“Lily is a huge part of our team,” said Warriors coach Lynn Cochran. “She started for me as a freshman last year, and I had a conversation with her in the offseason about how this was going to be her team moving forward, and that she had to take control and be that leader on and off the court. She was unanimously voted captain on the team this year. The girl just brings a heart and a passion to the game that I haven’t worked with so far. She’s a really special player and yes, the offense and the stats speak for themselves, but her dedication to the game is just out of this world.”
The sophomore has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season. She’s also tallied 12 double-doubles through Tuesday’s games.
“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Bushey said.
Bushey also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (51.6 percent), as well as 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
“She’s the one who makes the extra pass,” Cochran said. “I’ve had to talk to her about (needing) to be a little more selfish. Sometimes she wants to look to pass first, and I’m like, ‘Hey, you got to look to score.’”
Bushey scored a career-high 28 points in a win over Catholic Central at the Clark County Basketball Showcase where she also scored her 500th career point.
In 38 career games, Bushey has 579 career points. Northwestern grad and former Cedarville University standout Aubrey Siemon holds the career records in both scoring (1,387) and rebounds (1,123).
“She’s on pace to do something special,” Cochran said.
Bushey plays in the paint for the Warriors but also brings the ball up the floor during certain points of the game.
“I like to play every position,” Bushey said.
“She has to be our point guard sometimes, just because of ball handling, she’s one of the best ball handlers on her team,” Cochran said. “She does anything I ask her. … She can play one through five pretty flawlessly.”
The Warriors have already surpassed last year’s win total. They won four in a row before dropping back-to-back games to North Union and Urbana.
Cochran called Bushey “a phenomenal human to be around.”
“Obviously the stats speak for themselves, but she is the first one to cheer when a friend who hasn’t scored scores,” Cochran said.
About the Author
