Mortimer

CLARION— Bethany Koch had a little extra incentive for scoring 31 points againstCoudersport.

Sure, the scoring surge was a big help in her Union girls basketball team's dismantling of the Falcons in the District 9 Class A title game at Tippin Gymnasium Saturday.

But, it also settled a wager with her parents: Score 30-plus points, get some new duds – and not just your every day, department store ensemble. This will be a look worthy of the red carpet

"Yes, that is true," Koch said, chuckling. "Actually, it started with one of our forwards. If she got 10, she got an accessory. I asked my mom and dad if I got 10 if I'd get an outfit. They said I had to get 30 to get an outfit."

It was the first time all season that Koch cracked 30. She had 16 points in the first quarter and 20 points just 10 minutes into the game. It came at a great time.

"I finally did it," she said. "They owe me now."

When Koch is in her basketball outfit with the Damsels, she gets no poor grades from any fashion police.

Koch has teamed with fellow senior forward Andrea Mortimer to form one of the best 1-2 punches in the state for Union (26-1), which faces Monaca at 1 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs.

The only problem is it's hard to tell who is the No. 1 or No. 2 punch.

"Going into every game, I always look at the other team and say, 'X girl. She's their top player,'" said Union coach Josh Meeker. "No one can do that with Union. Someone could say, 'I want to focus on Andrea Mortimer,' and we have Beth Koch. Or, 'I want to stop Beth Koch,' and we have Andrea Mortimer.

"It's exciting to watch them play because they feed off each other, and, at times, even if one is not performing as well, the other one picks their level up."

They are very different kinds of players, even though they play the same position at forward.

Koch, 5-feet-9 and lanky, does her damage with her athleticism, sneaky speed and surprising shooting range.

She is averaging 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Mortimer, at barely over 5-6, gets it done with sheer determination. She is averaging 16.2 points per contest.Mortimer is one of the team's leading rebounders at nearly 10 boards per game despite her small stature."I always grew up playing guys or people bigger than me, so I've always been used to being little and having to fight for (the ball)," Mortimer said.And she always seems to get it."We were taught from very young to be aggressive no matter what," Mortimer said. "If it's on the floor and rolling, we have to go get it or we will get chewed out about it."Meeker said Mortimer is a prime example that a player doesn't necessarily have to be big and tall to rebound well."She has a nose for the ball," Meeker said. "We've had girls in the past like her. These girls know growing up that it's not about your height or jumping ability. It's about going after the ball hard. A lot of that is just instinct and playing a lot of basketball."Koch and Mortimer hope to be playing a lot more basketball this month.With two more wins, the Damsels, a storied program with just one losing season in the last 31 years, will break the school record for victories in a season.With five more wins, Union will bring home its first state championship.And Koch and Mortimer would like nothing better than to do it together."We've been together forever it seems," Koch said. "I think over the years, we've developed the chemistry other teams don't have."Union hopes that chemistry can cook up an elusive state title.

Koch