PA Independent School State Tournament Semifinal
Shipley’s Alex King Hits 1000, Gators Triumph

In the latest chapter of a suddenly cooking rivalry, the Shipley Gators stormed back from a 21-8 first quarter deficit and beat the Abington Friends Kangaroos, 60-52, in the PA Independent School State Tournament Semifinal at the Hill School, a rematch of last week’s Friends Schools League championship game, in which Abington Friends outlasted the Shipley Gators 52-40 for their third consecutive title.  Sweetening the victory was a milestone for 5’ 10” senior forward, Alex King, who scored her 1000th career point on a jump shot from the wing midway through the fourth quarter.  King, who will be attending Union College in the fall, is also 1st Team All-Main Line and 1st Team All-FSL field hockey defenseman, and a 1st Team All-Main Line and 1st Team All-FSL softball catcher, with major power from the cleanup spot.  King finished the game with 16 points on 8-15 and stands at 1003 for her career.

King plays three sports for the Gators. She has been a leader since her first days at Shipley. On the basketball court, alongside fellow captains Rae Goldstein and Brooke Stokes, King is super strong and possesses surprising quickness. At 5’ 10” she is able to get to the boards for rebounds. Her presence in the paint carried the Gators to the 1st seed in the 2007 FSL Finals and an impressive 22-6 record (9-1 Friends Schools League). Last season she guided the Gators to a 3rd seed in the Friends Schools League playoffs. Incredibly powerful around the basket (5 double-doubles last year), she is also an accurate outside shooter (8-15 on three-pointers as a junior). Her warrior mentality is evident when she attacks the offensive glass, constantly providing second- and third-chance opportunities for the Shipley Gators. During the 2006-2007 season, King has posted some impressive numbers with 14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 48.4 FG%, and 1.0 spg.  In the  2005-2006 season, she was the team leader in scoring (15.7 points) and rebounds (10.8 points) per game, earning Athlete of the Week honors in the Main Line Times and being selected to 1st team All-Main Line, 1st team All-FSL, and 2nd team All-Main Line Life, as well as team MVP (along with Goldstein) in 2005.

During the 2005 and 2006 FSL title campaigns on the girls’ field hockey team, King was named team MVP her junior and senior years and 1st team All-FSL, 1st team All-Main Line, and 1st team Main Line Life her senior year. In her junior year, she was also named 1st team All-FSL and  2nd team All-Main Line. She has 6 goals and 23 assists for 29 career points at Shipley. A four-year starter, King also played for the Private I’s at the US Field Hockey festival in San Diego, CA this past November.

King is also a three-year starter on the three-time league champions Shipley girls’ softball team. During her freshman and sophomore years, the Gators won the Inter-Ac titles. In 2006, King was an All-FSL player on the FSL Championship squad that finished with a School record 27-2 season and posted a 12-0 record in FSL play. King led the Gators in hitting in 2006 while serving as a captain. She set records in 2005 for batting, with an average of .593, and a slugging percentage of .963, with 39 RBI’s and 49 hits, helping her earn team MVP, 1st team All-FSL, 1st team All-Main Line, and 1st team Main Line Life. King was also the starting catcher for the Carpenter Cup select teams in 2005 and 2006.