When you know, you know.

At age five, Ella Brown knew she was a basketball player.

She joined her first organized team in kindergarten, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Brown’s basketball intuition hasn’t failed her since, which is why when the Pennridge sophomore realized that this was going to be a special season for the team, there was no reason to doubt her, despite last year’s 11-12 campaign.

“We all want the same thing this year, and that’s to go deep in the playoffs,” said Brown. “A lot has changed since last year, both for me and the team.”

Brown, who was a swing player last year, felt she had to step up this year after she secured a role in the starting lineup. The results speak for themselves: Brown is averaging 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Her emergence has been one of the keys to the Rams’ 16-6 record and a berth in the District One playoffs.

One of Brown’s goals was to develop as a shooter, and she has a very good role model in senior Katie Yoder, who scored her 1,000th career point in the Rams’ final game of the regular season.

“It was an awesome moment to see Katie get that,” Brown said. “She is a great teammate and she’s always picking us up when we need a big basket.”

Witnessing her teammate’s milestone moment was emotional and exciting for Brown, but even more so, it was inspirational.

“It’s always been my biggest goal as a high school player to reach 1,000 points,” Brown said. “I’d love to follow in Katie’s footsteps as a scorer.”

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New Coach, New Outlook

One of the biggest changes for the Rams’ players was their new coach, Jason Rapp.

“He has changed a lot of things for the better and we have a new philosophy,” Brown said. “It was great to start over.”

Rapp’s philosophy includes playing faster, staying solid on defense and shooting more. Getting the green light has helped Brown’s confidence grow, which in turn has helped her in shooting 48 percent from the field.

Rapp speaks to Brown’s intangibles — hard work, coachability, and competitiveness — as contributing to her emergence as a reliable starter on a playoff-bound team. But what really sets her apart is her pure love of the game.

“Basketball has always been my thing,” Brown said. “It’s a way for me to get away from life for a while.”

Brown also plays for the Lehigh Valley Fever AAU team, and one of her proudest moments with the Fever was being named second-team all-tournament at a recent Hoop Group tournament.

Even when she’s home, basketball is never far from Brown’s thoughts. As the oldest child in the family, Brown is sharing her love of the game with her younger siblings.

“My sister will be a freshman when I’m a senior and it would be really cool if we can play together (at Pennridge),” said Brown.

Outside of basketball, Brown is a member of the school’s executive council and participates in community service projects. For now though, her focus is on what could be a historic postseason for the Rams.

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On Friday night, the Rams faced Colonial Division foe Souderton in the quarterfinals of the SOL Tournament. While Souderton won 54-40, for the Rams, it’s all about gaining experience that will help the team in its quest for a deep run through districts and, ultimately, a state playoff berth.

 As Ella Brown predicted, this certainly has turned out to be a special year for the Rams: 

• Ranked No. 13 in the unofficial District One 6A standings, the Rams will host a district playoff game for the first time in more than 15 years.

• Only the team’s seniors have played in the postseason, and that was limited to one game three years ago.

• The team, which is 16-6 overall, had just one winning season in the last 14 years.

• The Rams have a winning record in the SOL (11-5) for the first time in more than 10 years.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks Girls High School Basketball: Ella Brown enjoying special season