The Ladycats basketball team is looking strong going into the new year, although they are on the road for the start.

December 19, they were on the road looking to improve to 4-2. The Cats were successful with a blowout win 70-8 over Ambridge.

Top scorers were sophomore Annsley Baker who had 22, junior Ava Wright, and seniors Emerson Connelly and Sami Springman who all netted 8 each.

The Ladycats’ next game took place December 23 against Mohawk for a non-section match-up.

The game got close in the first few minutes as Mohawk hit a 3 to end the first quarter making the score 13-10, Beaver Area still leading.

The Cats quickly gained control of the game; Baker led with 25 points, Connelly added 15, and the team finished with a win 67-26.

Over the holiday, the Ladycats took a quick break and then they were back on the court December 27 and 28 for the South Range Holiday Showcase in Youngstown, Ohio.

Taking back a late night win on the first day, as the Cats didn’t get a start time until 9 p.m. but defeated South Range 60-34.

On short rest the Ladycats were back on the road for a 1 p.m. game tipping off against Boardman.

The Spartans had as much as a 10 point lead in the first half, but the Cats never gave up.

Fighting back, the Cats returned to Pennsylvania with another win, 44-41.

The winning streak improved Beaver’s record to 7-2.

The Cats didn’t have another game until after the new year.

Once again, they were back on the road headed to Hopewell for a section match-up.

The Ladycats took care of business quickly and the end score was 59-34. Leading scorers for Beaver Area again were Baker and Wright.

Following the weekend, another section match-up was coming for the Cats. Traveling to Central Valley, January 7, Beaver Area knew it was going to be a tough fight to bring home the win.

Luckily, the Ladycats got off to a good start and kept a lead through the first half.

But Central Valley continued to fight back until the fourth quarter. The Ladycats went on a run and finished the game with a shocking upset 56-39.

This was a great team win and effort for the Bobcats, and the statistics reflect it: Wright netted 18 points, followed by Baker with a double-double, 14 points, and 10 rebounds, Springman had 12 points, sophomore Bridget Mayo had 7 points and 5 assists, and Connelly had 2 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals.

The Ladycats finally returned home January 9 for another section showdown against Lincoln Park.

Determined, the Ladycats started off with a big lead and kept building on it, although, by the end of the first half the Bobcats were only up 10.

Pulling off the win, the final score was 49-31. Baker and Springman were the leading Bobcat scorers.

This win improves the girls’ record to 10-2 overall, 4-1 in section.

The Ladycats next game is this evening at Hampton and then followed by another section game on the road Thursday at Blackhawk.