McAteer sets Garnet Valley scoring record in win
CONCORD — Emily McAteer has had numerous double-figure scoring efforts in her four years as a varsity basketball player at Garnet Valley.
She came up short of adding to that career total Tuesday night, scoring only four points as the Jaguars opened their Central League season with a 47-8 decision over Conestoga.
The first two points McAteer put on the board made her the program’s career scoring leader. McAteer finished the night with 1,308 points, which pushed her past the school record of 1,305, set in 1995 by Christy Yarnell. Cecily Scavicchio (1,291), Maddie Ireland (1,284), Amy Tarr (1,221), Coley Ricci (1,201), and Carole Sperone (1,047) are the other GV girls who’ve passed the 1,000-point mark.
As Garnet Valley was on its way to putting up the first 14 points of Tuesday’s game, McAteer missed her first shot, a 3-point attempt 1:40 in. Thirty-six seconds later, she dropped in a layup and broke the school record.
“(Brianne Borcky) stole the ball and got it to me and I made the shot,” said McAteer, who will play next year at Loyola (Maryland). “It was great that she was the one that did that. We know what each other will do out there.
“We’ve played together since third grade, when we were in BYC (Brandywine Youth Club). Then we played for St. Thomas (CYO), and the Lower Delco Wildcats and the Comets.”
In a game against Harriton last January, McAteer reached the 1,000-point mark and had a career-high 30 points.
“My mom (the former Meg Hay) had a high game of 30 when she played for Interboro,” McAteer said. “When I got here my freshman year, I said I wanted to get 1,000 points. When I got to 1,000 as a junior, I knew I wanted to go after the record.
“This means a lot to me, and I’ve been fortunate to have this opportunity. Now I want to reach the (overall) school record (1,470, set earlier this year by Austin Laughlin).”
Jillian Nagy, who tossed in four 3-point shots, led Garnet Valley in scoring with 14 points. Borcky got nine points, six rebounds, and six assists, McAteer chipped in with seven rebounds and three assists, Lisle Dentinger also tossed in nine points, and Morgan Falcone contributed three assists for the Jaguars, who had 15 assists on their 19 field goals.
“I know we have other games coming up, but we’re all looking forward to playing Springfield,” McAteer said. “We had a letdown at the end of last season. This year our goals are to win the Central League and go further in states.”
Garnet Valley coach Joe Woods was pleased with the way things went as his team improved to 2-0.
“It was great the way we were sharing the ball,” Woods said. “And of course it was nice for Emily. She comes from a great family.
“She’s a fundamentally sound player, has good range as a shooter, and she has strength inside, whether it’s offensive or defensive rebounding. And she gets to the foul line and is always one of our top foul shooters.”
