Lady ’Lope Catherine Costa scored her 1,000th career point as the Antelopes moved into sole possession of first place in their section this past week. Photo by Tom Steiner for The Citizen

By JIM RUMBLE

It was an admirable week for the Avonworth girls’ basketball team, one that saw the Lady ‘Lopes take sole possession of the top spot in section 6AA with two wins, and senior guard Catherine "Cat" Costa reach the 1,000 point mark of her career.

Costa attained her mark on Thursday, Jan. 6, when the 'Lopes played at Quaker Valley and defeated the Quakers 49-21.

Avonworth hosted Sto-Rox on Monday, Jan. 10, and defeated the Vikings 54-37 to up their overall record to 10-1 and 4-0 in section play.

In their game against Quaker Valley, the 'Lopes did an outstanding job defensively, especially in the first half.

"We did a great job of shutting down their top two scorers," said coach Bob Schulz.

The Quakers' top scorers were averaging 18 and 12 points respectively but neither player made a mark on the stat sheets.

"We played great team defense," Schulz added.

In the first quarter against the Quakers, it was the Lauren and Mackenzie Mayernik show, as the sisters put on a display on offense that sprung the 'Lopes to a sizeable lead.

M. Mayernik couldn't miss, hitting short jumpers just outside the lane, while L. Mayernik provided some tough points down inside.

They scored 8 and 6 points respectively as Avonworth led 14-2 at the end of the first quarter.

Erin Zakor's floater in the lane opened the scoring in the second quarter with baskets by Costa and L. Mayernik completing a 6-0 run that put Avonworth up 20-2.

The Quakers hit on 1-of-2 from the line before Costa's 3-pointer and a basket in the lane by L. Mayernik completed a 5-1 run and moved the Lady ‘Lopes to a 25-4 halftime lead.

Costa's lofty feat came in the third quarter when she connected on her second from beyond the arc in the period. The game was halted temporarily as the 'Lopes’ sharpshooter was applauded and awarded a commemorative basketball.

Avonworth outscored Quaker Valley 12-6 to lead 37-10 after three quarters.

The 'Lopes worked their bench heavily in the fourth quarter, still outscoring the Quakers 12-11 to finalize the 49-21 victory.

L. Mayernik finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Costa with 13, M. Mayernik with 12, and Zakor, Natalie Zivic and Moriah Eck with 2 points apiece.

In their game against Sto-Rox the Lady ‘Lopes trailed early, then managed to maintain a modest lead before putting the game away in the fourth quarter.

"They played a gutsy game," Schulz said of his team."We couldn't shake the team [Sto-Rox] -- and they're not a bad team," he added.

L. Mayernik had a huge game all around, scoring a career-high 25 points while pulling down 20 rebounds.

The 'Lopes committed five turnovers in the opening quarter and went 0-4 from the line while the Vikings took advantage of two 3-pointers on their way to an 8-6 Sto-Rox lead.

Costa's transition basket started the second quarter and sparked a 10-0 Antelope run that culminated with a 3-point bank shot from the top of the circle by Eck that gave the 'Lopes a 16-8 lead with 4:31 left in the quarter.

The teams traded scores through the remainder of the quarter and the Vikings continued to throw the ball up from long range, connecting on two more 3-pointers to trail the 'Lopes at the half 22-16.

L. Mayernik carried the offense throughout the third quarter, scoring 9 points as the Lady ‘Lopes outscored the Vikings 15-12 to obtain their largest lead at 37-28 going into the fourth quarter.

The 'Lopes, who got 8 points from L. Mayernik and were leading 45-37 late in the fourth quarter, finished the game strong as Costa scored 6 points in a 9-0 Avonworth run to put the final score at 54-37.

Along with Mayernik's 25 points were Costa with 13, Eck with 5, Zivic and M. Mayernik with 4 and Zakor with 3 points.