Quaker Valley girls build team around dynamic Mimi Thiero

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, December 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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She’s an attention-getter, for sure.

Mimi Thiero is a 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward and third-year starter on the Quaker Valley girls basketball team.

“When you have a dynamic player like Mimi, you know that she will get a lot of attention every night,” QV coach Ken Johns said. “I really like how we’ve been working as a team, and finding balance is going to be key for us.”

Thiero led QV in almost every statistical category in 2023-24, including points (19.2 ppg), field-goal percentage (40%), rebounds (14.1 rpg), blocked shots (4.7 avg), steals (1.6 avg), free throws (70%), 3-point field goals and 3-point field-goal percentage.

The dynamic QV hoopster racked up 14 double-doubles last year and had a triple-double Jan. 3 in a 63-37 section win against Ambridge when she scored a career-high 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked 11 shots.

Thiero is recognized as one of the top players in the WPIAL. She averaged 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds as a freshman and was named all-section.

She was named third team all-state in Class 4A last season and has received NCAA Division I college offers from the likes of Duquesne, Robert Morris, Kent State, Boston College and Providence.

The QV girls have advanced to the postseason for six consecutive years, including 2023-24.

“Qualifying for the playoffs was a goal of ours,” Johns said. “It’s great to achieve one of your goals.”

The Quakers finished 5-5 in Section 2-4A last year and earned the No. 12 seed for the WPIAL playoffs but lost to No. 5 Laurel Highlands in the first round to end up 5-16 overall.

“We had a good summer and what I thought was a very good fall in terms of getting in the gym and getting ready for the season,” Johns said. “We are a young team with only one senior, (forward) Lily Tarkin, and we have a number of new players that will be contributing this season.

“Getting in the gym with everyone has been really helpful in terms of getting the new players integrated and having a chance to play together. Each season and each team are unique, but when you have four or five players that are new to the team, it takes a little while to have everyone get used to their roles.”

Along with Thiero, QV’s returning starters are junior guard Lucy Roig and sophomore guard Anna Campbell.

“We have two other players that saw substantial minutes and occasionally started last year in junior forwards Lily Millet and Mia Floro,” Johns said. “And there are several new players that will be in the rotation for us.”

Those new players include a trio of sophomores — Rose Cline, Annabel Miko and Maggie Watson — plus freshmen Keira Watson and Leasia Karto.

QV has moved into Section 1-3A and will vie for a playoff berth with Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Mohawk, New Brighton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside and Sto-Rox.

“We are in a new section, so the familiarity with players and systems from our old section is gone,” Johns said. “For now though, we are completely focused on us and getting better every day.

“I like what I’ve seen so far with this team, but it’s very early and we have a lot of work to do to get the most out of ourselves. I see our balance getting better every day and think if that continues to improve, we’ll get close to being as good as we can be. That’s really the goal, getting to be the best that we can be.”

Tags: Quaker Valley