PREP BASKETBALL ‘91-’92: ANGELUS LEAGUE : Competitiveness Runs Wild in Her Family : Rosary: Senior Carolyn Chey, who led Royals to share of second place last season, is motivated by sibling rivalry.

Whether she’s on the tennis court or the basketball court, Carolyn Chey of Rosary High School is a fierce competitor driven to succeed.

As a first-team All-Angelus League basketball player last season, Chey, a 5-foot-7 senior who led Rosary in scoring with an 11.8 average, was instrumental in helping the Royals gain a share of second place with Lakewood St. Joseph.

This fall, she teamed with Ashleigh Aitken in doubles to help lead second-seeded Rosary into the Southern Section 2-A finals Tuesday, where it lost, 12-6, to top-seeded Los Alamitos.

As impressive as her athletic credentials are, they may pale in comparison to her performance in the classroom.

With additional weight given for college-level honors classes, Chey has a 4.2 grade-point average at the Catholic girls’ school. She also is a candidate for valedictorian at next spring’s graduation ceremonies.

“I can pick it up (her subjects) fast, but I have to study,” Chey said. “I wouldn’t call myself a bookworm, though.” Even so, she estimated that she spends three to 3 1/2 hours a night studying.

Chey has a rigorous academic load, including honors classes in calculus, physics, English and Spanish, as well as classes in religion, computers and U.S. government and economics.

When asked what motivates her to strive for such success, she says, it boils down to two words: sibling rivalry.

“My older sister Michelle was a good student here,” she said. “Whatever she did, I wanted to do better. She was my main motivation.”

Michelle, now a sophomore at UC San Diego, also played on the Rosary basketball team.

This year’s team is counting on Carolyn, who has been on the varsity since her sophomore year, for her leadership as well as scoring.

“She’s always had a good jump shot, but last year she added the drive,” Royals’ co-Coach Brendan Powers said. “She’s an excellent rebounder, fundamentally very sound and she practices harder than anybody. Last season, she was clearly our best player.”

Whether or not she was the best player, Chey says there’s room for improvement.

“This year my goals are to be a better leader to the team,” she said. “I want to be a consistent scorer, be more aggressive and more supportive of the other players who are inexperienced.”

After losing most of his team’s tall players to graduation, Powers plans to use the fast break and full-court press more this season. The new look is fine with Chey.

“We’ll be playing a whole different strategy with a lot more running and it’ll be a lot more fun,” she said. “It gets you tired, but it gets me more pumped up. I think we are going to have to scrap for everything we can get.”

Not only does Chey like the new strategy, she also likes the work ethic of this season’s team.

“We’ve got really dedicated (players) this year. They’re not afraid to practice hard,” she said. “Last year, I really got annoyed sometimes when some of the players didn’t want to work hard at practice. What’s the sense of practicing if you don’t want to put out?”

Chey plans to be a pre-med major in college, but she is undecided about which school to attend.

“I’ve applied to UC San Diego, Pomona College, Santa Clara, UC Irvine and UC Riverside,” she said. “My dad wants me to apply to Harvard.

“If I play basketball, I’ll play as a walk-on. I have a better chance of getting an academic scholarship.”

Carolyn’s graduation won’t be the end of the Chey dynasty or the sibling rivalry at Rosary.

Jennifer, a sophomore, has been a key player on the tennis team and is also on the varsity basketball team. Apparently, she is trying to improve on her sisters’ accomplishments.

“My little sister is even more competitive than I am. She’s really fierce,” Carolyn said.

1990-91 Review

Team League Overall Mater Dei 7-1 13-11 Rosary 5-3 13-8 Lakewood St. Joseph 5-3 8-15 Bishop Amat 2-6 8-15 Santa Margarita 1-7 2-15

League MVPs: Melissa McDonald (Mater Dei), Bev Stiglebauer (St. Joseph).