Off the basketball court, Thornridge sophomore Alexandria Moore is a model citizen.
But on the court? Well, that’s a much different story.
To put it mildly, Moore is a thief of impeccable skill. She’s very observant, using her speed on the track to get her hands on errant basketballs time and time again.
“I just stay on my feet,” Moore said. “I don’t stand in one spot. I watch the ball, and I watch where their eyes are going.”
That’s been paying off all season for the Falcons. She’s averaging a whopping eight steals a game, but that’s only the half of it.
Let’s go back to Nov. 18 and a game against Southland Prep. It was a tight 48-45 overtime victory for Thornridge, but it also was a game where Moore recorded 17 steals.
That total tied her for fifth place all-time for steals in a game, according to Illinois High School Association. The record is 22 steals set by Lyons’ Sheila Carroll
More Top Picks Best Coffee Water Mineral Packets
in 1990.“We run a help-side defense, but she has a good eye on anticipating the pass,” Thornridge coach Tiarra Pollnitz said. “She reads eyes and shoulders and knows how to run the passing lanes very well.”
All of that is why Moore was within striking distance of tying or even breaking a long-standing state record. But pardon the pun, there’s more.
She fouled out with four minutes to go in regulation. Now, add that time, plus four more minutes of OT, and that state record might have fallen.
“I didn’t know she had 17,” Pollnitz said. “I knew she had a lot. When I got to 10, it was halftime.”
Lest you think those 17 steals were an anomaly, consider in the next game, a 59-19 victory over Noble, she had another 11 steals for the Falcons (4-16, 0-8).
Steals aren’t the only thing at which Moore excels.
She’s both a captain and Thornridge’s starting point guard, a role she assumed as a freshman. She’s averaging 15 points and six rebounds this season.
Moore got into basketball as a fifth grader because her junior sister, Sylessia, took up the sport. The biggest influence Alexandria had back in those days was her mom, Sylvia Mitchell.
“My mom taught me,” Alexandria said. “When she realized I was getting into basketball, she would take her time working with me one-on-one. She played in high school and middle school.”
Sylessia remembers those days well.
“My mom is big on fundamentals, and she taught us the basics,” Sylessia said. “We used that in middle school. She would sometimes come and help out the whole team.”
In addition to running track for Thornridge — where Pollnitz quipped “she’s the fastest girls I’ve met in my life” — Alexandria Moore also is a cheerleader. She has big plans for the rest of high school and beyond.
For example, she would like to study media and communications in college, preferably at Florida A&M. She wants to host shows and podcasts. But that’s then — this is now.
“I am in the process of making a channel on YouTube and buying the equipment to do it,” she said. “It’s going to be about being an active teenager, balancing sports, personal life and academic life.”
But there’s another layer to Moore than her career aspirations and basketball. She’s succeeding as a leader on and off the court for the Falcons, something Pollnitz appreciates.
“I would just say that my leadership style is I do what I would want my team to do so they can learn from me,” Moore said.
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.