If nothing else, Tanner Turner-Rush has had an eventful high school career.
Susquehanna Township’s two-sport standout has shined on the soccer pitch and on the basketball court for the Indians.
One of the top soccer players in the Mid-Penn, Turner-Rush has accepted a scholarship to play soccer in college; she’ll announce her decision on National Letter of Intent signing day in early February.
She also tried out for Hanna’s football team this past season, booting 40-yard field goals through the uprights. She didn’t make the squad, but raised more than a few eyebrows with her kicking prowess.
Now when it comes to basketball, Turner-Rush has been one of the top players in the Mid-Penn Keystone — when she’s been on the floor.
During her freshman season she broke her left ankle and missed time.
During her sophomore season she broke her right ankle — what are the odds? — and missed time.
And during her junior season she missed 15 games while battling mononucleosis.
Some tough breaks — literally and figuratively — there.
But Turner-Rush has been making up for lost time this season for Hanna. Through 16 games — and yes, she’s played in all of them — she’s averaging a team-best 12.1 points with a team-high 24 3-point baskets.
Turner-Rush has been scorching since we flipped the calendar to 2014: In the last six games, she’s scoring at a 15.8 clip with 16 3s.
That includes a season-high 24 points — and six treys — in 57-51 win over Bishop McDevitt on Jan. 11, and 20 points — and four more 3s — in a 57-36 win over Lower Dauphin on Jan. 17.
She’s been lights-out.
Turner-Rush has the size to roam the paint, swap elbows and score at the rim. And she has the athleticism to run the floor, score and dish in transition and step back and shoot the J in your mug.
“When Tanner gets going, she really ignites their team,” Hershey coach Randy Gambelunghe said. “You have to respect her jumper first. But she’s a very capable offensive rebounder and she gets a lot of put-backs; she can crash the boards.”
Turner-Rush had 10 boards and 7 points on Monday against Hershey; the Trojans won the game 48-35, but Hanna remained a game over .500 in the Keystone at 6-5, and the Indians are 8-8 overall and hit the week No. 12 in the District 3-AAA power rankings.
So a postseason trip could still be on the offing for Hanna, especially if a healthy Turner-Rush — knock on wood — can keep doing her thing.
“Tanner has definitely emerged as the leader of our group,” Indians’ coach Julie Denniston said.
Turner-Rush was Denniston’s only full-time starter returning from last year’s team; and she missed 15 games. So Hanna has been getting it done with a relatively fresh-faced group.
Senior Lena Williams (7.4) has helped out Turner-Rush in the scoring department; senior Dalya Graves (4.2, 4 3s) can handle and is a floor general; soph Joya Maser (6.9) can beat you in the paint; and junior Chellyn Perrin (3.3) is a rebounder/shot-blocker.
Plus, Denniston features a couple of top subs that have provided instant offense off the pine: frosh Lexy Sczypta (2.1, 9 3s), frosh Ashley Dean (2.1), soph Janiese Pope (4.3, 17 3s) and senior Deven Jones (3.2) can all score and run the floor.
A healthy Turner-Rush — future college soccer player, broken bone/mono survivor and field-goal-kicking aficionado — has been the catalyst.