Jim Thorpe’s Kayley Kovac got her fourth.

Weatherly’s Emily Zoscin collected her second.

And Lehighton’s Skylynn Faust picked up her first.

No matter the number, the significance remained the same.

The trio was recognized Tuesday when the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Girls Basketball teams were announced.

Kovac goes 4-for-4

Kovac earned Second Team Class 4A honors – her fourth straight all-state selection. Zoscin was a Third Team Class A selection for the second straight season, while Faust was a Third Team Class 4A pick to capture her first all-state honor.

It is a remarkable honor for all three players, especially Kovac. The senior was leading area in scoring at 26.11 points per game when she suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win over Lake Lehman on Jan. 6.

“Considering the circumstances on Kayley’s season, this is a testament to her career,” said Olympians’ head coach Rob Kovac. “This is something that she’s accumulated over four years, and I think there’s a lot of people that kind of understood the situation and respected all she’s accomplished over the past few years. The shame of it is she got off to such a good start this year as well.

“In the short glimpse we saw Kayley this year, she was really good. It’s nice to see that something can end on a positive note for her.”

Kovac was the Times News Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior, and was a First Team All-State selection the past two years after earning a third team selection as a freshman.

Kovac became Jim Thorpe’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season, breaking Celeste Robinson’s mark of 1,691 points before getting injured.

Kovac has plenty to look forward to in college, where she will continue her basketball career at Division 1 St. Francis University.

Back-to-back for Zoscin

Zoscin’s role continued to expand as the Wreckers won their first District 11 title since 1986 and finished the season with a 16-9 record.

The junior hit the 1,000-point mark in January and finished the season averaging 18.6 points-per-game. She led Weatherly in rebounds (7.5 per game), steals (113) and assists (88).

“It’s so big for her, because not everybody knows what she does in the summer, what she puts into it, and how hard she works,” said Wreckers head coach Kevin Kringe. “And just the things she has to go through, game-in, and game-out, with other teams keying on her, we expect a lot out of her to do stuff for us, and she has to kind of manage all that in the heat of the game and try to keep us successful.

“She goes through a lot, and I think this is just a little recognition as to a little bit of what she means to us.”

Zoscin is the ultimate competitor.

“Every day at practice, she is ready to compete, and she is ready to go,” said Kringe. “That’s something special. Sometimes your best player takes plays off and stuff like that. But she is one that does not, and I never have to worry about her effort. She’s always playing hard.

“She’s so much fun to coach. She’s a once-in-a-coach’s-lifetime kind of player. I’m gonna miss her tremendously when she’s gone. But I’m glad I have her for one more year.”

Faust makes 4A team

Like Zoscin, Faust was the focal point for the Indians this season. The senior led all area girls in scoring average (among qualifying players) with 22.83 points per game.

The Times News Girls Basketball Player of the Year also hit the 1,000-point mark in January and finished her high school career with 1,323 points, which ranks fourth in Lehighton’s girls basketball history.

Not only did she score, Faust also averaged a double-double, finishing the season with a team-leading 288 rebounds, good for 12.0 per game while also adding 59 steals and 53 assists.

As a team, the Tribe finished the year 15-7 in the regular season and made it to a Schuylkill League wild card tiebreaker game before qualifying for districts.

Faust was the complete package.

“I felt personally, as a coach, that no matter what team we were going against, that I had the best player on the court,” Indians’ first year head coach Joe Berezwick said of Faust, who will continue her career at King’s College. “Knowing that, you knew you had a chance to win.

“Being around a long time at Tamaqua, now coming back and jumping into it with a new team at Lehighton, it was surreal to have somebody the caliber her to get back into the game if you will. I have nothing but gratitude to her for making my return a successful one”

Berezwick has seen plenty of great players during his coaching career. And Faust is one of the best.

“To be able to work with a kid that works so hard, and having many great players come though at Tamaqua, she worked as hard as any of those. And I believe harder,” Berezwick said. “She never took a night off. I’m just so proud of her.”