Alyssa Austin burst on to the varsity scene last year as a freshman. This season, Austin is the leading candidate for Lebanon County’s unofficial ‘Most Improved Girls’ Basketball Player’ award.

Austin’s breakthrough sophomore season continued on an upswing recently, as she helped Cedar Crest to a 2-1 week.

On Monday night at Ephrata, Austin enjoyed a monster night, pouring in a game-high 23 points and hauling in 17 rebounds in the Falcons’ 55-41 win over the home standing Mounts. Austin followed that up with a 12-point effort during Wednesday’s 45-19 home trouncing of Conestoga Valley.

On Friday night in Lancaster, Cedar Crest dropped its initial league contest of the season – 49-48 to McCaksey – but don’t blame Austin, who tossed in a game-high 17 points.

Partly due to Austin’s inspired play, the Falcons are off to a 4-2 start in 2014-15, 3-1 in Section One of the Lancaster-Lebanon League,

A 6-3 post presence, Austin gets the job done with superior footwork, diligent determination and a soft touch around the goal. Though she is still very early in her scholastic development, Austin is said to have already drawn attention from Division One college recruiters.

– Jeff Falk