CLEWISTON — In the brief span of a high school basketball season, Clewiston High School boys coach Tim Carter has learned a lot about Alonzo Wargolet, including not to doubt his point guard’s shooting.

After transferring from American Heritage School, Wargolet has made a smooth transition to America’s Sweetest Town this season. Most notably, Wargolet is Clewiston’s leading scorer “by a lot” Carter said.

“He just jacks them up and they go in,” Carter said. “I’ll be hollering ‘No, bad shot,’ and then it hits the bottom.”

Wargolet, a senior from the Big Cypress Reservation, has found the bottom of the net to the tune of about 26 points per game through mid-January. But if you think Wargolet is only a shooter, think again.

“We’re blessed to have him. He’s not only a good scorer, but he’s a good team player. He tries to get the whole team involved. He does a good job,” Carter said.

Last season Clewiston struggled and posted a weak 5-18 record. This season the team matched last year’s victory total within the first couple weeks thanks in part to the arrival of Wargolet.

“He’s meant a lot to the team. He has changed the dynamic of our team. He’s made the rest of the team better,” Carter said.

Wargolet shined in a double overtime win against Moore Haven in the teams’ first meeting. He poured in 27 points. He’s reached 20-plus points on several occassoins.

Although Wargolet is the team’s go-to guy, he doesn’t think of himself as a shooter.

“I like putting points on the board, but I also love to pass and I love assists,” he said.

Wargolet said he plans to continue playing basketball after high school, including Native tournaments. He played in last year’s NABI and plans to play in NAYO and NAIG.

“I love this game too much to give it up,” he said.

Wargolet comes from a basketball family. His older siblings both played in high school.

Carter is glad the Wargolet from the class of 2017 choose to play at Clewiston.

“We’ve come a long way and a lot of that is contributed to him. He’s made the team better,” Carter said. “I wish I had him for three more years.”