Poor Cowher is gonna become a nervous wreck over the next 5~10 years.
Cowher reaches 1,000-point plateau
By David Schrecengost, Staff Writer
Thursday, February 2, 2006Fittingly, the basket that gave Fox Chapel senior Lauren Cowher 1,000 career points came off a pass from her younger sister, Lindsay.
Two years earlier, it was Lauren who dished a pass to her older sister when Meagan Cowher scored her 1,000th point for the Foxes.
"I guess it's kind of a right of passage for the Cowher girls," Lauren said. "It makes it special. Meg was the last player here to score 1,000 points, and I admire her so much."
Lauren reached 1,000 career points during the first half of a 41-36 loss at Seneca Valley Jan. 23. She entered the game needing only four points to get to 1,000 and finished the game with 16 points.
"It wasn't something I was conscious of -- it kind of snuck up on me," she said. "Team goals come before individual goals, but it's nice to achieve something like this.
"It's something I couldn't have accomplished without the other girls on the team. It's a credit to them, because without them it wouldn't have been possible. I have so much respect for coach (Jeremy) Bennett and my teammates."
Lauren became only the fifth player in Fox Chapel history to achieve the 1,000-point plateau. The others are Jessica Kankoski (1,531 career points), Meagan Cowher (1,438), Meg Garrison (1,175) and Theresa Kabala (1,004).
"Any time a kid can achieve that kind of accomplishment, it's a great honor. It shows their hard work and dedication," Bennett said. "Lauren is a four-year starter, and her maturity has been her biggest development. It's allowed her to be more consistent."
Bennett echoed Cowher's sentiments that it was a team accomplishment.
"It's an individual honor, but there were a lot of teammates who helped her get there," he said. "This group of girls has been part of two 1,000-point scorers here."
Meagan Cowher moved on to Princeton, where she was the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year in 2005 and is a budding star in her second season with the Tigers.
Lauren got to play two seasons with older sister Meagan at Fox Chapel. Now, Lauren has reversed roles, playing the big sister to Lindsay, a freshman forward for the Foxes.
"Basketball has brought me and my sisters closer together," Lauren said.
Lauren was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point prior to a game against Butler Jan. 26 at Fox Chapel.
Then she went out and led the Foxes to a crucial victory. Cowher scored a team-high 13 points, and her driving basket with 39 seconds left in overtime lifted Fox Chapel to a 41-39 win.
After 18 games, Cowher was averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 steals for the Foxes, who were 11-7 overall and pushed their Section 3-AAAA record to 6-4 with the Butler win.
Fox Chapel has made the WPIAL playoffs just once during Cowher's career. The Foxes are in the hunt this season, and she realizes the next two weeks will be critical.
"We have a group of six seniors who have been playing together since seventh grade," she said. "This is our last year, and making the playoffs is something we definitely want to accomplish."
Or maybe even a rite of passage.
SD
I love it. :)