Plum grad Maria Lawhorne on inside track at Washington & Jefferson

The hazards involved with being a starting center in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference are something Maria Lawhorne learned the hard way.

The 2017 Plum graduate was no stranger to post play before arriving at Washington & Jefferson, but the 5-foot-10 Lawhorne spent more time at guard with the Mustangs and on the AAU basketball circuit.

That’s not where the Presidents needed her this season, and Lawhorne has taken her share of bumps and bruises.

“She gets hit in the face. She had her head smacked off the floor in our opener,” W&J coach Jina DeRubbo said. “She had to get stitches in her eye, and then she had an allergic reaction. I told her, ‘Maria, your face is like a magnet.’ ”

Not that Lawhorne minds. She is happy playing a key role on a winning team.

“She doesn’t care of she scores 10, three or 20 as long as we’re winning,” DeRubbo continued. “She doesn’t care about (stats).”

The first-year starter has helped perennial PAC contender W&J to a 18-9 record and an 11-5 mark in conference. The Presidents opened the conference tournament with a 65-55 win Wednesday against Chatham in the quarterfinals. They defeated top-seed and tournament host Saint Vincent, 74-53, in the semifinals Friday to advance to Saturday’s championship against Grove City.

And Lawhorne, a tenacious defender, is making a significant statistical contribution.

In 24 games (23 starts), she averages 8.3 points (fourth on the team) and 6.4 rebounds (second on the team). She scored nine points with five rebounds against Chatham.

“I think I’m having a good year,” Lawhorne said. “Hopefully, I’m able to put up some good numbers in the playoffs, but the big thing is being able to keep improving.”

Playing center was one of two big adjustments this season for Lawhorne. The other is adapting to being a starter.

Last season, she provided a scoring spark off the bench and flourished in the role, averaging 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. Her 21 points against Grove City in the PAC semifinals were crucial in getting the Presidents to the championship game.

“Last year was big for me in terms of getting my confidence to play at the college level,” Lawhorne said. “This year, I have more confidence, and I’m doing what I can do to help the team. I’ve worked my way up to a starter. I just need to keep progressing.”

Lawhorne ended the regular season with some of her better performances. In a 60-50 loss to Grove City on Feb. 22, she had 10 points and 11 rebounds, her fifth career double-double. Three days earlier against Bethany, she had 10 rebounds. Against Waynesburg on Feb. 12, she finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

It’s all part of becoming comfortable playing inside and learning how to deal with bigger players.

“I’m not the tallest for a center, so the biggest struggle is going against girls that are always bigger than me,” Lawhorne said. “But I’ve worked on my game, and I worked on my post moves. I’m adjusting well, and I actually enjoy playing inside.”

Lawhorne also enjoys staying busy.

She works two on-campus jobs: one in the student rec center and another for the athletic department. A pre-med major, Lawhorne also is interning as a home healthcare aid. It’s a hectic workload, but nothing she can’t handle.

“She’s such a great kid, one of my favorites,” DeRubbo said. “She’s a great teammate, and even though she has a full plate right now, she’s great at balancing everything and staying committed to basketball.”