Veralyn Aviles is in the zone on the basketball court. 

"It's my escape,” she said. “I mean, everything that I'm going through goes away. It's my happy place."

A co-captain of the Murry Bergtraum Lady Blazers, Aviles has been a trailblazer since day one.

She scored the most points in the Public School Athletic League her freshman year. The next year, she notched the most assists in the P.S.A.L.

"I've liked seeing all my hard work pay off," she said.

"It was just like, you know, a great, you know, reward for, for the work and focus that she put in into our craft,” Jeffrey Noel, the head coach of the Lady Blazers basketball team, said. 

This year, the Williamsburg athlete surpassed her school's all time points record. She scored more than 2,000 points with the Lady Blazers.

"It was just something that like, just brought me so much happiness because, you know, I put in a lot of work and, you know, I've been through a lot," she said.

Her accomplishments have come with some devastating losses.

"There was nights I was going to school, eating, practice, showering and staying up all night with my mother," she said. 

The teenager lost one of her biggest fans, her mom, during her sophomore year after a long battle with cancer.

"Losing her, it really took a big toll on me. But like, now she's my motivation to, like, just keep going and keep pushing," she said.

And push she has. Despite the empty spot in the stands, she continues to earn top grades at The Urban Assembly Maker Academy.

"I want to be able to go far in life and be successful,” Aviles said. “So making sure my books are up to par with everything is one of my main priorities as well."

"As a teacher, you're always hoping that, you're going to inspire your kids, but she's just one of those special kids that inspires her teachers," Daniel McQuillan, Aviles’ social studies teacher and advisor, said.

In perhaps one of the sweetest wins of all, the Lady Blazers took home the City Championship a couple of weeks ago.

"It was a surreal moment,” Aviles said. “I mean, it was something I've been wanting to do in my whole entire high school career."

With the clock running down on her senior year, Aviles hopes to play college ball at a Division I school in the fall. She also wants to pursue a career in healthcare. And she’ll do it all with the help of her heavenly cheering section.

"I hope she's proud,” Aviles said. “I have the true feeling that she is. And she's smiling down right now."