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Jenay Faulkner's career at G-A comes full circle


When it comes to basketball, there isn't much that Jenay Faulkner can't do.

And she's proved that, time and time again as Greencastle-Antrim's fearless leader.

As a freshman, she was the "missing piece" on an already talented squad, and quickly moved into a more dominant role as a sophomore.

But as pieces of Greencastle's 2014-15 district championship team began to leave the Devils Den, Faulkner's role became even more integral as she all but carried Greencastle through another successful season.

"She was involved in every aspect of the game, and she (was guarded by) so many good players in our area and was still successful," Greencastle coach Mike Rhine said. "To me, she doesn’t have a weakness. She can score, rebound, defend, and when you compare her, no one does as well, and as much as she does."

She is the P.O. Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Faulkner scored 52 percent of Greencastle's total points this season, which Rhine called a "down year" for G-A standards, but the Blue Devils still managed to rack up an 18-6 record, and lost just four games in the regular season - thanks in most part to Faulkner.

"I think this season helped my mental strength," she said. "There were so many games where I was off, and I had to stay mentally tough to not get down and still lead the team."

And as if being a workhorse already on the offensive end wasn't enough, Faulkner also controlled the court in her new position as the team's point guard.

"This year I was in a completely different role and did whatever the team needed," Faulkner said. "It was stressful because I felt like if I had a bad game, I knew someone would step up, but I didn't know if it would be enough and what we needed."

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In one of Faulkner's more impressive performances, she inadvertently broke the school's single-game scoring record (we think) as she took control of the game - literally - scoring 38 of G-A's 47 points in a three-point win over East Pennsboro.

"That was probably my most memorable game," Faulkner said. "Not even the fact that I scored 38 points, but it was just such a good game. It's a nice accomplishment; it's something I can look back on, but I never even thought about breaking the (single-game scoring) record."

"She is going to do whatever we need her to do in order to get the win," Rhine said. "And this year she had to do so much, it had to be stressful and it had to be hard. We were leaning on her and hoping that she would win it for us. We couldn’t have asked for anything else from her. She was so dedicated to this program."

And that dedication shows on the banners hung in the Greencastle gym - she broke the school's all-time scoring record early in the season, finishing her career in a Blue Devil uniform with 1,820 points.

But even though Faulkner will go down in G-A history as one of the greatest basketball players to play on the court, her final game at home was bittersweet.

After going nearly four full years undefeated at home, Greencastle was beaten in the final game of the regular season by Susquehanna Twp., breaking an astounding home record.

"That was one of my big goals, to not ever lose on our home court," Faulkner said. "It gave us a lot of confidence. Every district game, we thought, 'Oh, we're not losing, it's a home game, so we got it.' That helped us a lot throughout the postseason.

"It was bittersweet when it ended, but it was a great career, and that's all we can think about now."

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Jenay Faulkner file

Grade: Senior

Position: Point guard

Height: 5-foot-11

College: Committed to play basketball at Holy Cross, a Division I school in the Patriot League

Parents names: Troy and Kristy Faulkner

Other interests: Faulkner also plays soccer and is a thrower for the G-A track & field team.

Career highlights: Faulkner has won District 3 medals in three different sports ... She was on teams that won District 3 titles in soccer and basketball in her sophomore year, and placed fourth in the shot put at the District 3 track & field meet last year.

Surprising fact: She's never gotten a B as a grade in high school.

2017 pump up song: Bad and Boujee by Migos

Most embarrassing basketball moment: Airballing a free throw. 

Statistics: In her senior year, Faulkner broke Greencastle's all-time scoring record, and points in a single game with 38 against East Pennsboro ... She nearly averaged a double-double to lead the team with 18.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game ... She had a pair of triple-doubles and led the team with 4.2 assists per game, 2.5 blocks and 4 steals.