Zakiya Saunders tearing up the court

CARTHAGE — As the Carthage girls basketball team takes to courts throughout the Frontier League, number 33 will be a player to keep an eye on — if you can.

Zakiya Saunders, a junior forward, transferred to Carthage Central School last month from Prince George High School in Fort Lee, Va., with her family, Master Sergeant Vincent and Synithia Saunders.

Last year, playing for the Prince George Royals, Saunders was pegged to be a team leader until a season ending injury, according to an article in the Hopewell News and Patriot. She also was a standout on the Royals track and field team, running the distance events and relay and competing in the long and triple jumps.

Starting in the first three games for the Comets, Saunders has already made her mark, scoring in the double digits in all three victories.

In the Nov. 30 nonleague game versus Copenhagen, she had a triple-double, scoring 18 points, snatching 13 rebounds and recording 10 steals. She scored a game-high 27 points with 14 rebounds and five steals versus Ogdensburg Free Academy in a nonleague game Dec. 3. Saunders scored 11 points in the third quarter, eight in the fourth and six in overtime to help the Comets to a 44-39 win. Versus Watertown on Wednesday, Saunders had 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the 51-18 victory.

“Zakiya has been a welcome addition to the Carthage girls basketball program,” Carthage coach Randi Smith said. “She was very quickly bought into our system here at Carthage and immediately fit in with her teammates.

“She is an excellent teammate who comes into practice every day with a smile on her face. She is the first to encourage a teammate when needed or to congratulate one when they do something good.”

Saunders said she’s already noticed something special about the Carthage team.

“They’re close, like family,” she said.

Saunders said she has been playing basketball seriously since the eighth grade.

“Boys always thought they were better — I had to prove them wrong,” she said as to why she choose to play basketball.

Many have commented she plays basketball like a boy and she said her teammates tease her about her style of play.

“I guess it just means I play hard and go for it,” the 5-foot-7 1/2-inch athlete said.

She said her Royals coach encouraged her to play various positions but her favorite is point guard.

“She is a versatile player who has been utilized in all positions on the floor,” Smith said. “She has tremendous speed, excellent shooting ability and is able to penetrate to the basket, which makes it difficult to guard her. Defensively she has a nose for the ball and consistently boxes out, which makes her a dominate rebounder.”

Saunders counts Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx and Ray Rondo of the Boston Celtics among her favorite basketball stars but sees her older sister, Taryn Saunders, as her hero.

“I’ve always looked up to her and she’s always been there for me,” Zakiya said of her sister who attends the University of Tennessee. “Her work ethics inspire me.”

While at Carthage, Saunders is thinking of playing tennis or swimming in the fall and hopes to become involved in some of the groups and activities she enjoyed at Prince George, such as Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), American Red Cross and helping with children.

After graduation, the 16-year-old said she is thinking about majoring in college in forensic science and technology.