Highlands’ Kate Myers hits 1,000 career points in victory over Mars

By: Nathan Breisinger
Thursday, December 28, 2023 | 6:34 PM

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It was a monumental day for Kate Myers on her home floor as she entered the day just 14 points shy of a career milestone.

At the 2 minute, 6 second-mark of the second quarter, Myers received the ball on the left wing and let a shot fly from beyond the arc. As the 3 fell through the net, Myers etched herself into Highlands history, notching her 1,000th career point in a 46-36 win over Mars on Thursday.

“She is such a hard worker, so everything she does is definitely earned. That’s a heck of an accomplishment,” Highlands coach Shawn Bennis said.

Sitting on 1,000 points, an unofficial timeout was called, allowing Myers’ teammates to swarm her, along with spending a moment with her family, who lifted signs commemorating the achievement.

“I knew everyone was supportive, and it felt good,” Myers said about the moments following her milestone.

Entering the day, Myers woke up knowing she was just a handful of shots away from 1,000, but she didn’t let that distract her as she remained even keeled throughout the game.

“It was on my mind, but my first priority was winning the game,” Myers said.

Bennis commended Myers on her ability to stay poised.

“I thought she handled herself well throughout,” he said. “She didn’t force shots, and she played within the game and still got the points she needed.”

Myers’ 20 points paved the way for the 10-point victory as she buried six 3-pointers, with five of them coming in the first half.

“I knew that I was on fire, and I knew I had to keep shooting,” Myers said.

Three 3s in the second quarter from Myers helped Highlands outscore Mars, 18-6, before halftime, which was ultimately the difference.

“It all starts on the defensive end,” Bennis said. “Us moving the basketball and playing defense is going to make them work. When we come down and we’re playing offense, hopefully we are being patient and not taking poor shots, and for the most part, I thought we took good shots.”

After Mars took a 13-12 lead into the first-quarter break, the Fightin’ Planets offense could not muster much in the following eight minutes.

“I thought in the first half, Highlands really brought it physically and mentally,” Mars coach Zachary Stitt said.

At halftime, Stitt challenged his team to respond with more aggression, and that was noticeable as Mars (5-4) held Highlands (6-3) to just one field goal in the third quarter.

“I challenged our girls to raise the intensity on our end of things,” Stitt said. “I thought our defense was a little bit better, and we were a little bit stronger going to the rim.

The Fightin’ Planets second-leading scorer, 6-foot Cecilia Christy, was vital in her team’s push as she totaled a team-high 14 points to go with numerous rebounds.

“She is starting to really come in her own,” Stitt said. “She is a really versatile player and is a tough guard.”

Mars’ top scorer, Vita Vargo, was held to eight points.

Holding Mars’ key producer to a minimum was a big part of Highlands’ gameplan.

“Our big goal is to hold the opponent under 40 points,” Bennis said. “Defensively, we focused in and we knew that they would not stop playing and make a run, which they did.”

As Mars put together a small push in the fourth quarter thanks to Christy, senior Kalleigh Nerone responded on the other end with two significant drives and finishes. She totaled 14 points.

“She makes us go,” Bennis said. “Her basketball IQ is off the charts. She knows in crunch time or when we need a bucket that she has the free reign to go get that bucket. She got to the rack and finished.”

Tags: Highlands, Mars