P.O. Female Athlete of the Week: Cat Weber
One look at the Waynesboro girls basketball team, and you can tell that it's not the same team from years past.
Having its best start since 2007, this year's Maidens squad looks better, faster and stronger thanks to a core of seniors returning for one last hurrah - led by Cat Weber.
She's racked up 55 points through four games (13.8 ppg) as Waynesboro earned its best start in nearly a decade at 3-1, and a perfect 2-0 record in the Mid Penn Colonial Division.
After a 33-point performance through two games last week, Weber was named the P.O. Female Athlete of the Week.
She's averaging more than seven rebounds per game, two steals per game and has three blocks on the season - but according to coach Allison Steiger, one of the biggest key's to Weber's start is her ability to stay out of foul trouble.
"Cat is very competitive," Steiger said, "but this season she hasn't gotten into foul trouble where she feels like she couldn't play defense or be aggressive on offense. She's an all-around player for us and she's always been a very physical player, but now she's playing smarter."
Although still in its infancy, the Maidens' hot start to the season has already checked off a milestone for the team - their first win over Big Spring in a while.
"That was a very exciting game; it was pretty close in the first half, but we didn't want to let down," Weber said. "We scored maybe 30 seconds into the second half and the scoring just kept coming. It was so nice to beat them because we've never beat them since I've been on the team. I feel like that game is going to show that we are making a name for ourselves."
Weber led the team with 19 points against Big Spring and had seven rebounds.
But according to Weber, her start to the season was a slow one. She said the thought of reaching her 1,000th point mark this season was weighing heavy on her mind at the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament.
"I was really antsy; I don't think I scored in the whole first half of the JB game because I put so much pressure on myself," Weber said. "After the first game I was frustrated with myself. I wasn't moving as much as I wanted, so I watched tape and after that first game I know I've been squaring up to the basket more."
Weber is now 84 points from her 1,000th point, and if the Maidens keep this streak going, it's only a matter of time before Weber's name goes into the Waynesboro record book.
Cat Weber, Waynesboro
Sport: Basketball
Grade: Senior
Position: Forward
Height: 5-foot-9
Parents: Kurt and Amy Weber
Other interests: She plays soccer for Waynesboro (P.O. First Team) and is on Team Assist, an AAU team in Frederick, Md. She is also the secretary of NHS and the Spanish Club, and the treasurer of Student Council.
Pregame ritual: "Before every game I make sure to listen to music right before to get in the zone. My favorite right now is Jumpman (by Drake)."
Favorite team: UConn
Athlete most admired: Former UConn forward Breanna Stewart
Statistics: Weber led the team with 19 points in a Mid Penn Colonial Division victory over Big Spring, and scored an additional 14 against James Buchanan ... At 3-1, the Maidens have put together the best start to a season since 2007.