advertisement

Pryor reaches 1,000 in Burlington C. win

Burlington Central junior Samantha Pryor had to endure 13 minutes of anxiety Monday night but the milestone finally came.

Pryor hit a jumper in the lane with 2:19 to play in the third quarter, which put her over the 1,000-point mark for her career, and helped the Rockets to an eventual 50-31 win over Richmond-Burton on Rocket Hill.

Pryor becomes the fourth BC girls player to reach 1,000 following Jenna Real, Jordan Maisto and Cindy Hilbrich.

The win also clinched the Big Northern East title outright for BC, its third straight. The Rockets' division win streak now stands at 37. The No. 2 ranked Class 3A team in the state can make it 38 in the league finale Tuesday on senior night against Marengo.

Pryor, who needed 11 points to reach 1,000, scored 7 in the first quarter and her team needed every one of them as a scrappy Richmond-Burton team managed to stay in the game all the way through the first half.

But after scoring those first 7 points, Pryor went into a bit of a dry spell until she hit a 3-pointer with three minutes left in the third quarter and then scored the milestone basket 41 seconds later.

"I really wanted those four points," said Pryor, who was presented a basketball to honor the occasion by Rockets' coach Mark Smith.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was a huge weight off my shoulders when I got them. Props to my team, my coaches and my parents. My team has confidence in me and I couldn't have done it without them. My coaches just told me to keep calm and I want to thank my parents for always being there and supporting me.

"It's a huge pressure off me and now (Tuesday) is senior night and that's all I'll be thinking about. And then it's on to bigger and better things in the playoffs."

Smith has many options when it comes to scoring for a team that is now 77-14 since he took over three years ago and Pryor is the first of four who could possibly reach 1,000. Senior Alison Colby has a chance to reach 1,000 still this season while juniors Shelby Holt and Kayla Ross both have 1,000 on the radar as well.

"She's a great player and a fantastic shooter. She just loves to play the game," Smith said of Pryor, who finished with 12 points. "She has great determination to get better and she will play at the next level. She's worked hard and she's reaping the benefits right now."

During Pryor's scoring drought in Monday's game, the Rockets (23-3, 13-0) turned to Colby and Holt for points and they came through, finishing with 13 each. Holt hit two 3-pointers in the second quarter and Colby (11 rebounds) scored 6 points in the third quarter as the Rockets eventually pulled away. Trailing 16-14 with 2:25 left in the first half, BC went on a 20-0 run that bridged the second and third quarters. Their biggest lead of the night was 26, 50-24, after a Becca Gerke basket with 1:58 left in the game.

"As a coach you don't want to turn it off and on like that," Smith said. "But there was no yelling at halftime or anything like that. They're smart enough to figure out what was going on. There were some distractions and to Richmond-Burton, that's their state finals.

"We had a nice second half and we'll be ready next week."

The Rockets, who were 21-for-49 shooting, won the rebound battle 39-27. Pryor added 8 rebounds.

Sara Swanson led R-B (14-13, 8-5) with 8 points.

Images: Burlington Central vs Richmond-Burton, girls basketball

  Burlington Central's Sam Pryor shoots to score her 1,000th career point against Richmond-Burton Monday in Burlington. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Sam Pryor laughs with her teammates after scoring her 1,000th career point against Richmond-Burton Monday in Burlington. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Sam Pryor gets congratulations from her teammates and head coach Mark Smith against Richmond-Burton Monday in Burlington. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.