Allison Flowers' arrival at Marietta College probably couldn't have come at a better time.
The 5-foot-9 sharpshooter was a proven scorer during her prep basketball career at Belpre High. Now, in a Lady Pioneer uniform, there's hope that she'll continue to light up the scoreboard at Ban Johnson Arena and elsewhere in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
"I wanted to stay close to home, so if I needed to go back there for something, I could," said Flowers who's planning to major in education at MC. "Also, it'll be easier for my parents to come see me play at home games."
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Belpre standout Allison Flowers (23) wins the opening tip-off against Eastern Pike in a sectional game. Flowers will be continuing her education and playing basketball at Marietta College this winter.
With 1,000 points-plus career scorer Aleisha Guiler deciding to forgo her senior year of basketball eligibility at MC, Flowers is a welcomed presence to the Pioneer women's progam, which will be guided this season by first-year head coach Stacia Shrider.
"She (Guiler) decided she wanted to spend more time with her family this year," said Shrider, a former Warren and Baldwin-Wallace hoops standout. "Allison Flowers is a part of our team this year."
At Belpre, Flowers scored a career 979 points.
During her varsity years, she averaged 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.4 assists, .4 blocks per game. At the foul line, she converted 194 of 295 free-throws.
A long-range bomber, Flowers made a school career-high 137 three-pointers.
In Flowers' senior season, she averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 1.8 assists, and .7 blocks per game.
Flowers received AP All-State special mention recognition in her senior and junior years. She was also first-team all-district and first-team All-Tri-Valley Conference in her senior and junior years.
Another honor that she earned was making the WTAP-Burger King All-Mid-Ohio Valley team after both her senior and junior seasons.
In the classroom at Belpre, Flowers owned a 3.0 GPA
"I'm looking foward to helping Marietta College, offensively and defensively," Flowers said.
Turns out that Marietta College's gain will be Otterbein University's loss.
Flowers originally was planning to enroll and play basketball at Otterbein but changed her mind.
Otterbein, an OAC school, is located in Westerville, which is located just northeast of Columbus in central Ohio.
Marietta College is of course a lot closer to Belpre, and the shorter distance will enable Roger and Carla Flowers (Allison's parents) a better opportunity to see their daughter compete more on a regular basis.
"We are excited that it will be much easier to get to the home games now," said Roger Flowers, who coached his daughter for seven years on the MOV Shock and AAU teams. "We moved Allison in last Thursday at Marietta College and she started classes on Monday (Aug. 27). She loves it. Great town and great campus."
The Marietta College women's basketball team, 10-16 overall, 5-13 OAC last season, is scheduled to begin its 2012-13 campaign at the Mount St. Joseph Tip-Off Classic in Cincinnati Nov. 16-17.
The Lady Pioneers will then host the 28th annual Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot on Nov. 24-25.
MC's OAC opener will be against visiting Muskingum University on Nov. 28.
The Lady Pioneers are slated to play at Otterbein on Dec. 5.
"We are excited for the season to start," Shrider said.
