Although not official, Johnson’s production is most probably a Catholic League record. As for Johnson, though, it’s not even her career high. In last year’s District 12 final, she blitzed Imhotep for a staggering 54 points.

For good measure, Johnson scored “only” 40 in a 72-54 win at West Catholic two weeks later. With the score tied at 31-31 in the third, Johnson ran roughshod on the Burrs, scoring 18 points in the frame. She also added a staggering 12 steals and seven assists. Sophomore teammate Mihjae Hayes added 16 points and five steals.

“I love road games when it’s packed, love playing in front of big crowds,” said Johnson, speaking to Philadelphiasportsdigest.com after the game. “I know the more that I score, the madder the fans will get, and the more trash they’re going to talk.

“It was definitely a lot of fun. West is a good team, and they came out very aggressive, so we had to match the energy. We adjusted big time in the second half.”

The only other undefeated team in the division is Archbishop Wood.

The 3-0 Vikings dispatched host Bonner-Prendergast, 60-42, last night. Ryanne Allen led all scorers with 21 points while Bri Bowen added 10. In an earlier win over Archbishop Ryan, Allen posted a career-high 33 points.

“Then Ryanne Allen’s shooting and Briana Bowen’s toughness helped us build a comfortable lead to finish the game. Lindsay Tretter has been our most consistent defender on guards all season, and tonight she was great again. Noelle Baxter lead our team in assists again, continuing to make other people better, and Izzy Larsen had double-digit rebounds for the third straight game.”

Allen, who has established herself as one of the league’s most feared shooters, is excited by the Vikings’ early start.

“We are playing well together as a team,” said Allen. “We are sharing the ball and getting open looks, and when we get open looks, we knock them down.”     

The aforementioned Larsen is averaging 13 rebounds in the past three games. Allen is scoring at a 19 points-per-game clip. Two-time first-team All-Catholic junior Kaitlyn Orihel, who has been hampered by a lingering knee injury, is second on the team at 12.2 points.

On December 14, Wood defeated Archbishop Ryan 73-36 during the Diane Mosco Tournament.

“The new league creates a lot of great competition,” said senior standout Erin Sweeney, who scored 14 in the loss to O’Hara. “Every game you have to show up and play your hardest, because every game is going to be difficult.”

Teammate Grace O’Neill is confident the Patriots will eventually make some noise in the Red Division.

“We have a lot of great talent,” said O’Neill, who scored 16 points in a 47-36 win over visiting Bonner-Prendergast, “and we are working hard to play as a unit.” 

“Right now, we’re focusing on learning how to win,” said coach Beulah Osueke. “We’ve gone up against tough competition and each game, whether in victory or defeat, we learn something new about ourselves.

“We’re growing and building winning habits every day in preparation for the post-season.”

Among West’s top performances was a 74-56 win at Bonner-Prendergast, in which Montgomery (23 points), Robinson (17), and Daizy Wilson (13) engineered a 44-28 halftime lead. In the aforementioned loss to Neumann-Goretti, McPaul led with 25 points and Robinson chipped in with 16 more.

For Bonner-Prendergast, Alexis Gleason netted 20 points and Bridie McCann added 18. In the aforementioned loss to Wood, McCann scored 17.

Archbishop Ryan is struggling at 0-5. Coach Mike McCusker remains patient.

“We are relatively a young team and we are learning that with our schedule, we cannot take a play off because we are playing against Division One players every game,” he said. “Our senior starter (Gabi Deluisi) is currently hurt at the moment, but we have some younger players that are starting to mature as the season goes on, and hopefully we are playing our best basketball at the end of season.”

Lansdale Catholic’s win at Conwell-Egan included a 30-point explosion in the second quarter – the most the Crusaders have tallied in a single quarter since joining the Catholic League in 2009.

Timaya Lewis-Eutsey scored 21 while Riley Devitis and Gabby Casey added 13 apiece for the Lancers.

Conwell-Egan put together an “A-plus” performance in its 73-40 win over Hallahan last night. While outscoring the visitors in every quarter, senior Angel Crowell contributed 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Freshman Kyliyah Carmichael shot 8 for 15 and finished with 21 points and nine boards. Juniors Gia Brennan and Isabell Foy each snared seven rebounds.

Little Flower stopped Bishop McDevitt, 54-30, behind freshman Gabrielle Dever’s career-best 16 points. Sentinels coach Maureen Buchter says the players and coaches are “excited” about the two-division format.

“We are looking forward to competitive Catholic League games,” said Buchter. “Our motto is, ‘Don’t hope for success; work for it.’”

Little Flower’s game against visiting Lansdale Catholic slated for January 7 was rescheduled for January 18.

At 0-3, Bishop McDevitt has fallen behind the pack. A look at their roster, however, suggests that better times are ahead.

“We only have two seniors on the roster,” said coach Dan Greenberg, referring to co-captains Caroline Cunnane and Amiyah Dixon. “These two also have the only real experience at the varsity level this season. They have done an outstanding job of mentoring their inexperienced teammates. Both of these seniors play almost every minute of every game.”