Julie Wills now knows that playing basketball at Butler County Community College was a good decision.

Pioneers coach Sean Carroll would agree.

Wills, a 5-foot-5 freshman shooting guard and Seneca Valley graduate, currently leads the team with 12.8 points per game and is 27-of-80 for 34 percent from 3-point range. She also is contributing 2.5 assists every game.

Her scoring average includes her career-high of 24 points against Franciscan (Ohio) on Dec. 3.

"She's a very good shooter," said Carroll. "That's definitely her best asset as a player, her shooting ability."

Wills averaged 4.3 points per game with Seneca Valley last season.

"I live in Cranberry," said Carroll. "And I shot up (Interstate 79) a few times to see her play in high school."

Carroll approached Wills about playing basketball for the Pioneers (3-10). While she did decide to come to BC3 as a student, it wasn't until a few months ago that she agreed to join the team.

"They had an open gym here during the summer, but I didn't come to that because I wasn't planning on playing," Wills said.

"But early in the fall, Coach came to me again about playing. Plus, (former Seneca Valley teammate) Jenna Jerome said that she played here last year and it was a lot of fun. That's when I decided to play.

"And I'm glad I did," Wills added. "I've made some great friends and am having a lot of fun. That's really what it's all about, is having fun."

Wills also sees time at point guard, spotting starter and Karns City graduate Stephanie Devore. But the majority of her time has been spent at shooting guard.

She quickly noticed the differences between playing for a two-year college program and a Quad A high school.

"It's tough getting everybody to play as a team," she said. "It's not like in high school when you could be around the same teammates for four years.

"It's difficult," she added. "But we're all playing as hard as we can."

Though Carroll knew Wills would be a key addition to his team, he admits that he wasn't expecting her to put up the numbers that she has.

"The college game is eight minutes longer than high school," he said. "Sometimes it takes players a while to adjust to that. But I have been pleasantly surprised by her overall play.

"She still has to work on her ball handling," he added. "But she is always out there playing hard and diving for balls. I'd take a player like her any day."

Aside from her team-leading offensive numbers, Wills also leads by example.

"She competes every second of every game," Carroll said. "During a practice, the other girls see her going as hard as she would be in a game and that kind of effort rubs off."

Wills has yet to decide whether or not she will play after leaving BC3.

"That all depends on what falls into place in the future," she said.