Pennsbury junior Sajanna Bethea surpassed the 1,000-point mark in Wednesday night’s District One AAAA win over Neshaminy.
By Mary Jane Souder
Sajanna Bethea had herself quite a day on Wednesday.
Not only did her 20th-seeded Pennsbury squad upset fourth-seeded Neshaminy to earn a coveted berth in the state tournament, the Falcons’ junior standout reached a personal milestone when she surpassed the 1,000-point plateau early in the game.
“It was really exciting just to see my team progress further and further on,” Bethea said. “I got my thousand points that night, we beat Neshaminy, we’re going to states – that just hits them all. There’s nothing else to it.
“It was definitely a good feeling walking out of that gym, knowing we won, and the fan base we had there pumping us up. It was very exciting.”
Bethea is just the sixth female at Pennsbury to reach that milestone, the first since 2006 grad and St. Bonaventure star Dana Mitchell did it and went on to score a school record 1,757 points. The junior standout, who also is a relentless rebounder, appropriately scored her historic bucket on a layup after a takeaway early in Wednesday’s game.
“I didn’t really know how to react when I got it,” Bethea said. “I was excited, I was relieved. I just had the biggest smile on my face. It was just such a great feeling.
“I knew I only needed three points. I definitely wanted to get those three points out of the way but also get that win. Once I got it, it was a very exciting moment but also a relief just to get it over with. You get the flowers and everything, but – alright, back in the game.”
Coach Donna Nicholson knew from the outset she had a special player in Bethea.
“She started from day one with us,” the Falcons’ coach said. “She was playing in the summer league with us the summer going into her ninth grade year. You knew she possessed a lot of good skills.
“She had the ability to score, and we were hoping that she would have that same success in high school because she was basically having her way down at the middle school level. We were just hoping that going up against more skilled and better players she would still have the same effect.”
Bethea has been an impact player since she set foot on the court as a freshman, and this season she is averaging close to 18 points a game and more than 10 rebounds.
“She’s grown as a player over the last three years,” Nicholson said. “She’s expanded her game. We used to just leave her inside, but she has a good touch.
“She’s developed that mid-range jumper, and this year she is our second leading three-point shooter. As much as she gets inside, she’s able to step outside and shoot the three-pointer with confidence also. She’s a terror on the boards. Offensively and defensively, she gets after it.”
On Wednesday night, Bethea went on to score 22 points in the Falcons’ upset of archrival Neshaminy.
“Getting a thousand points wasn’t my top priority – I wanted to win,” Bethea said. “I knew that if we did win I would have more opportunities to get a thousand points. Winning was my first priority.”
Bethea has known for several weeks that it was a possibility she could reach the milestone as a junior.
“I realized how close I was, and when I mapped it out in my head, I was like - if I score 23 points a game, not including playoffs, it was a realistic goal,” she said. “It was an awakening for me to realize I could actually get it, let alone getting it my junior year. That was a big goal for me. I’m glad to accomplish it. I really am.”
Not coincidentally, Bethea has been a driving force in the Falcons’ surprising postseason run. After losing seven of nine games to close out the regular season, the Falcons have been on a tear in districts. The junior standout had 31 points and 19 rebounds in Pennsbury’s opening round upset of Council Rock South, and she has picked up the slack in the absence of senior Jae Jackson, who went down with a knee injury in mid-January and was lost for the season.
“Once we found out she was going to be out for the rest of the season, we had to come up with a plan,” Bethea said. “How is everyone else going to step up? How are we going to fill those points, rebounds, steals and everything Jae used to do.
“We devised a plan. Everyone knew they had to step up to make up for those lost points. We were definitely nervous about it, but we knew there was no changing it. The only thing we could do was try our hardest to make up for what we lost. We’re doing a great job of doing that. Everyone has definitely stepped up.”
No one has stepped up more than Bethea.
“She’s turned it on the last third of the season,” Nicholson said.
- Log in to post comments
