Mother McAuley coach Curtis Lewis knows the potential on his roster.
In senior Quinn Arundel and junior Taji Alexa, he’s got a pair of go-to scorers.
He’s got depth and height.
And as the cherry on top, Lewis has senior guard Delia Sullivan.
Score? Pass? Rebound? Play defense? Lewis knows he can ask Sullivan to make a play, and she’ll go do it.
Sullivan finished with six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals on Dec. 9 as Mother McAuley defeated visiting Montini 53-38 in a GCAC Red matchup.
“Delia is a Swiss Army knife,” Lewis said. “… We didn’t play with her a couple summer games. You can’t help but feel her absence. She does so much and is so talented. … You root for kids like her.”
Alexa finished with 26 points, four rebounds and two steals to lead the way for McAuley, which ended the week at 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
Also contributing for the Mighty Macs were sophomore Nia Imala (11 points) and junior Emma Kenney (seven points, eight rebounds, two steals).
Arundel, a four-year varsity starter, missed the game with an illness. It was the first time she was sidelined in her career.
“We really missed Quinn tonight, but we had players step up,” Sullivan said. “We have a very deep bench. Having girls step up and help handle the ball, that really helped us.”
McAuley led most of the game but found itself in a deficit for the first time at 32-31 late in the third.
It wasn’t a deficit for long. Alexa hit a wing 3-pointer and scored on a fast break off a Sullivan steal to close the third.
To open the fourth, Sullivan and Imala each hit a 3-pointer as the Macs rattled off a 15-0 run to go up 46-32.
Sullivan said she’s worked hard at improving her game, but it’s stepping up as a leader as much as anything.
“I’ve worked really hard to become a good shooter,” Sullivan said. “It’s building leadership qualities and being able to be there for my team. The most important part is being a leader, for our underclassmen and the whole team.”
Sullivan, also a standout golfer for McAuley, is a three-year varsity basketball player.
Going forward, she said she loves the potential on the roster.
“Our locker room, we’re bonding really well,” Sullivan said. “On the court, in practice, we’re really locked in on our opponents. I think that translates to the court (in games).”
Alexa is a three-year varsity player and forms one of the area’s most dangerous one-two punches with Arundel.
After playing off the bench as a freshman, she posted a breakout sophomore campaign as a go-to scorer for the Macs along with Arundel.
Her season was cut short, though, as she suffered a season-ending hand injury in late January.
Now, she’s back and raring to go.
“I’m feeling great,” Alexa said. “This team, a lot of us have been playing together. Without Quinn, we knew we had to step up and do what you’re best at. Everyone has a specific role. We had to play hard, stick to what we know and win it for her (Quinn).”