The passer behind Wood's run to state final

Aubree Brown's head is always on a swivel, as she looks for where the ball should go next.

Brown, Archbishop Wood's senior captain, exudes a pivotal confidence for the Vikings (26-4), who will face Blackhawk in the PIAA Class AAA state final Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Strong with the ball in her hands, the 6-foot guard/forward is a terrific passer. She almost always finds the open teammate. Brown does so with such frequency that she makes difficult passes look routine.

"She's somebody that isn't afraid to give the ball to the other young kids," interim coach Mike McDonald said. "She makes the right pass most of the time. She's a heady player. She's confident. She's been one of the better players on the court for most of her life."

Over the course of the last three years, the Drexel recruit has become one of the top players in the Catholic League. She's not flashy and doesn't get emotional on the floor. That's something she grew out of after grade school, she said

Instead, she opted for a quiet excellence. As the only senior in an eight-player rotation that includes mostly freshmen and sophomores, Brown remains levelheaded - a trait she passed on to the underclassmen.

"Passing is her best skill," McDonald said. "But her biggest asset is her competitiveness."

"It's never an issue of Aubree lacking effort," McDonald added. "And having such a young team, they feed off of that."

Saturday will be the third time Brown has played for a state championship. As a freshman, the Vikings won the title. Brown returned last year as a junior, when Wood fell to Blackhawk.

"It's pretty great," said Brown, who averages 12 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals a game. "When you play for Wood, it's such a great program that it's kind of expected, but it's awesome to have this opportunity to get back there and hopefully win it."

Brown admits she doesn't remember much from that game her first year as a Viking, but she does remember that feeling of winning.

"It was the greatest feeling ever winning the last game of the season and celebrating," Brown said. "I'd like to do that again."