It can be said with certainty that Whitehall’s Taylor George stands head and shoulders above the competition.

The senior point guard has just completed a remarkable career. She was a four-year starter, was the team’s leading scorer this season at 12.84 ppg, and was one of the prime reasons they made both the league and district playoffs.

She was a ballhawking defender as well, creating 71 steals this season.

Her impact was felt at both the offensive and defensive ends, earning her an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference selection as a second team all-star this season.

Over the course of those four varsity seasons, George scored 885 points.

Scoring 885 points in a career is something that usually gets an athlete invited back for a ceremony in which they’re inducted into their school’s Hall of Fame. That number most likely ranks among the top 15 players in Whitehall history.

But all those accomplishments have to be put into perspective. That’s because George stands just 4 feet 10 inches. In a game that celebrates length and salivates over size, George demonstrated there’s still a place for someone who understands how to play the game despite their height disadvantage.

All too often we hear about measurables: Size, speed, strength, etc, that are meticulously cataloged so we can gauge an athlete’s future success. George defies those notions. She proved that every time she stepped onto the floor and was rewarded by being named an all-star the last two seasons.

When she first started playing basketball when she was in elementary school, she just showed up and played the game. It was fun. But once middle school began, she began to notice that just showing up meant she was looking up at almost every other player.

“I started to realize in seventh and eighth grade that their was a difference,” said George. “And then when I started playing my freshman year, I knew it was going to be a problem.”

She knew that the game she had grown to love was going to be a challenge, especially if she wanted to succeed. People were going to judge her based solely on her size.

“It’s just something that I had to overcome,” she said. “You start hearing things like, ‘I’m too short, I can’t do this, I can’t do that.’”

George went out and disproved the naysayers every game. Listening to the Parkland coach Wes Spence after the Zephyr’s exit in the league playoffs this year, he commented about George’s impact in their loss to Whitehall toward the end of the season, saying she was all over the court and they didn’t have an answer for her. A lot of opposing coaches know that feeling and they tailored their game plan around her.

That’s another thing George had to overcome. She may have been able to slip under the radar when she first stepped onto a varsity court, but soon her skill set made her a marked woman. They had to account for that sharpshooter from behind the arc.

George said it was hard knowing that a team was looking to lock her up. And anyone they put on her was going to be bigger.

“That was a struggle,” she said.

Still, she worked within the flow of the offense, working the ball inside to Jill Kreglow or Ivanna Jones, and then cutting off a screen to get that wrinkle of space she needed to fire off that precision jumper.

She was also good in transition. That made her defense a vital aspect of her game.

“I had to be up and pressuring the ball,” said George. “My offense feeds off that.”

That pressure resulted in those steals. And those steals led to trips to the foul line from frustrated defenders trying to stop her.

She also wasn’t afraid of the moment and took those big shots late in the game, something that was a hallmark of her career.

“I just had a lot of confidence,” she said.

That stems from playing since she was in kindergarten. Her game was broadened even more when she began playing AAU ball, and then further accentuated by a shot doctor in Philadelphia who she worked with to hone her jumper.

So once she put on the maroon and gold, she was ready. Size wasn’t going to stop her.

Head coach Dwight Repsher said that what George brought to the game was a “lot of different things.”

“I think people see her as a scorer, but she was somebody who could take the ball away, too,” said Repsher. “Just look at those 71 steals.”

He said that her pressure on the ball allowed the team to play defense the way they wanted to this season. She was also a good passer who could spot the open man, and could rebound as well.

“She brings all that,” said Repsher.

Her versatility allowed her to play off the ball more this year which opened up her game even more. Alex Buskirk handled most of the point guard duties this season, and George was free to find places to weave that jump shot into gold.

Even with all her success, a lot of schools didn’t come calling. Sure, a handful of Division III schools made some overtures, but it wasn’t the number that her talent warranted.

It was the size thing again. Maybe they should have measured her heart.

“Size is something you can’t change,” said George. “What I could control was the amount of effort.

And it was that effort that got put her head and shoulders above the competition.

George said that she is still weighing her options. She’s not sure exactly which direction she will take now, but is confident basketball will be in her future in some shape or form.

For now, she’s just happy about her time as a Zephyr. For someone for her size to score that many points is an incredible feat.

“To accomplish something like that, I was really proud,” said George. “My goal was to reach 1,000, but 885 is a really big thing.

“I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and teammates. I’m definitely very satisfied with the outcome of my four years.”