One thousand, four hundred forty-nine. That’s the amount of points senior basketball player Amanda Edwards scored in her high school career. Edwards was a key contributor in the Stallions road to the league title and a CIF Playoff run. 

Paul Edwards, the Head Coach of the girls varsity team who brought a 2022-23 South Coast League Title to the Woodlands, also happens to be the player’s father. 

“We worked really hard to make sure that we kept our relationship as coach and player during practices and games. It was important that the rest of the girls understood that relationship. However, it was definitely a lot of fun to be able to experience so many of the successes together and whether it be driving to and from the games or post game talks at home, we definitely had some special experiences as player and coach,” said Paul Edwards. 

On the court, Edwards plays the position of Shooting Guard. This role includes the skills of being an elite shooter, in other words, a scoring threat beyond the three-point line. 

“I like to shoot threes, that’s just my main thing, and then being aggressive, being able to get my teammates open and taking the shot when it’s open,” said Edwards.

Tournaments, regular season games, eight league games and five CIF Playoff games. These are the four types of competitions Girls Basketball played in 2022-23. Despite typically having games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and practice four times a week, the grind is everyday for Amanda. 

“For me it’s just a daily thing. Besides weekends, not really any day goes by where I don’t come down here or to a different gym and I don’t get shots up, or lift, or run or something like that. I think it’s [basketball] just been a big part of my life, working to get better everyday,” said Edwards.

Her teammate, junior point guard Aryanna Hudson, says she was aware from the get-go that Edwards is a skilled athlete, who always strived to be successful at her craft.

“I’ve known Amanda since we were ten and started playing then as well. She’s the most cheerful and hard working teammate I’ve ever had…I knew she was a solid basketball player from the beginning because she always wanted to work hard and be the best,” said Hudson.

The four year varsity player was on the brink of surpassing 1,000 points before the 2022-23 varsity season began. Despite being near and aware of the milestone, Edwards remained focused on her main goal: leading the team to success.

“Going into the season I was 40 points away, I kind of knew it was going to happen at some point. I was excited, but I didn’t really want to think about it because I was trying to win games, scoring wasn’t really my main focus,” said Amanda Edwards. 

Amanda’s passion for the sport stems from her elementary school days and the sports culture in her family. Her father says that her being in a basketball environment at a young age planted the seed for her passion. 

“Amanda is the youngest of four kids and all of her brothers and sisters were competitive athletes. I didn’t know which sport Amanda would play but the rule in the family was you have to play something. When her older sister took up Basketball that led to Amanda spending a lot of time in basketball gyms and around the game. That’s when she really started playing. I remember her as a 4th grader being in charge of filming games at San Juan Hills for her older sister, and she kind of grew into it from there,” said Paul Edwards.

Other accolades that Amanda picked up in the 2022-23 season were most points in a game, 36 points. Additionally, she was ranked 5th in California for 3-pointers and made the All CIF 1st team. She not only made great strides on the court, she even thrives academically, and was recognized by the Scholar Athlete award. Edwards is proud of the team and excited for the girls basketball program’s future.