St. JOseph's Mallory Heinle is PG's girls' sports athlete of the week

Last week: Heinle battled through an ankle injury that caused her to miss four games by scoring 23 points to lead No. 12 St. Joseph to a 45-30 upset of No. 5 Avella in a WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game Saturday.

Check this out: Heinle, a junior guard/forward, is averaging 19.7 points per game. She accounts for more than half of her team's points, as St. Joseph's averages 37.1 a game. The Spartans (11-12) play No. 4 Quigley (17-5) in Saturday's quarterfinals. Heinle's brother, Brian, was a former 1,000-point scorer at St. Joseph and now plays at Pitt-Greensburg.

• How do you score the majority of your points? I don't even know if I can pinpoint it. I like to have an inside-outside game, so it depends on what kind of defense the other team is playing. I score a lot on inside jumpers, but I do step out here and there and shoot 3-pointers.

• Do you feel a lot of pressure to score? I guess I do, but I really don't think about it during the game. I just go as hard as can. I do put a lot on myself, but my team steps up a lot, too.

• Best player you've played against this season? Probably either [North Catholic's] Lauren Wolosik or [Vincentian's] Brenna Wise. They're two different types of players, but both are almost impossible to guard.

• If your team doesn't make it to the WPIAL finals, will go and watch any of the games? Yeah, definitely. Basketball is our life. If we're not playing, we usually find a game to go see.

• Do you go to fish fries during Lent? Yes.

• Who has the best? Well, I think my mom makes pretty good fish. We go to Blessed Sacrament [in Natrona Heights] and eat there. They're good, but I think my mom's is best.

• Favorite celebrity to follow on Twitter? Josh Groban (singer/songwriter).