“Actually … I do now,” she said. “It was never my sport. It was in my family, so I did it. Since I’ve been getting more interest, that’s been motivating me more.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
