A SHOOTING STAR

SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Quinlan Blake has had the literal key to her success for years.

Having access to Central Columbia's varsity gym, Blake has spent years staring up at the list of 1,000-point scorers and dreamed of one day joining the other 21 males and females in the rafters.

That's exactly what she set out to do.

After scoring 583 points during her freshman campaign, Blake, now a sophomore, accomplished her goal Jan. 31 when she dropped 38 points in a 67-37 win against Mifflinburg, becoming by far the fastest in school history to reach the grand achievement.

It's a moment that has been in the making since middle school, in the same gym the milestone occurred. Blake, the youngest of four, has spent countless hours with her father, Scott, perfecting her craft. It's worked to the tune of more than 500 points in each season.

"My mom [Sharon] works in the elementary school [as a speech pathologist], so we'd have the keys," Blake said. "That's definitely a huge part of me being as successful as I've been."

The hours spent have so far earned her three Division I scholarships from Bucknell, Army-West Point, and Le Moyne. And she doesn't even have her driver's license yet.

Blake still has her mom's keys, often finding her way back — usually on weekends — into the gym that shaped her into the player she is today. Blake brings along teammate and neighbor Abby Welkom and double-checks with coach Ryan Novak — who says Blake is the first one in and the last one out -- that the hoops are down since she doesn't have the key for such. She does it all knowing there is more work to be done.

For starters, watch out, Shelby Rance. Blake is coming for your record of 1,707 points. But for now, she'll settle for seeing her name on the banner she has spent years admiring. She isn't superstitious like some athletes.

"Shooting the ball with my dad, it was my goal to get 1,000 points when I got into high school. Achieving it this early is so awesome," said Blake, who also plays AAU basketball for Team Northeast out of Rochester, New York. "The end goal hopefully is the school record, and maybe even 2,000 points. That's what we're looking for now."

Blake's other goal is helping the Blue Jays get over the sting of last year's 47-42 double-overtime loss to Northern Lebanon in the opening round of the state playoffs. Aside from Blake, the Jays brought back a starting core that includes fellow sophomores Welkom, Jude Flick, Grace Prezioso and senior Jada Tucker. They're off to a 21-0 start and have clinched a spot in Wednesday's PHAC tournament semifinals.

Novak says the graduation of Haley Bull left him wondering where pieces would fall, but they came together flawlessly, leaving the team's goals of a conference crown, district title and state championship well alive. And even with the goose egg in the loss column, neither Novak nor Blake feel stress being added.

Instead, they're playing with a chip on their shoulder — both from last season and during games. Despite winning by an average of 28 points per game, the Blue Jays feel they aren't always playing to their potential, and sometimes feel they have to make mid- or post-game adjustments to ensure nobody gives them the feeling they had last March.

It's a feeling Novak and Blake, who vividly recalls missing a crucial layup down the stretch, desperately want to shake this go-around.

"We're playing with motivation from that playoff loss, and it's going to be even more motivating as we approach playoff time," Novak said. "We can bring that up and say, 'Hey, do you remember what this felt like and what we need to change so it doesn't happen again?' I think this team is capable of making noise at that level. We're experienced with big games despite being young, so there won't be pressure that rattles us."

A lot of that has to do with Blake's ability to play well on both sides of the court, something she takes great pride in, saying, "Defense creates offense." The sophomore, who averages 24.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game 3.8 assists per game and 7.2 steals per game through the first 20 games, credits the competitive upbringing of playing sports with her sisters, Madelyn and Campbell, and brother, Maguire, for preparing her for the nightly competition.

"We'd go at each other. We still do," Blake said. "It definitely contributes a lot since everything we do is a competition."

Pair that level of competition with the drive to overcome heartbreak and mix in hours of dedicating herself to making both her and her teammates better... Well, the Blue Jays have the right concoction on hand.

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