Brooklynn Haywood hit the milestone in her 40th varsity game
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
It took a little longer than she might have expected Monday night, but Brooklynn Haywood also got to this milestone faster than most, and perhaps faster than anyone in Clark County high school basketball history.
Most of the first few shots just weren’t falling for the Union Titans on Monday.
“Everything was going in and out, layups and everything,” Haywood said after the game.
But late in the first quarter, she was true on a long, contested 3-pointer.
She got to the free throw line for two more points early in the second quarter.
Then a driving layup in traffic for her seventh point of the game — and 1,001st point of her high school career.
The Union Titans did not have their best outing Monday, falling 53-40 to Sherwood, Ore., in a non-league game.
Still, the Titans and their fans reminded us that high school sports are also about making memories. Even in defeat, they celebrated Haywood’s milestone.
Scoring 1,000 points in a high school career is quite the mark, but doing so in less than two seasons is unusual, and possibly unprecedented in this region. Clark County Today does not have access to high school basketball records dating back decades, but after talking to coaches in the region and one former all-star player, no one can recall a player getting to 1,000 points in her first two seasons.
Haywood, with 17 points on Monday, has 1,011 points in 40 varsity games, averaging 25.3 points per game.
“All the times I have to get up at 5 a.m. to work out, it has paid off,” Haywood said. “I have to remind myself I have two more years of high school and I still have some games left this season. Just because I hit 1,000, this isn’t the last thing I’m ever going to do. But obviously, in this moment, it feels really good. I’m proud of myself because I’ve worked my butt off to get here, and I just have to keep working my but off to make more history.”
At halftime, a fan brought in balloons that spelled out 1,000. And a small poster was shown off in the crowd, pictures of Haywood in action with the number 1,000 in big print. After the game, she posed with her coaches and a banner.
“I feel really loved,” Haywood said. “It feels really good to know there are so many people around that are proud of me and supporting me. I know it was a tough game. I was a little down after the game. This definitely cheered me up. My teammates are in such good spirits about it, even after the tough game.”
