BENTONVILLE — Christine Smith admitted it only feels like “a few days ago” when she was helping Shiloh Christian’s girls basketball team win a state championship.

That feat actually took place in 2009.

Smith is now halfway through her final season at Lyon College, where she’s a 5-foot-9 guard on a Lady Scots team with an 9-1 record and a No. 23 ranking in the NAIA Division I women’s basketball poll heading into a Saturday night game in Batesville against top-ranked Lubbock Christian.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” Smith said recently while being home on a holiday break. “It’s just crazy how fast it went by. I can’t believe I’ve actually made it this far.

“It was a lot different than I expected. It’s really fast-paced, but it’s really a joy. It’s school, but besides that, it’s basketball all the time. You’re with your teammates; you’re with your coaches. I love it. I don’t regret one bit of it.”

Smith has been there long enough she said she has grown accustomed to the looks she receives from those who see her for the first time. She was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a genetic abnormality that caused her to be born without ears and with only 30 percent of normal hearing capability. It also didn’t allow the bone structures in her face to grow like they should.

Now Smith gives people another reason to keep an eye on her. She’s one of four Lyon players to average in double figures with 10.3 points per game — more than double her career average over the previous three seasons — and her 18 of 42 (42.9 percent) accuracy in 3-point shooting ranks 24th among NAIA players nationwide.

“It’s been a wonderful four years with Chris,” Lyon coach Tracy Stewart-Lange said. “She’s everything I had hoped her to be. She’s a person that has used her abilities and taken advantage of the opportunities she had to play college basketball.

“She’s worked hard to get to where she is. She’s worked on her weaknesses on both ends of the court, and she’s become a great threat and a person we can count on for success.”

It was Smith’s ability to slash to the basket that got the attention of Stewart-Lange enough to offer her a scholarship. The 3-point shot has been a late addition to Smith’s game, especially after her coach moved her from point guard to shooting guard — Smith’s natural position — and encouraged her to shoot the ball more.

The slasher in Smith still shows up from time to time, especially when it comes to her favorite thing — stealing an inbounds pass after making the opponent think she’s headed back on defense. It reappeared during a Nov. 17 game against Philander Smith, when she scored a career-high 20 points — including a 4-for-6 outing from 3-point range.

“I did a little of both, and that’s what threw them off,” Smith said. “I would take an outside shot, then go inside on them. I probably stole the inbounds pass three times in that game. I don’t know why they didn’t pick up on it, but they didn’t.”

“I feel like I used to go to the basket all the time. I still do, but I’m starting to warm up on my outside game. I’ve been mostly shooting a lot of 3s lately. Honestly, we have a lot of good post players, and when they’re taking it inside, they do a great job of kicking the ball back out to me. I’ve been getting a lot of good passes.”

Basketball won’t totally be out of Smith’s picture once the season ends. She made the cut on a deaf Olympics team and will travel to Bulgaria next summer before getting her master’s degree and eventually focusing on early childhood education with aspirations of being a teacher.

Stewart-Lange, meanwhile, isn’t ready to see her go that quickly.

“I’m going to miss that smile and that sense of humor,” Stewart-Lange said. “She’s the sweetest player, and she’s kind. She’s such a good person, and with her temperament, there’s nobody better to be around and easier to talk to.”