As a freshman Monique Lofton showed up for varsity basketball practice with the intentions of getting it over so she could go home.
Now a senior, Kinston’s leading scorer — and its girls basketball program — have come a long ways.
Lofton, a four-year starter who leads the Vikings with 14 points per game, is a direct reflection of the school’s girls basketball program as her and it have grown and matured over the last four seasons to reach the state championship for the first time in school history.
The little girl who couldn’t wait for practice to end three years ago now can’t wait for Saturday to arrive when her and her teammates will face Canton Pisgah at the Dean E. Smith Center at noon.
“It feels great. It is a dream come true,” Lofton said. “My freshman year? I never even thought about it.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet, though.”
When Lofton was a freshman the Vikings didn’t do too bad — they were 13-11 and reached the state playoffs. But each season since Kinston (26-4) has gotten better and made it farther than then season before it.
The same can be said for Lofton.
“I’ve seen her grow from a kid that would cry over a missed jump shot to a kid that’s somebody that’s joined at the hip with me. She’s a joy to coach. She’s a leader,” Vikings coach Hubert Quinerly said. “She’s somebody that I look to to keep everything in line.
“You’re really starting to see her evolve. She’s really took her game to another level. It’s not just her game, but her maturity level has come so far. It’s awesome.”
Lofton fractured her right ankle during practice as a freshman. As a sophomore she fractured her shooting wrist. But she’s overcome those injuries to be one of the quickest on the defensive end and one of the sharpest on the offensive end.
Each year Lofton’s production has improved. As a freshman she averaged nearly eight points per game and that mark increased to 10.8 points as a sophomore. As a junior she kept that same average according to team stats at Maxpreps.com but this year she’s at 14 points per contest — best on the team.
Meanwhile, her team was knocked out of the state playoffs in the first round Lofton’s freshman season. Her sophomore year it reached the regionals and as a junior the Vikings advanced to the regional championship for the first time.
This year, Kinston will join the boys program in Chapel Hill on Saturday — something the girls team has longed for.
“Everybody says ‘Oh, yeah, the boys are going to the championship, and everybody expected that. The girls? Nobody expected that,” Lofton said. “The boys have (accomplished) everything. We wanted it, and I guess we wanted it bad enough that we’re going to go get it.”
Not only are Lofton’s offensive production and defense factors in Kinston’s success, her leadership is also.
The girl who wanted to get in a few shots then go home as a freshman is now a vocal leader who will use any opportunity to coach and motivate her team.
When the Vikings found themselves on the wrong end of a run late in the game at Pittsboro Northwood in the third round, it was Lofton who told her teammates to keep playing during a timeout with 3 minutes to play.
They went on to win 65-57 and advance to the regionals for the third straight season.
The little girl who couldn’t wait for practice to end is all grown up.
“We’ve progressed every year,” Lofton said. “I’ve become a better player. I’ve come around. It gets easier the longer you play.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.