Tia Barnes’ biggest supporter can’t watch her play on a consistent basis.
But the Round Lake senior guard/forward doesn’t mind that her mother, Bobbi Hagler, is unable to attend every game.
“My mom is the one person who has helped me through everything,” Barnes said. “She has always been there for me. When she’s not working or busy, she tries to go to my games. She’s always been someone I could talk to if I needed somebody.”
Barnes credits both her mother and her older sister, Tressa, for supporting her as an athlete.
“My mom has always wanted, enjoyed and encouraged me to keep going to practice, even if it started getting stressful,” Barnes said. “My sister shows up to the majority of my games. So their motivation inspires me to keep going.”
Hagler said she and her daughters have relied on each other for many years.
“They have a great relationship as sisters and both talk to me and each other a lot,” Hagler said.
Barnes is also building relationships with her teammates. After two years at Grant, she transferred to Round Lake for her junior year. She has helped pick up the slack following the graduations of standouts Lilli Burton and Aniyah Moody last year.
The 5-foot-10 Barnes is averaging 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.0 blocks for the Panthers (6-9, 2-3), who will get into the thick of their Northern Lake County Conference schedule next week.
“I think this season is going good,” she said. “I also see where I could be doing better. I have to finish easy layups and shoot more 3-pointers.”
Round Lake coach Molly Hennig said Barnes’ impact extends beyond the numbers.
“She’s really come a long way this year in terms of being a leader,” Hennig said. “She’s a captain this year. In practices, she has really stepped up. She does everything for us on the court. She plays guard and forward and even brings the ball up for us and plays in the post.
“This year, she’s our main scorer. It’s cool to see that transformation. Last year, she was feeling it out and getting comfortable with the team and our system, and now she has taken on the challenge of filling some big shoes.”
Hagler said she has noticed Barnes step up for the Panthers this season.
“Her confidence, for sure, has grown, but also she understands more and is supporting the team, even if things don’t go her way,” Hagler said. “She’s playing really good.”
Hagler said Barnes just needed to become more self-assured.
“I always wanted her to focus on being confident, playing hard and to be a good teammate,” Hagler said. “Everybody could see her potential. She needed to see it for herself.”
Barnes, who had an impressive stat line of 11 points, 13 rebounds, six steals and two blocks against Richmond-Burton on Dec. 20, doesn’t intend to slow down this season.
“One of my goals is to score 20 points in a game,” she said. “I’ve never done that here, so in order to accomplish that, I need to work hard.
“I’m having a good season, but I know I can do more.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
