Glenbard East's Huber hits 1,000 mark as Rams down Larkin

It took Lauren Huber a little over two seasons to accomplish something most players can only dream about.

Huber, Glenbard East's senior point guard, scored her 1,000th point Thursday in a 56-23 girls basketball victory over visiting Larkin.

She didn't play on varsity as a freshman, and then there was COVID-19, which wiped out at least half of her senior season.

No matter. She was determined, according to her coach, Nicole Miller.

"She really became such a formidable player as she stepped onto varsity as a sophomore, and then had a great year last year, and she's come out strong and even stronger this year," said Miller, whose team improved to 3-0 behind Huber's 21 points and 6 rebounds.

Historically, Huber stands at 1,001 points, putting her within striking distance of the school's all-time scoring leader, Katie Mielke, who had 1,247 points when she graduated in 2004.

But to have Huber tell it, she was just glad to be back on the court, playing with her teammates, what with the long, long offseason.

"At this point, it's take advantage of every moment you get," she said, accepting well wishes - and a pan of celebratory cookies in the shape of basketballs - from her teammates and family.

So is she thinking about Mielke's record? Well ...

"It is in the back of my head, but you obviously can't win a game one versus five," she said. "We need everybody, we're really good at working the ball around, and especially with our posts, working it in and out with post to post passes."

Collegiately, she's uncommitted, but she's seeking the right fit. She'll have quite a story to tell recruiters, a tale that her senior teammate Emily Ryan has seen from the start.

"We've been together on this varsity team since sophomore year, so it's been a wild ride, and it's been awesome to watch her game grow alongside me," Ryan said. "It's really been a privilege to play with her."

All eyes may have been on Huber Thursday, but Larkin has a couple of young players who aspire to be in her position in a few years - 5-foot-9 freshman forward Morgan Miller and 6-1 sophomore forward Baylei Johnson. They each scored 7 and combined for 6 rebounds.

"I think hitting 1,000 points is a really good achievement for her, but I think that's a point we all want to reach at some point in our basketball careers," Miller said. "I think that's one of the big goals as a high school basketball player."

Added Johnson: "This season, since it's so short, my main goal is to get better each time I step on the court."