Racking up the honors

L-E’s Bryana Block continues to excel on and off the court

TEXARKANA, Texas — If you’ve had the pleasure of checking out a Liberty-Eylau girls’ game, then you’ve had the chance to see No. 23 slash to the basket and make perimeter jump shots.

Her name is Bryana Block and she’s a force on the court and in the classroom.

“I’m a student first,” Block said. “I’m currently in Honors classes and I’m ranked 8th out of 159 students. I plan to attend nursing school, with hopes of being a pediatrician someday. I love little kids and that’s a way for me to go into a field I’m passionate about.

If that doesn’t work out, because I’ll be juggling basketball and school, then I would love to be a coach. I want to be a middle school or high school coach, that way I can still be around kids.”

Block has also secured two Division I offers to play basketball at Sam Houston State University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Last Fall, Block was named Homecoming Princess during Liberty-Eylau’s Homecoming ceremony.

“You can’t be named Homecoming Queen until your senior year,” Block said. “Being nominated was an honor. I’m enjoying high school this year and I try to get involved in as many extracurricular activities that my time will allow.

“I know that I have to make the right decisions at all times, because at the blink of an eye, it can all be gone.”

In her last outing with the Lady Leopards, Block scored a game-high 30 points with six steals and seven rebounds.

Block and her teammates are on pace to make a deep run this upcoming postseason.

“It feels good but I feel like we need to continue to take it one game at a time,” Block said. “We have to stay focus because there’s a lot of outside noise. Coach (Lamarcus) Franklin preaches to us everyday about staying focused and blocking everything out. He also tells us to stay relentless.”

Block is the daughter of LaKeisha Willingham. Block’s willingness to make the extra pass and her selflessness on offense is another trait that she exudes on the court.

“I feed off of my teammates and I know we’re going to make it together as a unit in the long run,” Block said. “I know I can’t do everything myself, so if I’m able to get my teammates confidence up, then our team will be better as a whole. When everyone’s confidence is up, we’re a pretty good team. I like seeing the ball going in the net but I really feed off the fans in the stands when I get a steal, so both ends of the court are somewhat equal to me.”