Freshman Keira Watson makes immediate impact for Quaker Valley girls

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Keira Watson loves to play basketball.

And it shows.

The 5-foot-7 freshman guard stepped into Quaker Valley’s starting lineup at the season’s onset and has displayed steady improvement since then for the Quakers.

“Without that love, it’s hard to really improve consistently,” QV coach Ken Johns said. “Keira’s one of the first people at the gym, and I know she works hard on her game outside of our team and season. That makes a big difference, especially early in your high school career.

“She sees the floor well, can score off the dribble and knock down open jump shots. Those are great qualities to have and build on. I think she gets better with every practice and game. I feel like she’s starting to settle in and get more comfortable.”

Watson’s confidence offensively also has grown this season. She matched her career-high of 15 points in the Quakers’ 47-24 section win Jan. 2 against Riverside.

“Keira has really played well this season,” Johns said. “It’s tough to jump right into varsity action as a freshman, and even more challenging to do that as a primary ball-handler and point guard. She has adapted well and fairly quickly to the speed and physicality of the game.

“We were fortunate enough to have her around a good amount in the summer and in the fall league and I think that helped her and us. She’s still adjusting but she’s done a tremendous job for us so far.”

Watson also netted 15 points in her team’s nonsection victory against Eden Christian Academy earlier this season.

“I think compared to the beginning of the season my confidence has grown with game experience,” said the 14-year-old Watson. “I feel like now in the middle of the season I’m learning how to take confidence from my individual and team preparation.

“I have a lot of expectations for myself and the team for the remainder of the season. So far, we have two losses in our section. I expect for these to be our only losses in section play, and for us to win our section. I hope to get to experience my first WPIAL playoff game, and for us to make it far in the playoff brackets.”

Watson displayed her burgeoning confidence and determination on the basketball court in the victory against Riverside.

“Keira’s a big part of our team and she has a drive to get better and help the team win,” Johns said. “We ask her to do a lot, and she plays a lot of minutes and has the ball in her hands to facilitate a good amount of the time. We’ve seen her steadily improve in all aspects of the game. I really like how she competes on defense. She understands what we’re trying to do so we can plug her in at several spots and in several roles. I think she’s growing into one of our better on-ball defenders.

“We just want for her to keep working and keep improving. I’m excited to see how she continues to grow and the role she can play for our team to be the best version of ourselves.”

Quaker Valley rattled off nine straight points to start the new year, jumping out to a 20-6 first-quarter lead against visiting Riverside.

Riverside was unable to score a single point in the second stanza as the Quakers grabbed a 37-6 halftime advantage en route to the Section 1-3A win.

Six-foot-five junior guard/forward Mimi Thiero registered a game-high 23 points and was complemented by Watson in the scoring column.

QV’s three other starters — freshman forward Leasia Karto, sophomore guard Rose Cline and junior guard Lucy Roig — chipped in with nine points between them. Cline connected on a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter.

“We are getting into the part of the season where it’s the heart of our section games,” Johns said. “I want us to keep working to get better every day. I like how we’re working right now and playing together. This group has really only played 10 games together and so it still feels very early in the season. I am excited to see where this group can go.

“Moving into the new section has been a bit of an adjustment for some of us. But we are playing a number of young, new players and they really don’t know the difference. To them, it’s just games and a chance to compete. I like that about our group.”

Watson and Thiero — yes, the 6-5 Thiero — provide the Quakers with a unique presence in the backcourt.

While Thiero also dominates in the QV front court, Watson is more of the typical high school point guard.

“What I love about Keira the most is that she competes,” Johns said. “She makes game-winning plays whether that be the extra pass or diving for loose balls.

“She plays hard and wants to get better. I can’t ask for much more than that.”

QV improved to 2-2 in section play and 4-6 overall with the win over Riverside.

“I think our participation in the fall league at Rize and nonsection play have prepared us to perform well in our section games,” Watson said.

The QV teen plans to compete in track and field in the spring.

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