(Photos provided courtesy of @hh_visions.)
Cire Worley grew up with a basketball in her hands.
And it shows.
The Abington junior has spent the season putting her name in the program record books. Earlier this year, Worley scored a program record 38 points in the Ghosts win over Germantown Academy. Last Tuesday, she entered her team’s game against Wissahickon needing nine points to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
“Going in the game, I was like – I’ll get it whenever I get it. Whether it’s the first quarter or third quarter, it doesn’t really matter,” Worley said.
Those hoping to see Worley reach the milestone could ill afford to be late. Before fans had settled in their seats, she had six points on three layups. With her teammates calling for her to score the historic basket on a three, the junior sharpshooter obliged, using a pass from Maya Johnson in transition to hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer that vaulted her to the 1,000-point plateau.
“I missed my first two 3s - we were running a play for those 3s, so I felt pressure to shoot the three then,” Worley said. “You’re always trying to make your shots, but it was different when you’re shooting, and everyone is ‘awwww’ if you miss. The third one was in the flow – it wasn’t a set play.
“It was exciting, but I don’t think it really hit me until after the game because it was a quick little thing – they just present the ball, you take one little picture, and you keep going with the game. It didn’t hit me until I got pictures with my family.”
The fact that Worley could pick her shot when it came time to reach the milestone speaks of her immense offensive talents.
“It was typical of Cire,” Marsh said. “She scores in multiple ways.”
Making Worley’s accomplishment even more remarkable is the fact that she’s done it in 57 games, averaging 17.5 points a contest.
This season, she is the SOL’s top scorer, averaging over 21 points a game.
“Cire has always been a good scorer, but now she’s a complete player because she plays both ends of the floor,” Marsh said. “She’s so intense and causes a lot of problems defensively. Also, she gets inside now and is physical – she’ll go in there and get rebounds or block shots or get offensive rebounds, and she’s so good at getting to the rim and finishing. It’s top tier stuff.
“Honestly, as a freshman and sophomore, it was almost as though she didn’t like contact. Now it’s part of her game. She’s matured both physically and mentally. Her approach to the game was probably the biggest difference.”
Worley admits that taking the ball to the hole was not necessarily part of her repertoire when she arrived in ninth grade.
“I’m definitely more comfortable doing it now than I was before,” she said. “Prior to coming to Abington, I had a different role on my other teams. My role was to shoot the basketball, so I was never necessarily put in a position to take the ball to the hole. When I came here in ninth grade, I was not inexperienced, but I wasn’t doing it before, so it wasn’t as easy.”
These days, Worley makes everything look easy, but don’t be fooled. The junior standout works hard at a game she grew up playing.
“My dad (Eric Worley) works with Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and they run middle school partnership programs, and they also run summer camps,” she said. “So I was in summer camps when I was younger. I work the camps now.”
Worley continues to work on her game, and the fact that she’s such a dangerous offensive weapon can be attributed to her regular shooting practice sessions that include not taking but making 500 shots.
“It’s typically 45 minutes all shooting – 3s, mid-range and off the dribble,” she said. “It’s a routine I go through. I know how many shots I have to make for every drill.”
Worley, who attended Abington Friends through eighth grade, made an immediate impact when she arrived at Abington in ninth grade.
“We knew she was going to be good – I saw the potential in her early,” Marsh said. “I think she’ll end up being our leading scorer ever.”
The program record of 1,487 set by Deja Rawls would seem to be well within Worley’s reach since she’s already scored over 400 this year.
The junior standout already has scholarship offers from UMass Lowell, Drexel, Delaware and Coppin State and has interest from St. Joseph’s University and Stony Brook. The list only promises to grow longer.
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