Mia Valerio (above) and Springfield (Delco.) had to readjust after losing their leading scorer to injury. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Josh Verlin
Springfield (Delco.) already had to replace two 1,000-point scorers coming into this season, with Alexa Abbonizio and Rachel Conran both beginning their college careers at West Chester. Then Ky McNichol’s program suffered a major blow in December, when junior Lexi Aaron went down in the Cougars’ game against Strath Haven, lost for the rest of the season to injury.
“When Lexi went down, it was really sad for the whole team,” McNichol said. “She’s a great kid, she’s a great leader for us.
“We actually all kind of put our heads down for a second,” fellow junior Mia Valerio said.
Not just one of McNichols’ leaders, Aaron was also the Cougars’ primary offensive option, averaging around 13 ppg.