Defense has always been Kendell Williams’ calling card in sports.

The Stevenson senior point guard is a dynamo on the defensive end, locking down opponents with her agility, quickness, intelligence and nonstop motor.

“That drives me, just stopping someone from scoring,” Williams said. “It puts a smile on my face frustrating them and drives my passion and also throwing them off their game.”

The 5-foot-9 Williams has 16 rebounds, 16 steals and 15 deflections through four games for the Patriots (3-1). But basketball is not her best sport.

Williams is an elite goalkeeper who is ranked 125th overall as a prospect by Top Drawer Soccer. She has been a standout player between the pipes for several years on the club circuit, and earlier this month she signed a national letter of intent to play soccer at Texas.

So Williams is well known as a defender. In basketball, though, she’s trying to be more offensive-minded in her fourth varsity season.

“I know everyone is looking at me to shoot more shots this year,” she said. “My goal is to get my scoring average up. We have a lot of good shooters, so finding my shots should be easy. I’m confident in myself.”

Williams is averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 assists for the Patriots, who won the Class 4A state championship during her sophomore season, but she scored 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting in a win against Phillips on Wednesday.

Stevenson first-year coach Regan Carmichael said her staff has made it a point of emphasis to get Williams more involved on the offensive end.

“Kendell likes to spread the love to her teammates, but we’re trying to get her to hunt for her shot more,” Carmichael said. “She’s tough to guard but distributes it so well. We need her to find her shot more this year.

“She’s shooting more the last few games. She’s also trusting her shot more. We told her we need her to score eight to 10 points.”

Williams joked that she can’t remember the last time she hit double digits in shot attempts. Her career high for points remains 18, which she recorded during her freshman season.

“I like having the attention and the challenge,” she said. “I love pressure. I haven’t scored many points the last two years, but I do all the little things that put points on the board, like assists, deflections, steals and blocks.”

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Senior forward Emory Klatt, a four-year varsity player and DePaul recruit, said Williams is a multidimensional player capable of scoring at a high rate.

“She’s been really good around the midpost, whether it’s a short fadeaway or just a fast-break layup,” Klatt said. “She’s been really efficient there this year. Kendell has gotten overlooked in the past, unfortunately, but now she is shining.”

Carmichael said Williams is essential to the Patriots no matter how many points she scores.

“We turn to her a lot when we need to score, need to run our offense or even if our energy is kind of low in practice,” Carmichael said. “There’s truly a difference when she’s not out there on the court. You can feel her presence. She’s a very impactful person.”

Williams is impactful in soccer, too, even if few people realize it. She said classmates express surprise to learn she’s a goalkeeper.

“My first two years at Stevenson, no one knew I played soccer,” she said. “When they announced my commitment, some people thought I was going to Texas to play basketball. Even still, people think I’m a basketball player at school.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.