MULBERRY, Fla. — A shooter shoots — and Lorianys Castanon-Cruz is a shooter.

What You Need To Know

  • Lorianys "L" Castanon-Cruz is a junior point guard at Mulberry High School

  • L leads the state of Florida in scoring, averaging 34 points per game

  • Her game average is eights points more than her closest competitor

L, as her teammates and coaches call her, isn’t just a shooter. She contributes in many ways on the basketball court. But it’s her skills and ability to be able to put the ball in the basket that sets her apart.

“I practice my shots, you know, work on them,” she said. “And when I get the chance to get the ball, I just shoot it.”

This Mulberry High junior hasn’t just separated herself from the competition this season. With each game, she’s distinguished herself as the best in the state. L leads all other girls’ basketball players in Florida by averaging more than 34 points per game.

That’s a full eight points more than her closest competitor. And her status as the state’s best is helping to put the Panthers program on the map.

“After every game, everybody wants to know, did you guys win last night and how many did L score?” Mulberry head coach Chris Jesse said. “You know, that’s the first question. So, yeah, very proud.”

L’s ascension to the top of Florida’s scoring list didn’t just happen overnight. A lot of hours in the gym honing her skills and working on her shooting are paying off big time this season.

“She just really loves to play the game,” Jesse said. “I have never seen her when she comes into the gym that she isn’t like really engaged and just going 110 percent.”

L got noticed on the PE playground as a freshman. She picked up a basketball and started shooting in class one day. A coach took notice and told her she should play for the Panthers.

“Coach asked me if I had played basketball before and I said yes,” she said. “And then I came to try out, and I made varsity.”

And now she’s helping her team reach new heights. Simply by doing something she absolutely loves. There aren’t too many hours in a day where you won’t see L without a basketball in her hand. And the pure joy this sport brings her is infectious.

“I love basketball. My mindset is just so like there,” L said. “For me to be able to make a lot of points every game, makes me, like, happy.”