Oumou “Mimi” Thiero achieved perhaps her greatest career milestone Feb. 20 during Quaker Valley’s 54-35 consolation win over Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball playoffs.
The 6-foot-5 Thiero, a Maryland recruit, netted 29 points to become QV’s all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, with 1,980 career points.
“It is hard to say much that hasn’t been already said about Mimi and her career,” QV coach Ken Johns said. “I’m happy for her that she is achieving these accomplishments as I know that several of them have been on her personal list. She doesn’t talk about them, and she never makes it a priority, but I know she’s proud of becoming the all-time leading scorer and she should be.
“We have had some really great players, both boys and girls, at Quaker Valley and for her to be atop that scoring list now is a testament to a lot of hard work. It is exciting to see her get the well-deserved recognition, but for me, I love that her teammates are equally as excited about all of this. Their enthusiasm for her individual accomplishments is fun to see.”
Thiero eclipsed the previous school record of 1,965 held by Justin Shegog, a 2000 QV graduate and a QV Sports Hall of Fame member.
“Being the all-time leading scorer at Quaker Valley is an honor,” Thiero said. ”It means a lot, but it’s definitely bigger than just me. Every point came within a team system, with teammates who trusted me and coaches who believed in me.”
Other career scoring leaders for the Quakers include Jeff Gaca (1989) with 1,663 points; Mimi’s brother Adou Thiero (2022) with 1,624, Coletrane Washington (2018) with 1,551, Markus Frank (2022) with 1,462, Farrah Causby (1995) with 1,396, Ryan Courneen (2006) with 1,376 and Corrine Washington (2021) with 1,313.
The fourth-seeded Quakers improved to 18-7 with the victory against Avonworth while the No. 8 Antelopes saw their record drop to 12-13.
Sophomore guard Keira Watson chipped in with 16 points for QV
Back-and-forth battle
Quaker Valley’s quarterfinal-round game Feb. 18 with Seton LaSalle provided the very definition of nip-and-tuck basketball.
There were nine ties and 12 lead changes.
Seton sophomore Casey Davis hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to give the No. 5 Rebels a 57-54 win at Mt. Lebanon.
QV used a timeout with 4.1 seconds remaining but could not get a shot off following the brief break.
“Any time you lose a close game, your mind races to a hundred different things that happened. If any one of them goes differently, we are probably looking at a different outcome,” Johns said. “But overall, I loved how we competed. It was a tight game throughout, and I felt like we answered every time they did something, until we ran out of time.
“I’m proud of how hard we played and how much improvement we’ve shown. That one will sting for a little bit, but I’m excited that we get a chance to play again in the state tournament.”
QV had its nine-game winning streak stopped by the Rebels, who improved to 16-8 with their ninth victory in 11 games.
Thiero led all scorers with 27 points, including 20 in the second half. The versatile senior guard/forward connected on four triples, pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked eight shots.
Watson chipped in with 14 points and four assists.
Seton LaSalle finished with eight 3-pointers as four players ended up in double figures led by sophomore Natalie Pascarella’s five treys and 15 points. Pascarella scored three times from 3-point range in the final eight minutes.
Quaker Valley held leads of 11-8, 24-22 and 40-38 after each of the first three quarters.
“I’m really proud of how we played and how we competed,” Johns said. “In a close game like that, you can look at a lot of plays and say if it bounced this way or that way, it could have changed the game in our favor.
“Give them credit, they made one more shot than we did. That doesn’t take away anything from how hard we competed.”
Seton LaSalle started the game with an all-guard lineup comprised of two sophomores and three freshmen.
The Quakers had three seniors, one junior and one sophomore among its starting five.
A good place
Thiero racked up 26 points, eclipsing the 2,000-point mark for her career, in leading Quaker Valley to a 41-25 win Feb. 23 against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the fifth-place game.
Watson added 10 points for the Quakers, who boosted their overall record to 19-7. OLSH, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, fell to 19-8.
The top six girls teams in 3A qualify for the state playoffs.