Maire Gallagher is nearing the end of a five-year quest.

Gallagher, a senior three-sport star at Burncoat High, is just 87 points shy of 1,000 for her high school career, a milestone that started with a simple thought that raced through Gallagher’s mind when she was an eighth-grader. 

“I remember looking at the (1,000-point scorers) banners hanging in the gym during practice when I was on JV in the eighth grade,” said Gallagher, who has helped the Patriots to a 6-2 start, their best in years. 

What seemed near impossible to a young player about to embark on a high school career became a possibility and then an obsession, thanks to a boost of confidence from Meg Brunelle, Gallagher’s field hockey coach. 

“Coach B told me that she believed I could (become a 1,000-point scorer) someday,” Gallagher said. “It’s something I’ve worked at for a long time.”

Gallagher — coming off a 47-point scoring night last week in a win over Blackstone-Millville in which the Patriots point guard drained nine 3-pointers — leads Central Mass. in scoring at 27 points per game. 

“Maire’s a three-sport athlete, but she loves basketball and somehow has always found the time to improve her game,” third-year Burncoat coach Paul Keenan said. “If I tell her there’s a camp or clinic or league, she always makes herself available to take part. She’s dedicated to the sport and her game has matured every year.” 

Gallagher also has led her teammates in the highly competitive Shrewsbury Girls' Summer Basketball League the past few years, an endeavor Keenan feels has aided his players’ improvement.

In addition to basketball and field hockey, Gallagher also plays softball. As if her schedule is not already filled, Gallagher is also part of Burncoat’s renowned dance program.

Gallagher is 5-foot-4, but is as effective near the rim as she is away from it, and has the inexplicable, but easy-to-spot gift that hoopsters dream of — the ability to get “in the zone.”

Gallagher has drained 41 treys this year — an average of five per night — far and away the most in Central Mass. since the next-best long-range specialist has 16.

“Watching her (against Blackstone-Millville) was just amazing,” Keenan said. “There was a point where I was turning to my (assistant) coaches and it was as if we really didn’t know what to say. They were throwing some box-in-one defense at her, but it just didn't matter. She just went off, took the game over.” 

Keenan has known Gallagher for many years and realized Gallagher had the chance to be special when he was a counselor at the Holy Cross basketball camp and watched the then-middle-schooler excel.

Gallagher is well aware of the Burncoat basketball tradition and the history of the school’s gym, the fabled “Green Graveyard,” thanks to people like Brunelle and Keenan, who have been around the school and the neighborhood during the Patriots’ waves of basketball glory. 

Gallagher plays AAU basketball for a pair of local coaches with strong ties to Burncoat basketball — Adrian Machado, a star big man on the Burncoat teams of the early 1990s that many feel may be the best Central Mass. has ever seen, and Ryan Connor, who played at Doherty but recently coached the Burncoat boys’ team.

Connor also is Gallagher’s guidance counselor and Gallagher said Connor has been and will be an important advisor as she decides her future plans.

Gallagher said she definitely will be playing basketball in college, but has yet to decide where, although several local programs have been in contact.

Before Gallagher makes the jump to the next level, though, she has some business to finish at Burncoat. 

“I know it’s been a long time since Burncoat has made the (Central Mass. Tournament),” she said. “Each year, we’ve taken another step and last year we just missed out, so it’s a goal of ours to get there, and I think we have the team that can do it.” 

The Patriots two weeks ago won the Inter-High Holiday Tournament, which could be an indicator that Burncoat has the potential to chase down a league title.

“The Inter-High is so important to us,” Gallagher said. “We’re usually counted out in the Inter-High, but this year I think we have a fair shot to win it.”

Gallagher, a captain along with Katie Pasquale, will look to lead Burncoat through a tough second-half schedule that includes Notre Dame Academy, Shrewsbury, and a pair of matchups with city rival Doherty.

“I think the kids have been motivated since last year,” Keenan said. “We had a nice season and a chance to play our way into the tournament, but almost doesn't count. It came down to the last two games and we came up short. This year, we need to win the close games against teams we can compete.”

Burncoat, should it reach the Central Mass. Tournament, would play in Division 2 this year. 

Count Keenan among those who believe in Burncoat. 

“I’ve had this group since they were sophomores,” Keenan said. “They just know how to do things the way they need to be done, whether it’s what out-of-bounds play to run or what switches to make on defense. They’re on the same page. They’re a pleasure to coach.”

—Contact Tom Flanagan at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.