When you've played basketball as long as Melissa Bratton has, all you want is a chance to show what you can do.

Bratton got that opportunity last weekend, and promptly showed she could help Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns as they enter the stretch run of the Sun Belt Conference campaign.

The 5-foot-10 forward from Kilgore Junior College had 14 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in Saturday's 76-53 loss at Western Kentucky, not enough to reverse the outcome but an indication that she's fitting in.

She's been doing much more than that for years.

"I've played basketball since the third grade," Bratton said during a break in Tuesday's practice at Earl K. Long Gym. "I like competing against other good athletes.

"I have an older brother, Eddie Bratton Jr., who played football, basketball, soccer ... he did it all. I learned a lot from him. When I found basketball, it's what I stuck with and I tried to get better."

The Mount Pleasant, Texas, product was a two-year All-Conference and All-Region choice at Kilgore, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds as a freshman and 15 and 7 as a sophomore. She also averaged 5 assists per game in junior college, helping teammates to enjoy the game she loves.

It didn't take Bratton long to find a role model, focusing on former Tennessee standout Chamique Holdsclaw as one to emulate.

"She's always very calm when she plays," Bratton said. "She lets the game come to her, and she gets the rest of her team involved. The game is fun like that."

When she's away from the court, Bratton again relies on her younger days for guidance and inspiration.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com