March 01, 2025
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Sports

Suburban Life Female Most Valuable Athlete: Meghan Stapleton, Downers Grove South, basketball, junior

By Joshua Welge
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Meghan Stapleton

WHY SHE WAS SELECTED:

Stapleton scored a career-high 34 points to lead Downers Grove South past Leyden.

Stapleton talked about her big game and more with Suburban Life sports editor Joshua Welge. Here is an edited version of the transcript.

Welge: What was your previous career high?

Stapleton: I had 24 in a game last year.

Welge: How did this game come together?

Stapleton: I had five 3-pointers, most of it was toward the end of the game. I got fouled a lot, and had a lot of free throws in there, too.

Welge: Did you realize how many points you had?

Stapleton: It was funny, at the very end of the game, when I had 32, my teammate Lily Ross high-fived me and said 'make it 34' and she was laughing. I didn't realize what I had at the time.

Welge: How is the start to the season going in general?

Stapleton: We've been getting a lot better. We went 1-3 at the York Tournament, and played some pretty good teams, but we've been getting better. We've worked really hard on taking care of the ball more and figuring out how to work together and build team chemistry.

Welge: You graduated some great players in Holly Lueken and Maggie Greco. How has your role changed?

Stapleton: Yes, I was kind of the third player last year. This year I've had to step up and take that leadership role. We have some people who have not played as much, and it's a big step up from last year leading the team.

Welge: What aspects of your game have you worked to improve on?

Stapleton: Last year most of my game was sitting in the corner on the 3-point line waiting for the kickout. This year I've had to drive in more and make more moves. Everybody knows that I'm a shooter, and I've had to adjust to that.

Welge: Outside of basketball, what do you like to do?

Stapleton: I like being outside. Me and my family go camping a lot. We've gone to a lot of national parks. A couple years ago we made a road trip. We've been to Yosemite, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, the Joshua Tree.

Welge: What's your favorite TV show?

Stapleton: The Office.

Welge: What's the last movie you saw?

Stapleton: Cinderella Man.

Welge: What's your favorite college or pro sports team?

Stapleton: Iowa State. It's a family school. Both of my parents went there.