Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Batavia senior Natalie Warner, girls basketball

Name: Natalie Warner

School: Batavia, senior

Sport: Girls basketball

What she did: Warner put up 13 points on four 3-pointers while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals to help the Bulldogs win their fourth consecutive regional title with a victory over York.

Warner was selected the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here’s her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

You had 13 points off four 3-pointers in your regional final game against York. What was the feeling of winning another regional title?

Warner: It was our fourth regional win in a row, which was pretty cool. And playing well in that game and keeping that trend going was awesome. It’s always good to be a team player and to have the results show also. So I feel it’s just pretty cool to play well in an important game and get us further into the playoffs.

You helped the Bulldogs secure their fourth straight regional title, the longest streak in program history. What’s it been like being part of a team with this much success?

Warner: It’s been great. I’ve had so many people I look up to and we have such an amazing fan base and all of our teammates are so close with each other, which I think has definitely helped throughout the years. All my fellow seniors, we’re all best friends, and I feel like it just makes it much easier to play basketball when you’re friends with the people on the team.

You’ve been a big contributor from beyond the arc for the Bulldogs all season long. How important has 3-point shooting become for your game?

Warner: I think it’s very important because everyone has a role on our team. Kaidyn (King) is an amazing ball handler, Hallie (Crane) can do everything. Julia (Arulandu) is great at assisting people. And I feel like my role is to make those 3s especially when we need to score something.

You’re going for your second straight sectional title this week. What needs to happen to make that a reality?

Warner: We’re going to have to play some really good defense and then that’s going to have to transfer to offense. We’re going to have to make some big shots and make some big plays, but no one has to do it alone. We all usually score the same amount of points and it’s pretty much equal. You don’t know who’s a threat on our team or who’s going to go off that game, which makes us really special as a team.

Do you have any superstitions?

Warner: I always have my friend Riley Bainter braid my hair before a game.

What’s your favorite pregame music to listen to?

Warner: We always listen to “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie on the bus before a game.