Upper Dublin senior Taylor Bryant surpassed the 1,000-point milestone on Thursday night.
Taylor Bryant put her name in Upper Dublin’s record books on Thursday night, and the senior captain did it in style, reaching the 1,000-point plateau when – despite being fouled – she scored on a layup early in the third quarter.
The bucket also happened to give the Flying Cardinals the lead in a back-and-forth contest with archrival Cheltenham.
“It was just awesome,” coach Vince Catanzaro said. “When that ball went in, it was a combination of ‘Yeah, we got the lead, and yeah, she got her thousandth point.’
“The whole place went crazy. It was just phenomenal when it happened. We knew she only needed one more point (after halftime), and for her to score between two players and get fouled – that was a sweet play.”
The Flying Cardinals’ senior captain admits that reaching a personal milestone was the last thing on her mind when she took the court to face her archrivals.
“I knew we all wanted to win, and I was thinking about the game itself,” Bryant said. “I didn’t want to think of the thousand points at all. It really wasn’t a distraction because I wasn’t really thinking about it. I don’t think I would have done anything differently in the game.”
For her part, Bryant would have happily given up her place in the history books for a win over the Lady Panthers.
“I would definitely give up this thousand points forever to have the win,” she said after the Flying Cardinals dropped a 50-48 heartbreaker. “We tried hard.
“It was a hard game, and we just have to learn from it and come back harder the next time.”
Bryant – who needed eight points on Thursday night - never aspired to reach the milestone and says she didn’t know she was close to the 1,000-point plateau. At least not until very recently.
“I didn’t know until everyone in school kept coming up to me and telling me,” she said. “Before that I didn’t know – I kept telling everyone I didn’t want to know.
“I knew I was close, but I didn’t really know the exact number, but everyone in school knew, and I found out from them.
“It definitely wasn’t a goal, but it’s definitely appreciated. It’s nice, and it feels good to know I accomplished something.”
A starter since the eighth game of her freshman year, Bryant’s accomplishment is a tribute to the hard work she has put into her sport.
“Taylor scored 86 points her freshman year,” Catanzaro said. “From that year on, we worked on her jump shot, and that’s changed her game.
“She has great footwork going to the basket, and her jump shot is really starting to come on. Instead of driving to the basket all the time, she pulls up and takes a little jump shot off the dribble. It’s made her year.”
According to her coach, Catanzaro doesn’t force the issue when she’s on the floor.
“She’s looking to dish more,” he said. “When she first started, she looked to score a little more.
“I used to get on her, and now she’s doesn’t mind making the extra pass. She takes her points as they come. She’s just a solid player. Her ball skills are very good, and she’s very smart. Defensively, she’s as solid as they come.”
Bryant is the total package on the basketball court, and while she reached a personal milestone on Thursday, she was far more concerned about her team and admits that she can take some consolation from the fact that the Flying Cardinals extended Cheltenham to the limit.
“It does feel good to know they are one of the top teams in the district and in the state even, and to be able to compete with them is good,” Bryant said. “I think we’re even better than we’re showing, and I think we could beat them.”
The senior captain, according to her coach, is a fierce competitor who keeps things in perspective.
“She doesn’t like to lose, but the very next day you can’t see it in her,” Catanzaro said. “That’s what I like about her.”
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