Katie Collier played in the game of her life and scored one against leukemia this past week.

The Seattle Christian senior and University of Washington recruit participated in the McDonald's All-American basketball game in Chicago last Wednesday, an honor bestowed to only the best female high school basketball players in the land.

This achievement pales in comparison to the obstacle she has overcome in life as a young woman: Collier, 18, has beaten cancer.

Collier was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a curable disase, in September. Despite undergoing energy-sapping chemotherapy for six months, Collier played through it -- sometimes competing in games immediately after chemo sessions at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

"Katie is a courageous young lady," said Seattle Christian coach Dave Jansen on Sunday. "She wanted to play this season no matter what. She was just not listening to any other alternatives, saying, 'I'm playing, somehow I'll get through it.'

"It was hard to realize just how sick she was sometimes," he added. "If I'd ask her how she felt before a game, she would just say, 'I'm good coach. I'm ready to go.' I could never tell."

In a sideline interview during the McDonald's All-American game, in which the East beat Collier's West team 80-78, ESPN's Quint Kessenich asked Collier what kept her going. "My team and my love for the game," Collier said, "and the support (from family, friends and coaches) I've had through everything has just been phenomenal."

It was not long ago that Collier's mother, Ann, had her own battle with cancer.

Katie's mom learned she had breast cancer in 2008, beginning a two-year successful fight. During that ordeal, coach Jansen said, Ann Collier was bound and determined to see the 2009 Seattle Christian Warriors win the state title. She had a vested interest: Three of her daughters, seniors Melissa and Megan and freshman Katie were starters.

"Nothing was going to stop her from seeing that happen," Jansen said.

The Warriors beat Granger 55-53 in overtime to win the state Class 1A state title that year. Katie Collier scored 15 points, hauled in 12 rebounds and hit four clutch free throws in overtime with her mother Ann in attendance.

In the McDonald's All-American game, Collier scored two points, had five rebounds and blocked a game-high five shots.

"Wow, she was holding her own down low (post) and banging with the best of them," Jansen said.

With the game hanging in the balance, at 78-76, Collier outmuscled 6-foot-3 forward and Gatorade National Player of the Year Breanna Stewart, a prized UConn recruit, for an offensive rebound, drawing a foul with 16.4 seconds remaining in the game.

Unflappable, Collier coolly sank both free throws to tie the game at 78-all.

With less than a second to go, Collier was called for a controversial reaching foul when she got tangled up with Tennessee recruit Bashaara Graves going up for a rebound with less than a second left. Graves, 6-foot-2 forward, hit both free throws to win the game.

Coach Jansen said he was disappointed the West team didn't get the ball to Collier more during the game.

"She has a sweet shot," he said.

Jansen said he believes UW Husky coach Kevin McGuff will "find a way" to take advantage of Collier's ability to hit mid-range jumpers, a fine quality for a post player.

Jansen added that when Collier -- who is Seattle Christian's all-time scoring leader -- learned that she had leukemia, with scholarships from Washington, Gonzaga, and UCLA on the table, each school said that they would honor the scholarship, "regardless of what happened with the treatment for leukemia."

Jansen recalls, fondly, the first time he saw Collier play, when he was coaching the Kent Jayhawks Select eighth-grade team. His daughter, Kelly, brought her friend Katie, then a seventh-grader, along to practice.

"After one practice, I gave her a uniform," he said.

During one scrimmage with the Courtney Vandersloot's (now a WNBA player) state-champion Kentwood team, Jansen said she "was holding her own and swatting shots away," even at that age.

Jansen said the fierceness and courage she displayed as an athlete early in life surely helped her in winning her fight against cancer.

"She has strong faith and is committed to not let anything beat her," he said.

A local viewing party for Collier's followers was held Wednesday at McDonald's Restaurant in Tukwila. Some fans showed up in jerseys with Collier's name and number (three) emblazoned on the back. The restaurant is owned by Bob Comiskey, a longtime Collier family friend.

The event was a fund-raiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities (206-838-0600) and Seattle Children's Hospital (206-987-2000).

Collier, who is the youngest in a family of six (father Mark, mother Ann, brother Adam, Jordan and twin sisters Melissa and Megan), visited the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago during her stay there.

"It hit home (the cancer) in going there and just playing with the kids and realizing that I have something that can relate to them," Collier told ESPN's Kessenich. "It was great ... smiles everywhere."

Collier's legacy as a Seattle Christian Warrior is secure.

"She was a joy to coach," Jansen said. "I'll always help in getting her story out there."