Ki’Onna Likely spent plenty of time in the Southside High School gym this past offseason, shooting a stand-up jump shot over and over again. All that work has paid off quite nicely.

Likely, a sophomore at Wallace Community College-Selma and Southside graduate, is shooting just over 64 percent from the field 13 games into the season for the Patriots. She leads her team in scoring with 22.4 points per game, which is good for sixth in the Alabama Community College Conference.

Head coach Herman Turner said that while her scoring has certainly helped Wallace in each of its games this season, it’s a mixture of the off-the-court qualities from Likely that truly make her a valuable asset to her team.

“Three things you want from a person: you want them to be a good person, you want them to be a good student and you want them to be a good athlete. She has all three qualities,” Turner said.

On a roster of 15 players, Likely is the player each of her teammates look to make plays on the court. Likely said the team lost a lot of talent after last season and she has needed to step up in a big way.

Last season, Likely led the team by averaging 10 points per game. This season only one other player, Frenika Craig, is averaging double figures.

Craig, a freshman, said it was Likely who convinced her to come to Wallace. Likely noticed the talent Craig brought, and she told Craig that if she came to Wallace, the Patriots were going to have a great team.

Since Craig has arrived at Wallace, she has noticed many parts of Likely’s game that she would like to emulate.

“She’s a good teammate,” Craig said. “She gets a lot of put-backs and rebounds. She pushes the ball up the floor well. She takes her time and she’s a good shooter.”

While Likely always has a good chance to score with the ball in her hands, she’s often more comfortable putting the ball in someone else’s hands.

Turner said Likely will often pass up a wide open shot just to give another teammate an opportunity to get some points. She hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer all season for just that reason.

If Turner ever has to tell Likely not to do something, it’s usually to be less unselfish.

“I’d rather give it up and let somebody else score so they have a better chance,” Likely said.

Turner said Likely plays mostly guard, but she has played all five positions for the Patriots. In spite of Likely’s high scoring outputs, the Patriots are just 5-8 this season. While not all games have come easy for Wallace, Likely said her ability to put points on the board has been a much simpler task this season.

“My first year it was much harder,” Likely said. “This year, it’s easier my sophomore year to score than my freshman year.”

The many hours Likely spent in Southside’s gym working on her jump shot have clearly worked. But Likely is not satisfied with where she or her team currently sits.

Just like the Southside gym in the summer, the Wallace gym is seeing plenty of Likely this season.

“If the gym is open, she’s here,” Turner said.

Wallace continues its season at Snead State Friday at 5:30 p.m.