Larkin pours in 62 points as Lady Gators roll past Mapletown
Lori C. Padilla
Emma Larkin is Geibel Catholic’s career scoring leader but her average her senior season has been down compared to past years as she’s concentrated more on distributing the ball and working on other aspects of her game.
On senior night Thursday against Mapletown, Lady Gators head coach Sara Larkin decided to let her daughter completely loose for one game.
The result was a record-breaking performance.
Larkin poured in a school-best 62 points and unbeaten and first-place Geibel topped the century mark in defeating the Lady Maples, 106-19, in a Section 2-A game. Larkin did more than just score, though. She also totaled 11 assists, eight rebounds, nine steals and one block in threatening to record a quadruple-double.
“Tonight was senior night, so I think Emma came into it with a little more emotion than most nights,” Sara Larkin said. “She’s realizing the regular season is ending soon, she loves this team, she loves this game, and she isn’t ready for it to be over.
“It was a historic performance and one that she will never forget.”
Larkin broke her own single-game record of 51 point points. The mark before that was 49 points by Shelley Bortz. Larkin fell three points short of the WPIAL record of 65 points set by Clairton’s Iyanna Wade two years ago.
Mallory Clemmer also turned in a double-double with 26 points and 18 rebounds, and Alexa Morgan added 14 for the Lady Gators (11-0, 18-0).
Geibel led 36-8, 56-12 and 76-17 at the quarter breaks.
Makenna Lotspeich topped Mapletown (1-10, 2-17) in scoring with nine points.
Larkin now has 2,353 career points, leaving her 87 shy of Albert Gallatin graduate Loui Hall’s Fayette County record of 2,440.
While Emma Larkin’s individual accolades are impressive, the Lady Gators are more focused on the team goal of playing for and winning a WPIAL championship, according to Sara Larkin.
“I’m happy for her and I know others are as well,” she said, “but we are focused on the end goal and excited that the team is playing so well together.”