By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

It was a historic season for the Loyola women’s basketball team, and in the middle of it all was a pair of sisters that locals are very familiar with.

Former Reserve Christian Eagles Trenell and Trenese Smith completed their sophomore years as Wolfpack players under coach DoBee Plaisance by leading their team to the NAIA championship tournament’s Elite Eight – the deepest tournament run in the program’s history. The duo also led Loyola to its second straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship.

The Smiths were named NAIA All-Americans, Trenese to the second team, and Trenell as honorable mention. Each was also named All-Louisiana by the LSWA – Trenese to the first team, Trenell to the third.

Trenese Smith scored a school record 690 points as a sophomore this past season – breaking her own record of 590 set as a freshman. She averaged 19.7 points per game, good for sixth in the NAIA. In addition, she broke Loyola records for field goals (228), points in a single game (39, against Dillard) and 3-pointers made in a single game (10, also against Dillard). She was also the only player in the program’s history to be named the NAIA Player of the Week, which she was this past season.

Trenell Smith, meanwhile, averaged 18.4 points per game on 52% shooting from the field. She shot 41% from behind the 3-point arc, and scored 644 points on the season – the second most in school history, only behind her sister’s mark. She was 13th in the NAIA in points per game, 14th in assists per game (4.7) and 19th in 3-point field goal percentage.

At Reserve Christian, the accolades were no less for the duo. Trenell was named All-District for five years, and lettered in softball and track and field in addition to basketball. Trenese lettered in the same three sports, and was named to the All-District team four times.