The Massengale name goes way back when you talk about sports in Bedford County and Shelbyville.

"Coach" Lendell Massengale and his wife Marilyn head a family tree full of talented athletes.

The latest has been touted as one of the top freshmen girls basketball players in Illinois.

Ariel Massengale, granddaughter of Coach and Marilyn and daughter of former Shelbyville Central standout Carvel Massengale and Cascade Lady Champion Anita Buckingham Massengale, recently completed her freshman season at Bolingbrook High and made quite a name for herself.

The 5-foot-6 point guard averaged double figures in scoring while leading her team to the Class 4A state championship game.

Outstanding players have that special ingredient to turn it up a notch during the postseason and Massengale is no exception, averaging 18 points per game over the final five, including 22 in the state championship game.

Her accomplishments have led her to a number of awards, including the Life/Reporter/Met girls basketball player of the year.

She's become accustomed to playing in big games, guiding Bolingbrook's Humphrey Middle School to the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 4A state title last year.

Her success hasn't gone unnoticed as Hinsdale High coach Steve Gross commented in the Bolingbrook Reporter after his team's loss to Massengale in the sectional finals.

"She didn't look like a freshman out there. She was the best player on the floor. She looked like a WNBA player."

Her father played football and baseball at Shelbyville in the late 1970s and early 1980s, receiving a football scholarship to Vanderbilt where he played two years before transferring to Middle Tennessee.

Her mother is a member of the 1,000 point club at Cascade and was named all-state in high school.

She also has an uncle, Wayne Buckingham, who played college basketball at Clemson.