Kendall Kitchen joined an exclusive individual Canton club last month, becoming just the program’s fourth player to reach 1,000 career points.

That was nice, but what means more to the senior guard is the exclusive fraternity her team reached last week. That is what the high school journey has been mostly about.

Kitchen scored 12 points and made five steals a week ago, helping Canton rally past Northwest, 38-35 and become the first Warrior team since 2002 to reach the state tournament. Canton (17-9) heads to District 2 champion Mountain View Friday, just the second team from its school to make states during the 2000s and the first to finish among the district’s top three.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Kitchen said after helping Canton take third in District 4 and defeat the Mid-Penn Conference champions. “It’s so incredible to think all four years of varsity have been leading up to this moment.”

Kitchen is the team’s lone senior has formed an outstanding foundation on which Canton has built. The Warriors have made an eight-win improvement this season and have enjoyed their most consistent success of the 21st century while Kitchen has played there.

A four-year starter, Kitchen helped Canton win its first playoff game in 20 years three years ago, mentored a young squad throughout last season and has made her final high school season her best one. Kitchen averages 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game and is a huge reason Canton has won multiple playoff games in the same season for the first time during the 2000s.

“She’s our only senior and I wish she could come back. She’s a super tough kid,” Canton coach Ryan Van Noy said. “This has been such a special season for Kendall.”

That included Kitchen becoming Canton’s first 1,000-point scorer since 2002 when she produced 21 first half points in a late-season win against Williamson. Still, Kitchen has always put we above me and collective success has been her main goal.

That mindset has Kitchen lifting Canton ways in which stats cannot measure. The example she sets at practices; the way she plays the game and the way she makes her teammates better have meant as much, if not more, to Canton’s growth than the impressive numbers she has totaled.

“Kendall Kitchen is an absolute monster, not only with the points but as a leader,” Van Noy said. “She does not take practices off. Every drill is 100 % as hard as you can go and she’s taught these kids how to do that. She’s another reason why we’re where we’re at.”

Kitchen has been a stabilizing force for a team which has played its best basketball down the stretch. The Warriors handed six-time defending NTL-II champion Northeast Bradford its first division loss in five years last month, and have won eight of their last 10 games.

Despite being the higher-seeded team, Canton was labeled an underdog entering its district quarterfinal against Southern Columbia. There, Kitchen played one of her best games, scoring 23 points and helping Canton rally in the fourth quarter.

It was a similar story against Northwest. The Rangers held a six-point lead late in the first half when Kitchen drilled a key 3-pointer and scored seven straight points. The game was close all night, but Canton never trailed again with Kitchen stuffing the stat sheet and helping Canton remain calm when the game was its most tense.

All the while, Canton has surprised many, including Kitchen herself.

“Personally, I didn’t think we would go this far considering last year we were the No. 7 seed in districts last year, and this year we jumped all the way to four,” Kitchen said. “It’s amazing what you can do when you have good chemistry and you trust each other.”

That trust permeates from Kitchen, a player who relentlessly has worked to improve each season. Following her lead, all the Warriors compete hard and the results speak for themselves. All had their fingerprints upon the exciting wins against Southern and Northwest; all did something crucial to help make the difference in those outcomes.

Those players, though, knew that even if this season did not end the way they hoped, they would have other chances. This was Kitchen’s last chance. She certainly has made the most of it.

Canton has long been a strong sports town, but girls’ basketball success sometimes remained elusive. Kitchen has changed that. So, while her name will always be on the 1,000-point banner inside the gym, her lasting legacy is that of simply being a winner.

“Coach always tells us we have nothing to lose. That couldn’t be more true because we’re just a small town in Canton. We take on the big teams and we play like we have nothing to lose,” Kitchen said. “It’s all been worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Canton would not trade Kitchen for anything either.