Amya Scott has a quiet confidence about her. But that doesn’t mean the quiet player they call “Mouse” can’t make a little noise.
The Neumann-Goretti High School senior made history as she joined the Saints’ growing list of 1,000-point scorers. And she did it quite loudly. Scott scored a career-high 35 points in a 60-48 victory at Nazareth Academy on Jan. 23.
“It’s great. I’m really happy,” Scott said. “I just told myself that I have to go hard every game. But I wasn’t really thinking about the 1K. I was just thinking about winning at the same time.”
That kind of unselfishness has led the Saints a long way this season. Through Jan. 26, Neumann-Goretti was 15-3 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the Catholic League. Scott’s example is closely followed by her teammates.
“She’s special,” Saints coach Andrea Peterson said. “Here’s a kid that cares more about winning than the thousand points. She knew she was coming up but we didn’t tell her (how close she was). But she found out from someone. We have some stuff for her in the locker room and some treats for her.”
Scott needed 13 points to hit the milestone and eclipsed it easily in the second quarter. But with fellow 1,000-point scorer Carryn Easley on the bench in foul trouble, the Saints needed a little extra out of Scott to get their revenge on Nazareth, which knocked them out of the playoff last year. Scott had missed that game due to injury, but made up for lost time in the rematch.
“She put down a 35-ball,” Peterson said. “She didn’t just get settled at the 1,000. She knew what it takes. Last year she sat out against Nazareth. She got hurt right before the game. This meant more to her when we lost that game to them in the playoffs last year. She wanted this bad and she was waiting for this moment.”
It’s been a season of memorable moments and accomplishments for Neumann-Goretti as Peterson celebrated her 200th career win earlier this year while Easley and Scott each reached 1,000 points.
“I got my 200 and they came in as freshmen and both my kids scored 1,000,” Peterson said. “It doesn’t get any more special than that in one year and we’re 8-0 in the Catholic League. People are buying in and they’re making it very easy for me to coach.”
The Saints are hoping for more magic as the postseason nears. Although Neumann-Goretti won a state championship in 2022, the Saints haven’t won the PCL since 2015, which was the second of back-to-back titles.
“It would mean a lot,” Scott said. “After not winning for a couple years. But we’ve worked really hard at practice and we’re very disciplined.”
Peterson said the secret is leadership, maturity and players learning to accept roles that are built for them to master.
“Players like Zion Coston have been playing her role,” Peterson said. “Every young lady on this team has played her role. We’re very disciplined in practice and we’re coming a little bit different this year. I told them it’s how they leave their legacy. They won a state title in 2022 and they are anxious for another.
“But besides Zion, our two seniors are being leaders this year. The maturity they have has grown. When you have four or five kids that can score and have a player come off the bench that has accepted that role, that sixth man can change the game. And (Coston) has done a fantastic job of changing moments for us in the game. When we sub her in, there’s no drop-off. She just keeps things going.”
The Saints are quietly getting it done. And that’s how Scott likes it. Nicknamed Mouse because she’s “small, fast and quiet,” Scott just enjoys being part of a successful program.
“I’m enjoying this team a lot,” Scott said. “I like this squad that we got. We’re going to have a lot of fun this year.”
