Westphal breaks Bethel Park school record
Olivia Westphal’s performance on the basketball court onJan. 21 was out of this world and not only because she was playing against Mars.
Westphal exploded for a school-record 45 points in Bethel Park’s 75-51 victory against the Planets. She buried six, 3-pointers and was 9 of 10 from the charity stripe.
“It was quite a performance. Nothing like I’ve ever witnessed,” said BP head coach Jonna Burke.
Burke knows a thing or two about great performances. She was a 1,000-point scorer at Bethel Park, as well as the University of Pittsburgh, and is a member of the WPIAL Hall of Fame and is an ACC Women’s Basketball Legend.
Additionally, Burke held the previous single-game scoring record at Bethel Park.
Burke scored 41 points against Canon-McMillan in 1989.
“I had no idea that it was even a record in the first place,” said Westphal. “Coach Burke told me her record was either 41 or 44.”
Nobody had a notion Westphal was on a record pace. She was only playing up to the potential that made her a Duquesne University recruit and earned her Max Preps’ designation as the best player in Pennsylvania.
By halftime, Westphal had already already scored 27 points as the Hawks forged a 33-31 advantage.
“It wasn’t like you were thinking ‘she’s shooting too much’, Liv was just shooting really well,” Burke said. “She was in the zone. It was fun to watch.”
Westphal topped the 1,000-point plateau during her first three seasons at Bethel Park. In her last four performances, she is averaging 27.7 points per game.
For Westphal, the best part of her achievement translated into a victory for the Hawks, who were 5-1 overall heading into a Jan. 28 game against South Fayette.
“It was a pretty cool feeling after breaking the record but all that matters is we won the game,” she said.
“My teammates were a big part of the accomplishment by getting me the ball and trusting in me.”
The Hawks are betting on Westphal to carry them to a WPIAL title this winter.
Last year, BP finished runner-up in the district, falling 54-40 to North Allegheny in overtime. The Hawks compiled a 23-3 record. In a season that ended abruptly because of the COVID-19 crisis, Westphal averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals.
“Olivia’s a tremendous player and the sky’s the limit for her,” Burke said. “She’s one of the best players in the WPIAL and our clear leader but there’s a lot on her shoulders.”
The return of Emma Dziezgowski has taken some of the pressure off Westphal. The junior, who sat out much of her sophomore season because of an ACL injury, scored 15 points in BP’s 55-36 win against Gateway.
She tacked on 13 points in a 65-31 section win over Canon-McMillan.
Additionally, Sophia Nath produced 10 points against the Gators.