Brace for impact: Sandburg’s Juliana Paddock is ready to roll as a junior after taking off knee brace. ‘I don’t have any limitations.’

The high point of Juliana Paddock’s rehab from a knee injury had to be her return to the court.

That occurred last season, when the 6-foot sophomore came off the bench for Sandburg and saw valuable minutes.

The following AAU season brought yet another thrill. She took off her brace — without fear.

“I was ready,” Paddock said. “I had worked really hard to get my strength back in my leg. I felt I was strong enough. I trusted my body.”

As a junior, Paddock is the top rebounder for the Eagles (7-2) and one of their leading scorers.

She’s ready for the Division I scouts.

“There’s a big difference from last year,” Paddock said. “I feel like I don’t have any limitations anymore.”

Paddock is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds. It’s been a breakout season that Sandburg coach Nick Fotopoulos has been waiting two years to see.

“She’s playing awesome,” Fotopoulos said. “She’s being really assertive out there. She’s the real deal right now for us.”

Paddock had surgery after injuring her left knee in 2020 during a fall scrimmage. The following spring, she sat on the bench with the varsity and kept stats.

She also watched — and learned.

“Watching the older girls, I was able to get a sense for how varsity basketball looks,” Paddock said. “I could analyze the whole game. I kept that in mind as I was rehabbing — the different things I could focus on when I started playing again.”

Paddock played with the brace during her sophomore season. She averaged five points and five rebounds.

“She was still getting used to playing on the repaired knee,” Fotopoulos said. “With the brace, she was limited. Halfway through her AAU season she said, ‘Hey, coach. I’m going to take the brace off.’ I said, ‘Cool. Let’s see how this goes.’

“I think it really sent her game to the next level. You can see her get more confident and strong.”

Tough kid: Junior guard Gabi Bednar hasn’t gotten taller during her three-season varsity career at Providence. But she has bulked up in one category.

Power.

“She might be small, but that girl is strong,” Celtics coach Eileen Copenhaver said. “When she goes to the rim, she has a little spin move, but she doesn’t shy away from contact.”

The 5-6 Bednar had a big day Saturday in the Marian Catholic Christmas Classic. She scored 12 points in a 55-25 win over Hillcrest and added 16 more in a 63-26 victory over Rich South.

Her top strength? Variety.

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“Gabi does a great job mixing it up,” Copenhaver said. “She can hit the long three, but yet she’s really tough around the basket. And she has a nice little midrange thing going on right now.

“Sometimes, she falls in love with that 3-point shot. But then she’ll take two or three dribbles and make a couple of nice pullups to say, ‘Oh, there’s another way to get to the basket.’ She always does that for us, which is excellent.”

Worth a look: Marist coach Renee Chimino has some news for Division I coaches regarding senior Elise Ward’s potential.

“She’s amazing,” Chimino said. “I think she should be considered one of the top players in the state. She deserves to be recognized that way. She’s unsigned right now, but she’s playing her heart out every single game.

“I’m asking her to do a lot, and without asking any questions, she nods her head and goes to work. She’s a coach’s dream, really.”

Ward, a 5-11 forward, refused to let Mother McAuley pull away in their Dec. 8 rivalry battle. She scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

It was her basket with 26.8 seconds remaining that forced overtime before McAuley finally won 56-53.