So far it’s been the longest two seconds of Chandler Shepherd’s life. That is in terms of memories and “greatest accomplishments” to date and that being to hit a trey with two seconds left on the clock in a Lady Warhawks basketball game.
And, it just so happened to be the sixth three-pointer of the contest for her, which in turn tied a school record.
“It was a cool moment,” the senior and now Academy Sports+Outdoors Athlete of the Week said.
Shepherd is the daughter of Amy and Todd Shepherd. Currently she has a 4.0 grade point average – sixth out of a class of 378. She is also a member of the Beta and Partner’s Club, FCA Leadership and was a Warner Robins Optimist Club Student of the Month. She has played varsity basketball for Veterans for two years and varsity softball for three.
In regard to the first, the 5-foot-8 shooting guard and team captain averages 11.2 points per game – second on the team – and shoots 41 percent from the field – tops on the team. She also connects a phenomenal 90 percent of the time from the free-throw line. She has helped Veterans secure a solid foothold on the playoffs – if not the Region 1-AAAAA championship – with a 2-3 division record – good enough for third – and 15-5 overall.
One of the things she finds most challenging about her sport is, “Some days your shot simply doesn’t fall.” But, she said, “You can’t get frustrated.” That brings up what she finds most satisfying: “The fact that on the very next play after you make a mistake (or miss as she’s already said), you have the ability to correct it and do better.”
If she wasn’t playing basketball, or softball, Shepherd said she’d like to try tennis. “I’ve never played before, but it looks fun,” she said.
Outside of athletics, one of the scariest moments in Shepherd’s life, she said, was giving her Christian testimony. It came at Stratford Academy in Macon. It might have been daunting, she said, but in the end, she added: “it strengthened my faith.”
Shepherd is also a fan of the movie “Mulan”, the TV series “Friends”, chicken alfredo and “hanging with friends … jamming out to songs.”
Now that she’s tied the record for most treys in a game, one might think the next goal would be to break it. Chances are that’s on her mind, but not one to apparently think small, she would like to set another record. It would require she be allowed to make one rule change – something she’s fully in support of. That is to create a new category, one most likely considerably more challenging: a four-point shot.
Just put two seconds on the clock and watch her go to work.
