BUFFALO TWP — Jenna Manke is finally feeling like herself these days on the basketball court.

She dominating inside again. Grabbing rebounds. Scoring points.

Helping the Freeport girls basketball team to the WPIAL playoffs.

“It was just mental,” Manke said of her midseason swoon which saw her scoring average drop. “I let the stress get to me.”

Now, the senior forward is just stressing other team's out.

Manke is averaging 17 points in her last five games and nearly 10 rebounds for Freeport, which is 12-7 overall and 9-2 in the section, in second place behind unbeaten Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.

“She's really stepped up,” said Freeport coach Fred Soilis. “Her performance level, both on offense and on defense, and her rebounding, have been great. She has a lot of desire and determination.”

Manke has always been driven.

Not the tallest player — she stands only 5-foot-9 — Manke plays like a much bigger player.

Not bad for someone who was projected to be a guard when she joined the basketball team at Freeport as a freshman.

“I thought I was going to be a shooting guard,” Manke said, chuckling. “But in the first or second game of the season, they put me in the post. I was terrified. They told me to just give it my best.”

Manke did just that, showing a knack for rebounding and physical play inside.

“I'm just determined,” Manke said. “Determined to go get a rebound, to go get it even though the other girls are taller.”

She's the perfect compliment to a trio of explosive sophomore guards at Freeport in Madeline Clark, Samantha Clark and Sidney Shemanski.

One of three seniors, Manke has also taken a leadership role for a young team with designs on making a deep run in the WPIAL playoffs later this month.

“She's a quiet leader,” Soilis said. “She's not one of those rowdy, vocal people. In a huddle she'll say something to the other players, but it's more of a watch what I do and follow me type of things with her.”

Manke has had an interesting senior athletic year.

A standout volleyball player for three years with the Yellowjackets, she decided to leave that sport to focus more of her time on basketball.

But just before school started, she was recruited by the girls soccer team as a starting goalie.

Manke hadn't played soccer since junior high.

“They needed help,” Manke said. “They needed a goalie. I played soccer as I was growing up.”

Manke recorded nine shutouts in goal for Freeport, which went 16-3-1 overall, but lost in the WPIAL 2A semifinals to Waynesburg Central.

Manke, though, hopes to stick with one sport — basketball — at the next level.

She's received some interest, especially from Allegheny College, where her former teammate at Freeport, Zoe Soilis, plays.

For now, she's just focused on helping Freeport get farther than the WPIAL 4A quarterfinals, where the Yellowjackets were tripped up last season against Blackhawk.

“We came into the season hoping for a really good year and thinking we could have one,” Manke said. “We had such a good summer. We expect so much from this team.”