Robinson sisters have Golden Eagles flying high

When Kelly Jackson went down with an ankle injury on Dec. 17, Staunton River coach Kim Jones pulled up Shaniesha Robinson from the JV squad to play in the post.

Little did she know the freshman center would emerge as the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer and second-leading rebounder coming off the bench, trailing only older sister Laquaksha Robinson, a junior forward.

The injury to Jackson, Staunton River’s top returning scorer and a versatile inside-outside player on the wing, was a pivotal moment in the Golden Eagles’ season.

“When Kelly went down, I thought it could’ve gone either way,” said veteran coach Kim Jones, who played point guard on Staunton River’s last Seminole District regular-season championship team in 1993. “Somebody could step up for us or we could have kind of folded. We’ve had so many different people work together to fill her role.”

The Robinsons have done more than their share, complementing one another perfectly down low to give the Golden Eagles a formidable frontcourt.

In a balanced rotation that goes nine players deep, Shaniesha leads the team at 11.2 points per game, shooting at nearly 50 percent from the floor.

Laquaksha is averaging 7.9 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 1.5 blocked shots.

“She’s not as big as Shaniesha, but she’s a bit stronger and a lot quicker,” Jones said of Laquaksha. “She’s why we’re able to run our press because of her long arms and speed. We put her out front.”

The press was a key factor in Staunton River’s second overtime upset of Brookville, a defensive-oriented 39-32 decision Thursday night in Moneta, that put the Golden Eagles in the driver’s seat in the Seminole District race.

“Both teams really played intense defense,” Jones said. “Brookville was really putting a lot of pressure on our guards and it made it hard to get it into our post players, so we weren’t scoring a whole lot.”

But neither were the Bees, particularly in the overtime period, when Jodi Salyer made three of her four steals and the Golden Eagles outscored Brookville 11-4.

“Laquaksha, her defense was amazing,” Jones said. “She was all over the place, getting steals left and right.”

Unlike most sisters, the Robinsons often clean up after one another — on the glass, that is.

“When they’re in there together, they rebound very well together,” Jones said. “If one of them shoots, the other one gets the rebound.”

Shaniesha is better at pulling down offensive rebounds, with her size around the basket, and Laquaksha is better on the defensive end, using her explosive speed to track down loose balls.

As a true post player, the freshman also is better at finishing around the basket.

“Shaniesha’s stronger so she’s going to go up harder,” Jones said. “That’s the reason she can get the ‘and–one’ call,” for a potential three-point play.

She got into foul trouble herself in the Brookville game, picking up her third early in the second quarter.

But her teammates, including her big sister and Jackson, who has made steady progress in her return from the ankle injury, were able to pick her up, playing with the composure down the stretch needed to stage a second coup of the four-time defending district champions.

“We want to complete the mission and be first in the district,“ Laquaksha said, noting Staunton River’s success so far this season has come from “working harder” than its opponents.

“That’s our team motto this year,“ Jones added of the statement ‘Complete the Mission’. “This is our last year in the Seminole so we want to go out being No. 1. That’s what they’ve all been working for.“