When they advanced out of the division tournament last season, the Vicksburg Missy Gators thought they found a future star in Ruddie Shears.

So far this year, she’s making them believe it.

Shears, a senior forward, has emerged as a deadeye shooter and reliable scorer for the Missy Gators. She’s scored in double figures in seven of their 10 games this season and is the team’s leading scorer with 13.9 points per game.

“Back in February, we knew Ruddie was our secret weapon. The first five games this year, it was pure money when they’d pass her the ball,” Vicksburg assistant coach Deborah Brown said. “When she’s in a rhythm, we know it’s going to be a good night.”

Shears had a few decent games her freshman and sophomore seasons, then came into her own late in the 2013-14 campaign.

In a four-game span, she scored in double figures five times. That included an 18-point performance to lead the Missy Gators to a 54-46 win over Lanier in the division tournament. The victory put them into the satellite round of the North State tournament for the first time in seven years.

Building off her strong finish, Shears kept working over the summer and has continued the momentum.

She’s averaging 13.9 points through 10 games — nearly double her average from last season — and shooting 30 percent from the field on mostly jumpers and perimeter shots.

Shears scored 24 points against Wingfield and followed it up with 23 against Crystal Springs. She also had 20 in a 53-47 win over archrival Warren Central on Dec. 6

“I’ve been keeping myself motivated. I’ve been trying very, very hard and working hard,” Shears said. “I went to the court early almost every morning and just worked. My parents helped me out.”

Brown credited Shears’ offseason work to her improvement this season.

“We worked on a lot of fundamentals and did weights, and I think the weights helped her. She’s getting up the court faster,” Brown said. “Her mom and dad (Stacey and Gary Lee) took her to the court away from the gym, and that’s helped too.”

Although she’s got some height at 5-foot-9, Shears prefers to camp on the wing and shoot the ball. She said she has a good feel for her shot and can tell immediately if she needs to chase down the rebound or not.

“I can feel if I’m going to make the shot or if I’m going to miss. If I’m going to miss, I’ll try to rebound. I know if it’s going to go in or not,” Shears said. “My role is to be a shooter, but I can bang down low.”

Shears is comfortable enough in her role to leave the bulk of the rebounding to junior forward Karry Callahan, who is averaging 13.3 points and 17.1 rebounds.

Brown said that sort of selflessness is another important part of Shears’ game. It’s made for better team chemistry and better all-around performance from everyone. The Missy Gators, who haven’t won more than 12 games in a season since the 2009-10 season, already have eight victories under their belt. They’ll go for No. 9 Friday afternoon against Clinton in the Ridgeland Shootout.

“Ruddie is the nucleus of this team. She never has a harmful word to say about anyone. She’s going to pick everybody else up when they’re down,” Brown said. “We haven’t had a close-knit team like this in a long time. That’s what’s going to carry us over the hump.”