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By: Kate Harman
The ball made its way through the hands of Camryn Lexow and Khalis Whiting.
It was passed from Miranda Liebtag and Tamia Wessels.
It found its way to the low block, the high post, the wing.
Who recorded the assist and where it was on the floor didn’t necessarily matter in the second half of a recent postseason game for the Abington girls’ basketball team.
What mattered was who ended up with the ball in her hands.
More often than not, the who was Kassondra Brown.
After her team trailed Souderton at halftime, the senior forward took over, dominating the game in a way not many local players can.
On one end of the court, Brown used every inch of her 6-foot-two frame to muscle her way to the basket, often getting fouled in the process. On the other end, she registered steals and grabbed rebounds, as she disrupted the Souderton offense.
Possession after possession, play after play, Brown made her presence known as Abington quickly surged ahead.
Rinse, repeat.
What was the secret? In the locker room she told coach Dan Marsh that she wanted the ball. So, they gave it to her.
“She’s worked really, really hard. You can just tell from her body. She went from a freshman who was a little out of shape and now she is just not a post player - we can do so much with her,” Marsh said. “She can shoot, attack off the dribble. That’s all her hard work. I’ve coached some good players and she is the most dominant high school player I’ve coached.”
Dominant is the right word to describe the Rhode Island recruit, who is averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds a contest for the Ghosts (24-3).
So dominant, in fact, it begs the question, has Marsh had a player put up those kind of numbers before?
“Never,” the coach, who is in his 14th season with the program, said immediately. “I don’t think ever. Not a double-double like that.”
The numbers didn’t come immediately, however, as she didn’t see the court much during her first year in an Abington uniform.
“I don’t think it sunk it in freshman year - I didn’t have a lot of confidence,” Brown said. “Looking back I just wasn’t as good. I had a feeling I could get to that point but I wasn’t where I wanted and I definitely didn’t think I was Division I.
“I was not playing a lot, was overweight, wasn’t in the best shape, not fit,” she continued. “I didn’t have the mature mind. It wasn’t one of my good years.”
But, after a successful set of seniors graduated, Brown knew she had to step up, so she spent more time in the gym during the offseason and worked on what she knew she needed to improve. That following year, she helped the Ghosts to a District 1 championship.
That was the same season Brown learned a more important lesson - one that would stick with her - how it felt when she waited too long to turn it on in a game. The Ghosts fought back behind her strong fourth quarter effort in that second round PIAA clash, but they fell short, something that she still thinks about.
“Northampton,” the forward said. “That game motivates me just thinking about it.
“It is hard to explain exactly,” Brown said. “But I knew that from that point on, I wanted to be able to play that way. I wanted to turn it on, to learn how to turn it on.”
On Friday, Brown and the Ghosts get their chance again, as they begin their quest for a state title. First up? Parkland.
“It has been crazy. Every basketball player’s dream, is to go to states, districts, compete for districts,” Brown said, “You want to win so bad but that is not always the case.
We played tough games. Every tough game, we learn, get better. That’s why we are in the position we want to be in.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” she added. “I can taste it. That’s how much I want to win. It feels different this time. We have made our mark. Everyone knows that the Abington girls are good. We are showing them that.”
Any doubters should watch the way Brown can take over the game.
@Ka_Harman