TOWN OF TONAWANDA — Kenmore East forward Jordyn Broas admits she’s come a long way.

“I used to shoot with two hands,” she joked. “I couldn’t even hit the rim from 3-point (range).”

But countless hours spent practicing on her shooting and dribbling with head coach Jack Blanch and assistant coach Ed Piepsnzy, Broas transformed into one of the top players in the Niagara Frontier League.

Broas capped off her career as a Lady Bulldog averaging 13.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game; garnering first-team all-NFL acclaim and capturing 2011 Tonawanda News Player of the Year honors.

“Jordyn progressed every year and it really showed,” said Blanch, who eclipsed the 300-win mark in his 20th and final season as head coach. “She progressed every year and I thought she really had a good senior year, especially in big games. She came through. I thought that was probably her biggest jump from her junior and senior year.”

This is the third straight season a Kenmore East girls basketball player has taken home the award, as the school’s all-time points leader Joelle Pollak was the unanimous choice a season ago, while also sharing co-Player of the Year recognition in 2009 with Kenmore West’s Jenna Rickan.

Broas was the anchor of a Lady Bulldogs squad that was comprised of a strong supporting cast — which included the likes of fellow senior captains Katie Blanch and Selina Zaccaria — but also had to overcome the loss of Pollak.

The 5-foot-10 Broas, however, helped lead the Lady Bulldogs (15-5) all the way to the Section VI Class A-1 semifinals against eventual Far West Regional champion Grand Island.

“It was probably my biggest year,” Broas said. “I stepped up for a lot of the games in the playoffs. A lot of the seniors stepped it up; me, Selina and Katie Blanch, we stepped it up pretty well.”

Broas was a steadying force throughout the entire season, a focal point of a balanced Ken East attack.

And most of all, when it counted, the Lady Bulldogs were able to rely on their top scorer and rebounder to lead the way.

“Not a lot of people handle pressure real well, but I kind of like it,” she said. “It’s like all eyes on me and I have to perform, step up and do my thing.”

Broas scored 20 points in the opening round of the sectional playoffs in a blowout win over West Seneca East despite learning of grave news that morning that her grandfather David Broas had passed away.

The following game she led the way with 17 points to help down Hamburg 51-44.

“In big games, she did play big,” Jack Blanch said. “We needed her to come through in those games.”

Size wasn’t exactly the Lady Bulldogs’ strong point, either. At 5-10, Broas towered over most of her teammates.

“She was our tallest player. When you look at a lot of games we played, you look at us out there on the court and you say, ‘that’s a pretty small team,’ ” Blanch said. “She was playing against kids that are 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. And the thing about Jordyn that makes her so dangerous is that she’s 5-10, 5-11 and she can play from the point guard, down.”

Never did Blanch have Broas playing with her back to the basket, knowing that it would be a disservice to her down the road at the collegiate level.

“Coach Blanch, the last couple of years, he’s been playing me like an outside player,” said Broas, who’s heading to Buffalo State College next year to play for the Division-III Bengals. “I can shoot the ball. I’ve been more of an outside threat the last couple of years. Not a lot of people in high school expect a 5-11 girl to bring up the ball, but I can easily ball handle.”

Broas added that while the time flew by, she couldn’t be more happy to have ended her career with the legendary East coach Blanch, and her best friend, Katie Blanch.

“It was probably my favorite team I ever had,” Broas said. “Every practice I looked forward to and every game we played like it was our last. ... It’s sad to see it end.”

Contact sports editor Brandon Koch at 693-1000, ext. 117.