When Ellwood City took a 14-point lead into halftime of a pivotal Class 3A Section 1 clash against Quaker Valley on Monday night, the Wolverines had to feel pretty good about their chances of victory — with only one major issue.
The Quakers still had Mimi Thiero on their side.
After scoring just six points in the first half, Thiero took matters into her own hands after the break, scoring 28 of her game-high 34 points in the second half of a dramatic 53-45 comeback victory. The towering 6-4 junior also registered 19 rebounds in yet another double-double while shooting 12 of 18 from the field — including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. She also added three steals and three blocked shots for good measure.
“We forced it [to her] a little bit, but it’s hard not to at times,” Johns said. “That was the plan coming in, and we got away from it — just get the ball in to her. But I thought she did a good job of keeping everybody involved. Anna Campbell hit a big shot in the paint, Leasia [Karto] a hit a couple layups and Lucy [Roig] hit a couple big free throws down the stretch.
“She’s tough to stop if she gets going, but we’re tough to stop if she involves other people, and she did that and did it the right way.”
A terrific guard-forward ranked as one of the top-60 recruits in the 2026 class by ESPN HoopGurlz, Thiero already holds more than 20 Division I scholarship offers. After averaging 19.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game as a sophomore, Thiero continues to take her game to new heights for Quaker Valley — and Monday may have been her finest performance to date.
“She’s a good ball-handler, she’s a pretty good shooter, and obviously the size makes a pretty big difference,” Johns said. “Her all-around game has gotten a little bit better. She’s gotten a little bit stronger. She absorbs contact really well. … It’s fun to see her play and keep everybody involved. That’s what we need her do to for us to win.”
Last year, the Quakers qualified for the postseason despite finishing 5-15 overall during the regular season — and they were promptly bounced from the playoffs in a first-round drubbing against Laurel Highlands. This time, though, with an added year of experience and a deeper supporting cast surrounding the crown jewel that is Thiero, not many teams will be lining up to face Quaker Valley come playoff time.
“The confidence has been growing and building. We’ve been seeing it in practice,” Johns said. “I think the biggest thing is, we now have 13 games together with this group. We start two freshmen, and we have a sophomore starting a lot. … I can also sort of feel them starting to believe and trust each other a little bit more.”
Still, Johns knows plenty of work remains before the postseason comes around, and Monday’s win moved the Quakers into a tie with Beaver Falls for second place in the section. The Tigers prevailed in overtime, 47-43, in the first meeting on Dec. 12 — and Quaker Valley has eagerly awaited its chance for payback ever since.
That wait will finally come to an end later this week, when the Quakers travel to Beaver Falls for a highly anticipated rematch on Thursday night.
“What we have not done is waver from taking it one day at a time,” Johns said. “We have a big game against Beaver Falls on Thursday. They got us in overtime last time. I feel like we’re a different team than we were then.
“It’s good to have these kinds of games, and even better to win them. … We’re just trying to focus on getting better every day.”
Other girls games
• Fueled by a game-high 17 points from Gracie Cato and 14 from Natalie Hambly, surging Seneca Valley remained unbeaten in section play and kept its hold on the top spot in Class 6A Section 1 with a hotly contested 47-40 win at Pine-Richland (4-10, 3-2). The red-hot Raiders (10-4, 5-0) have now won five games in a row and nine of their past 10 following a 1-3 start to the season. Cate Gentile led the Rams with 16 points on the night while Rebekah Shaffer finished with 12.
• In a high-stakes showdown for first place in Class 5A Section 2, unbeaten Penn-Trafford kept its perfect record intact with a furious second-half rally to take home a 50-37 win at Indiana (11-3, 5-1). Isabella Fontana led the way with 11 points for the Warriors (13-0, 6-0) to go with 10 from Torrie DeStefano. Penn-Trafford trailed by nine going into the half before outscoring the host Little Indians, 34-12, the rest of the way.
• The top two teams in Class 4A Section 3 also collided on Monday, and in the end it was host Elizabeth Forward (8-3, 5-0) that eked out a 49-43 victory over South Park to move into sole possession of first place in the section. Michelle Jellison led the way for the Warriors with 16 points along with 11 from Mia Sostaric and 10 from Kaelynn Settles, while Andrea Kuczma led the Eagles (8-3, 5-1) with 16 points on the evening.
• In another battle for first place in Class 2A Section 2, Olivia Kemp poured in a game-high 24 points to lead Fort Cherry to a narrow 50-45 win over visiting South Side (8-5, 3-1). The Rangers (11-2, 4-0) trailed by 12 entering the final quarter before erupting for 27 fourth-quarter points in the come-from-behind win. Bailey Strnisa scored a team-high 12 points for the Rams in the defeat to go with 10 from Ashtyn Michael.
• Kendall Berger led three players in double figures for defending WPIAL champion Norwin (7-5, 4-1), racking up 15 points in a 59-36 win at Hempfield in Class 6A Section 2. Liz Yarosek contributed 13 for the Knights to go with 11 from Averi Brozeski, while Allie Cervola and Gabby Coccia each finished with 10 points to lead the Spartans (7-6, 1-4).
• Emma Ruperto led all scorers with 16 points for West Allegheny (9-4, 2-4), and Alexis Santucci chipped in with 13 for the Indians in a 67-42 win against visiting New Castle in Class 5A Section 3. Rihanna Boice tallied 13 points to lead the way for the Red Hurricanes (7-7, 0-6).
• Erica Gribble paced Greensburg Central Catholic with 21 points in a 66-21 rout over visiting Deer Lakes (9-4, 4-3) in Class 3A Section 2. Jayla Peterson added 17 points in the win for the Centurions (8-3, 4-1), who bounced back from a lopsided loss against Shady Side Academy last Thursday.
• Greta O’Brien scored a game-high 19 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers for Avonworth (6-5, 3-2), followed by 15 from Bria Onyshko and 14 from Emma Obersteiner in a 67-14 blowout win at Steel Valley in Class 3A Section 2. Tayler Kenney finished with 8 points in the loss for the Ironmen (1-12, 1-5).
• Three players reached double figures for Laurel Highlands (10-4, 5-2) in a one-sided 68-17 win against visiting Yough in Class 4A Section 3. The Mustangs received a game-high 20 points from Aierra Jenkins along with 17 from Miya Harris and 11 from Ayrianna Sumpter. Hailey Bock led the Cougars (8-5, 3-3) with 6 points on the night.
• Geibel Catholic standout Emma Larkin turned in another impressive performance with a game-high 28 points in a 61-36 win over visiting Serra Catholic in Class 1A Section 2. Mallory Clemmer added 19 points while Ava Henderson chipped in 10 for Geibel (13-1, 6-1), as Abby Genes led the Eagles (6-6, 4-2) with 14 points to go with 13 from Bella Dumbroski.
• Jasmine Hollins tallied a team-leading 15 points for Winchester Thurston (10-2, 5-0) to go with 14 from Sky Still in a 57-36 victory at Riverview in Class 2A Section 4. Isabel Chaparro led all scorers with 17 points for the Raiders (7-3, 3-1) in the loss.
Boys games
• In a back-and-forth battle that came down to the wire, Chartiers Valley‘s Jayden Davis out-dueled Mars‘ Austen Wroblewski to lead the red-hot Colts to a 68-65 home win over the Planets in Class 5A Section 4. Davis poured in a game-high 36 points for Chartiers Valley (12-1, 5-1), while Wroblewski racked up 32 points in the defeat for Mars (7-6, 3-2). The Colts made 23-of-26 attempts from the free-throw line, compared to just 12 of 23 for the Planets.
• Yale recruit Courtney Wallace narrowly missed out on another triple-double for Neighborhood Academy (14-1, 5-0), finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in a 74-29 win over visiting St. Joseph (6-7, 2-3) in Class 1A Section 2. Kedron Gilmore added 16 points for the Bulldogs along with 11 points apiece from Syncer Nicholson and Shamar Simpson.
Three stars
*** — Tyarah Woody, Highlands. Woody poured in a game-high 29 points to lead the Golden Rams to a 61-49 victory against host Valley in Class 4A Section 1.
** — Rylee Kalocay, Upper St. Clair. The Kent State recruit and former PUP First-Team All-Star put the Panthers on her back with a game-high 31 points in a 46-37 win at rival Mt. Lebanon in Class 6A Section 2.
* — Iyanna Wade, Clairton. The prolific senior point guard authored another performance for the ages for the Bears, tallying a season-high 60 points on only 30 shots in a 91-57 win over Monessen in Class 1A Section 2.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Kya Cooley, Bishop Canevin, 5; Emma Obersteiner, Avonworth, 4; Austen Wroblewski, Mars, 4; Avery Boyd, Hopewell, 3; Isabel Chaparro, Riverview, 3; Jayden Davis, Chartiers Valley, 3; Vitt Emerich, Trinity, 3; Kylie Fruehstorfer, Union, 3; Maya Harris, Laurel Highlands, 3; Bria Onyshko, Avonworth, 3; Eden Smith, Charleroi, 3.
Scoreboard
Boys scores
Class 6A Section 1
North Hills 82, Woodland Hills 56
Class 5A Section 4
Chartiers Valley 68, Mars 65
Class 4A Section 3
Belle Vernon 90, West Mifflin 60
Class 1A Section 2
Neighborhood Academy 74, St. Joseph 29
Girls scores
Class 6A Section 1
North Hills 64, Woodland Hills 40
Seneca Valley 47, Pine-Richland 40
Class 6A Section 2
Norwin 59, Hempfield 36
Upper St. Clair 46, Mt. Lebanon 37
Class 5A Section 1
Franklin Regional 54, Shaler 48
Penn Hills 41, Gateway 20
Class 5A Section 2
Greensburg Salem 56, West Mifflin 28
Penn-Trafford 50, Indiana 37
Class 5A Section 3
Chartiers Valley 57, Mars 41
West Allegheny 67, New Castle 42
Class 5A Section 4
Trinity 73, Uniontown 18
Class 4A Section 1
Highlands 61, Valley 49
Knoch 37, Freeport 23
North Catholic 64, Derry 25
Oakland Catholic 48, Burrell 13
Class 4A Section 2
Beaver 48, Hampton 24
Central Valley 55, Hopewell 40
Lincoln Park 54, Ambridge 13
Class 4A Section 3
Belle Vernon 48, Southmoreland 20
Elizabeth Forward 49, South Park 43
Laurel Highlands 68, Yough 17
Mount Pleasant 51, Ringgold 32
Class 3A Section 1
Beaver Falls 55, Sto-Rox 24
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 61, Mohawk 13
Quaker Valley 53, Ellwood City 45
Riverside 58, New Brighton 6
Class 3A Section 2
Avonworth 67, Steel Valley 14
Greensburg Central Catholic 66, Deer Lakes 21
Shady Side Academy 57, East Allegheny 10
South Allegheny 27, Ligonier Valley 12
Class 3A Section 3
Keystone Oaks 65, Washington 32
Seton LaSalle 54, McGuffey 38
Waynesburg 55, Charleroi 33
Class 2A Section 1
Aliquippa 63, Rochester 38
Laurel 55, Freedom 32
Neshannock 72, Shenango 12
Class 2A Section 2
Brentwood 52, Northgate 11
Burgettstown 43, Carlynton 23
Fort Cherry 50, South Side 45
Class 2A Section 3
Beth-Center 45, California 28
Carmichaels 38, Jefferson-Morgan 32
Chartiers-Houston 48, Bentworth 21
Class 2A Section 4
Apollo-Ridge 43, Ellis School 27
Frazier 52, Jeannette 44
Winchester Thurston 57, Riverview 36
Class 1A Section 1
Aquinas Academy 63, Western Beaver 24
Sewickley Academy 30, Leechburg 29
St. Joseph 70, Springdale 36
Union 64, Eden Christian 16
Class 1A Section 2
Bishop Canevin 53, Mapletown 26
Clairton 91, Monessen 57
Geibel Catholic 61, Serra Catholic 36
West Greene 72, Avella 41
Non-section
Albert Gallatin 46, Brownsville 41
Redeemer Lutheran 49, Nazareth Prep 7
Trinity Christian 39, Propel Braddock Hills 32
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
