Landrie Callahan is a Division I commit for Pepperdine. She’s a All-State player. According to Providence coach Eileen Copenhaver, she’s the leading scorer and rebounder in Morris school history despite playing just three years there.

All of that is to say, it’s no surprise that the senior has been sensational since transferring from Morris to Providence Catholic. It’s what’s expected at this point.

But man, was she on fire Saturday afternoon against Joliet Cathloic.

The 6-foot-2 sensation was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 22 of her game-high 31 points in the opening 16 minutes. She had 20 of the Celtics’ first 25 points, including the first 11, as Providence rebounded from their first loss of the season to dominate JCA, 77-47.

Providence (6-1) was coming off a 64-39 defeat against Loyola on Tuesday. Callahan and Copenhaver both said that was a difficult loss, but both were also pleased with how strongly the team bounced back against the Angels.

“We were working in practice on swinging it in from the corner and getting me open in the post,” Callahan said. “That’s what’s been working in a few other games. ... We had a big loss to Loyola, but we came back in practice and got after it, pushing each other and things have just been going really well.”

Leaving a school she’d been at for three years obviously had to come with some challenges. Having her sister, junior Layken Callahan, has helped, of course, but Landrie said the rest of the team has made the transition much easier for her.

“It’s been really nice,” Callahan said. “Everyone has been super nice and opening. They’re all good players and amazing teammates. It’s been awesome getting to know these girls.”

It was awesome for them, too, in the opening period Saturday especially. The Celtics led 13-3 midway through the period and held a 21-9 advantage entering the second as the rest of the team started to pick up the pace.

The second quarter saw the story remain the same. A 31-16 advantage midway through the second grew to 36-18 before Emma Napier and Gabrielle Gavin made back-to-back shots in the final minute. However, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Carina Diorio for the Celtics made it 39-23 at the break.

Landrie kept up the pace in the third and the rest of the Celtics got hot as well. They started the period off on a 16-2 run that lasted midway through the third and took a 66-30 edge into the final quarter of play.

Credit JCA for continuing to fight even in the final eight minutes, but the clock ran in the fourth as the Celtics got the victory.

“We took care of the basketball and shared the ball,” Copenhaver said. “We learned a lot from our loss against Loyola. They had a ton of speed and are a fantastic conference team. We lost by 25 and we took that to heart, which helped us get ready for this one.”

Of course, it also helps when you have a kid who can score over 30 points. Still, Kennady Kotowski had 11 points for Providence while Layken Callahan and Taylor Healy each had nine to show Providence Catholic is more than a one-player show.

“We want to take quality shots,” Copehaver said. “The way you do that is moving the ball and try not to worry about who’s getting the ball. You just have to read the defense, make good decisions and let the game breathe a bit. ...It was a great night.”

Joliet Catholic was led by Napier with 12 points.

“We’re trying to keep our consistency together whether it’s tied, we’re up big or we’re down big,” JCA coach Matthew Adler said. “We’re trying to keep that attention to detail, the focus and enthusiasm. We’re trying to always fight and keep competing.”