Abington Heights junior Kate Scoblick received the Love of the Game Award from the Pace Setters Athletic Club. Pictured from left: Keystone College player Jack Anderson, Ron Ulias from the Pace Setters and Scoblick.
Tom Robinson | The Abington Journal
CLARKS SUMMIT – Abington Heights junior Kate Scoblick received the Love of the Game Award from the Pace Setters Athletic Club for the dedication she showed in returning to the court with the District 2 Class 5A finalist Lady Comets.
The Pace Setters honored one boy and one girl from District 2 for the way their Love of the Game was shown in their determination to be on the court.
Scoblick and Blue Ridge junior Connor Cranage were this season’s honorees. Scoblick was recognized during a presentation, attended by her teammates, in the Abington Heights High School Library.
Scoblick worked her way into the starting lineup early in the season after undergoing major spinal surgery during the offseason.
“I knew after her sophomore season that her scoliosis was getting worse,” Abington Heights coach Deanna Klingman said. “ … My goal wasn’t, ‘how is she going to come back to basketball after this surgery?. To me, it was, ‘how is she going to function in live after this surgery’?”
Scoblick underwent a nine-hour surgery in April, 2022 to correct the worsening curvature of the spine.
To Klingman’s surprise, she was ready to join in the action with her teammates early in the season after cautiously participating in limited off-season workouts.
“Her story was truly amazing that she got released in November to start doing some drills,” the coach said. “ … She is resilient. She came back and she gave everything of herself for the team.
“She has great teammates. They love her; they were at her house; she had great support around her through the whole thing.”
After conquering her personal battles with a grueling physical therapy process, Scoblick returned to serve as an ideal teammate, leading the team in rebounding, often taking the second-most difficult defensive assignment and helping the Lady Comets whatever way she could.
“She would do anything for this team,” Klingman said. “She didn’t play many minutes as a sophomore and she comes right into a starting role after the surgery.”
