McKenna Woliczko of No. 3
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) returned to the court 362 days after suffering an ACL injury, scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in an 82-44 win over
Clovis on Friday.
Woliczko, a 6-foot-2 Iowa commit regarded as one of the nation's top seniors, went down with the non-contact injury on Jan. 4, 2025 in a showcase game between the Monarchs and Ontario Christian.
Playing without a brace, Woliczko won the opening tip for Archbishop Mitty (10-1) on Monday and scored the first five points for the Monarchs as they jumped to a 22-10 lead after one period. She scored on a putback for Mitty's first basket of the game and added an and-one on the next trip down the court.
Archbishop Mitty senior McKenna Woliczko scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in her return Monday from an ACL injury suffered less than one year ago. The Iowa commit paced the Monarchs to an 82-44 win over Clovis. (FILE PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Woliczko said she had some nerves coming into the game, but knew she was ready after nearly a year of rehab and work on her game.
"For me, it was more the jump ball," Woliczko said. "Once that jump ball happens I'm in
the game, locked in and not really realizing how nervous I am any
more. That first basket felt like so much weight off my shoulders."
Another milestone was a fall she took in the first quarter after a hard foul sent her to the ground.
"It felt nice to get it out of the way," Woliczko said. "One of our assistants Coach (Tamara) Monson said 'You know, McKenna, you got your first basket, first rebound and now got your first fall out of the way.' "
Woliczko scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the opening half in about eight minutes over the two quarters.
Clovis (9-7), fresh off winning the Platinum Division title at the West Coast Jamboree, trailed 41-28 at half.
But the Monarchs blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Cougars 29-6 in the period. Mitty began the blitz with an
Emma Cook 3-pointer followed by a
Tee McCarthy fast break bucket and a Woliczko basket in the paint. Cook, a UC San Diego commit, continued the outburst with her second triple in the first three minutes of the quarter.
With the 36-point lead, Woliczko didn't play in the fourth quarter as she sat on the bench and iced her right knee.
"It was a special night and I'm exited for our team and happy for
McKenna," Mitty head coach Sue Phillips said. "It's terrific to see someone
who's so skilled and a great individual be able to do something she
loves and is so talent at. She grinds the same every day, putting in the
work and you can see what a graceful athlete she is. If you didn't know
(about the injury), you wouldn't know."
Staff writer Thomas Frey contributed to this report.
