ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jackie Gallagher, Crestwood basketball

Crestwood sophomore Jackie Gallagher continued her hot stretch with a 30-point week. She scored a team-best 16 points to hand Loyalsock Twp. its first loss of the season, and added 14 in a win over Wyoming Valley West to keep the Comets in the WVC Division 1 hunt. Gallagher scored more than 80 points in the last two weeks.

You are coming off a big week last week with 50-plus points. How were you able to carry that momentum over to this week: I felt good, but that’s a credit to my teammates and coaches. I feel like we have a good system going at practice where it helps to keep us at a competitive edge. And I think that it keeps that competitiveness rolling into games.

How big was the Loyalsock game, and handing the team its first loss: That game, for us, was really big because we lost to them last year at home. We really wanted to come back and beat them this year. We were up the whole game, and then, we kind of let them back into it in the third quarter. But we were fortunate to hang on to it in the fourth. That was a really big win for us.

How good was it to keep rolling in Division 1 play with the victory over Valley West: You want to keep that momentum going in the league. Valley West is usually a pretty competitive team in the league, so we wanted to make sure we came out strong, and played really well against them.

What has this two-week stretch been like for you? What do you credit that to: In the offseason, I give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches because they are always willing to put in the work with me. I played AAU over the summer at NEPA Elite, and I definitely got a lot better there. The shooting percentage is definitely really important to me because it’s something I want to maintain as we continue through the season.

Where is this team right now? Crestwood seems to be playing some really good basketball: I think we are at a great point, but our ultimate goal is to make it to that district championship. We just have to continue to play well and trust each other.

Get to know Jackie Gallagher

Year: Sophomore.

Hometown: White Haven.

Age: 15.

What are some of your hobbies outside of school: I also play lacrosse in the spring. I like to run, play tennis, swim and hang out with my friends and family.

How would you describe yourself to someone: I would say that I’m a pretty outgoing person, but I am also really driven.

Favorite food: Tacos.

Dream vacation would be: Italy.

Favorite school subject: Math.

Your team is coming over for dinner, and you are the chef. What are you making them: Pasta.

Favorite TV show: Gossip Girl.

Favorite movie: The Untouchables.

Last song you listened to: “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel.

Favorite restaurant: The Canning House.

You can play one-on-one against anyone, who would you pick and why: Probably my sister, Kate. We are so competitive with each other. Whenever we play, we are always playing our best.

Funniest teammate: Norah Sklarosky.

What superpower would you chose: Invisibility.

Role models: My parents, Katie and Shawn. I look up to them so much. They always try to help me be the best version of myself on and off the court.

In the future: Jackie would like to play basketball and/or lacrosse at the college level. She would like to do something in finance, and would like to work in the financial department of a professional sports team.