Ex-Graham player fitting in at Mechanicsburg

Senior Purk playing for family-friendly Indians squad battling in OHC.

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer 11:12 PM Tuesday, January 24, 2012

MECHANICSBURG — Christie Dodane knew exactly what type of basketball player she was getting in Tori Purk.

Purk, a Mechanicsburg High School senior, moved to the district last fall from Graham, where she played for Dodane as a freshman and sophomore.

But coaching didn’t have a lot to do with their familiar relationship — Dodane is Purk’s aunt.

Dodane said coaching her niece in her senior year is “awesome.”

“She’s not only a great athlete and adds a lot to our team,” Dodane said, “but being my niece, I love her. She’s a great kid.”

Purk was the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division Player of the Year last winter, helping the Falcons win back-to-back division titles. She’s picked up right where she left off this year at Mechanicbsurg, which is 11-2 and 7-2 in the Ohio Heritage Conference. Purk is averaging 20.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. She’s also shooting a high percentage from both the field (63 percent) and the free-throw line (73 percent).

“I couldn’t wait to get over here,” Purk said.

Purk is joined on the team by two cousins, junior Brooke Dodane (3.0 assists per game) and freshman Jamie Dodane (12.9 points, 3.8 steals per game). Their grandpa, Paul Hershberger Sr., is an assistant coach.

“Through my career, they were always around,” Dodane said, “and now that we can share what we have as a team, it’s awesome.”

Dodane said the players at Mechanicsburg have been very gracious in accepting their family.

“All the kids on the team work hard, they work together and they’re all friends,” Dodane said. “We’re like a big family. The kids at Mechanicsburg have opened up their arms, accepted us and made us a part of them.”

Dodane said Purk has done a good job controlling the inside for the Indians, along with senior Kristen Dunlap (12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds per game).

“That’s her forte,” Dodane said. “She opens up the outside for our guards because they have to focus on the inside.”

Earlier this month, Purk became the fourth 1,000-point scorer in Mechanicsburg history, joining Amanda Lewis, Amber Sherman and Stacy Riley.

“My cousin (Jamie) gave me the assist, so that made it even better,” Purk said.

The Indians have won six straight games, and are two games back of Triad (13-0, 8-0) in the OHC race. The goal, Dodane said, is to win every game the rest of the way.

“We’re playing better and better with each game,” Dodane said. “We’re playing together and we’re playing better defense. We’ve been shooting better.”

That showed on Saturday, when they set a school record for points in a game with a 110-41 victory over Riverside.

“We didn’t set out to do that,” Dodane said, “but we shot 64 percent (39-of-61). The difference was our shooting percentage.”

Purk and her teammates would also like to make a run in the postseason. Several Shelby County schools have already started scouting them for the upcoming Division IV sectionals at Sidney.

“That’s a huge compliment,” Dodane said. “In previous years, I think Mechanicsburg was just an afterthought.”

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