The girls basketball team won in impressive fashion on Thursday, Jan. 21 against Mars. More impressive, though, was the record-breaking performance by senior Olivia Westphal.

Westphal’s 45 points broke the previous record for Bethel Park set 32 years earlier by current girls coach Jonna Burke.

Jonna Burke graduated from Bethel Park in 1990 and went on to play for the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of both the Bethel Park Athletic and WPIAL Hall of Fames.

Westphal, under the tutelage of Coach Burke, continued her outstanding play in Saturday’s game against Seneca Valley.  She scored 24 points in the Lady Hawks’ 61-36 win.

When asked how she felt about her great achievement, Westphal said she wasn’t even aware of the record until hitting 40 points. Her coach told her that her previous record was around 41 or 44 points.

“It was a pretty cool feeling after breaking it, but all that matters is we won the game. My teammates were a big part of that accomplishment by getting me the ball,” she said.

So it took a great team effort to win Thursday’s game and for Westphal to surpass the long-time record of her own coach.