PAL hoops player likes challenge

Organization: Plantation Athletic League

Age: 14

Hometown: Plantation

What I do: Play guard on the PAL 13- to 16-year-old girls' basketball team. This is her second year on the team.

How I got started: ``I wanted to try something different. Sometimes people don't associate girls with basketball because it's a tougher sport, but that's changing. I wanted to do something other than cheerleading, so I signed up.''

How much time I spend: 3-4 hours a week.

What I do off the court: Eighth-grader at Seminole Middle School in Plantation. She is an honors student interested in journalism and drama.

Family members involved: Sister Ivy, 18, was on the soccer and cross-country teams at Plantation High School; father William, 42, is in his second year as the assistant coach for Jessica's team.

Best moment: ``One game, a girl who was really good was dribbling the ball down the court and I swiped the ball from her. We passed her and made a score. I felt good. I felt that I could achieve better in basketball and I wanted to play even more.''

Being a good sport: ``Losing feels kind of low, but after the game you realize that you have to go out even if you lose or win. You still have to show what you're made of. You just can't slack off. You say to yourself, `OK, we know what our mess-ups were. We know what we did wrong and we have to go back in the next game and do better.' ''

Quote: ``Overall, I like everything about basketball. It's a great game. Baseball and softball are not contact sports. I like the contact in basketball. It's also a very fast-paced game. It's a good feeling just to play.''
ANAKLARA HERING