CR North senior Becca Margolis reached the 1,000-point milestone on Saturday. (Photos provided courtesy of CR North basketball/Colleen Jones.)
CR North’s Margolis hits 1,000-point milestone
There was an unexpected glitch in the celebration that was to accompany Becca Margolis reaching the 1,000-point milestone in Saturday’s game against Mount St. Joseph Academy. Somehow, one of the four helium balloons that were to spell out 1,000 ended up on the ceiling before Margolis – who needed nine points - stepped onto the court.
“We had zero, zero, zero, and finally someone went and got poster board and cut out a one and made it silver to try and make it match the balloons,” coach Lou Palkovics said.
Fortunately, Margolis had a much easier time reaching the milestone, burying a 3-pointer that vaulted her to the 1,000-point mark late in the first quarter.
“Becca hit that three from six feet beyond the 3-point line,” Palkovics said. “It was like an NBA three. She didn’t hit it coming off a screen, she didn’t hit it within the flow of the offense.
“She caught it and she jab stepped and the girl stayed where she was because she figured - there’s no way she’s going to shoot it, and she’s not going to go by me since I’m playing six feet off her, so Becca just shot it. It was one of those ‘What? What?’ and it went in. It was nice to get it done that quick.”
Scoring a thousand points was never on Margolis’ bucket list. As a matter of fact, the standout point guard had made up her mind that collegiate soccer would be part of her future, not basketball. Margolis had played both sports most of her life, competing at the club level for both.
“As I got into high school, I felt like I was enjoying soccer more,” she said. “I was still doing a lot of basketball on the side, so I still did both equally – if not a little more of basketball because I did a lot of training on the side.”
Then came a junior high school season that saw Margolis garner Bucks County Courier Player of the Year honors, an honor that opened the gritty point guard’s eyes to her own potential.
“That really was a lot of motivation for me to realize if I keep working hard I can achieve even better things,” Margolis said. “My goal has always been to achieve my full potential.”
Although she has not made a final decision, there’s a very good chance Margolis will be playing basketball at the collegiate level.
“I’ve been surrounded by these sports my entire life, so whether I play soccer or basketball, I just want to play,” she said.
Margolis – according to her coach – possesses a combination coaches at every level covet in a point guard.
“Any point guard who plays us is like, ‘Oh no,’” Palkovics said. “You don’t want to go against a kid that is so strong, so physical and so in-your-face defensively and then is so potent offensively.
“The fact that she’s such a great offensive player is kind of a plus. What really scares other point guards is she’s such a great defender. She’s up in your face 24/7. Her competitiveness and the fact that she’s so relentless on defense makes her a scary player.”
For her part, Margolis derives the most satisfaction from setting up her teammates.
“Not just one teammate, just everybody,” she said. “I like giving the ball to everybody, giving everybody an equal chance to be their best on the court.
“It’s just really exciting to see how people become successful. I really love making other people get involved and play their best.”
Listening to Palkovics tell it, few do it better than Margolis.
“She’s such a facilitator,” the Indians’ coach said. “Her passes on fast breaks – they’re not just good passes, they’re dazzling passes sometimes the way she threads the needle.”
Margolis averages 4.5 assists a game, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. She also averages over 11 points, 3.3 steals and 3.3 rebounds. Even those numbers don’t tell the story.
“She’s so competitive,” Palkovics said. “She’ll say, ‘Coach, can we stay around and shoot for 20 minutes?’ Sometimes I have to rush out and get my kids, but I can’t say no to her.
“She’s a great kid, she’s a great leader and just ultra competitive.”
The idea that her name will be in the school’s record book is just starting to sink in.
“It didn’t really hit me until later,” Margolis said. “When I was by myself driving home after the game, it hit me at once, and it was just so amazing to realize I accomplished this and all the support I’ve had, especially from my family and some of the people I’ve worked with in basketball like Jimmy Dillon.
“I owe him a lot – he always pushed me to be my best and helped me shape myself into the player I am. He’s always made me work hard off the court besides playing high school. I owe it all to them. They’re really helped me get to where I am.”
Margolis knew she needed nine points entering Saturday’s game against the Mount.
“I wanted to tune that out,” she said. “I just wanted to win. I wanted to keep that out of my head.
“I knew I could get there, but I wanted to focus on the team rather than myself and the points.”
When Margolis reached the historic milestone, the game – a 66-41 CR North win - was halted for a brief celebration, and when play resumed, the Indians went on to defeat the Mount 66-41
“I’m not a big fan of giant celebrations and everyone staring at me, especially stopping the game,” Margolis said. “It was kind of weird but I was so grateful to have all of my family there to watch me because they’ve always been there. My aunts and uncles and their family friends come and watch me play. It’s just awesome that they’ve been here all four years, and they got to see me score a thousand points.”
deMarteleire retiring from coaching ranks
After 29 years on the sidelines – 26 as head coach, Maggie deMarteleire decided the time was right to call it a career. Last Monday, the North Penn coach informed her players she would be stepping down at the end of the season.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the past couple of weeks,” deMarteleire said. “It’s mostly to spend more time with my family, especially my grandkids.
“I’ve been very, very blessed with all the players throughout the years, the good families, my loyal and committed assistant coaches, the administration and, most importantly, the support of my husband and my family. It’s time for my husband and me to spend some time together.”
During her 26 years at the helm, deMarteleire led her teams to 15 league championships – 11 PAC-10 titles during her 15 years at LC and, more recently, four Suburban One League titles at North Penn. Her teams have played in four District One finals with North Penn winning the program’s first ever district crown in 2014. Her teams have made 12 state playoff appearances.
“I’m really, really proud of what we accomplished at North Penn,” deMarteleire said. “This year’s has been a Murphy’s Law thing with the injuries. My two starters that were coming back had injuries at the very beginning of the season.
“It’s been a little bit difficult, but the girls give 100 percent all the time, and that’s all I could ask. It was difficult when I let them know, but I think it’s the right time. Whoever comes in, there’s a good core of young players, and they’re going to be just fine.”
SOL teams eyeing the postseason
With the regular season winding down and the District One Tournament on the horizon, the battle for the final berths as well as opening round byes will come down to the wire.
If the season had ended on Sunday, five SOL teams – Souderton (1), Central Bucks South (2), Plymouth Whitemarsh (5), Abington (7) and Central Bucks East (8) – would receive opening round byes in the District One 6A Tournament.
Neshaminy (9), Upper Dublin (10), Council Rock North (12), Central Bucks West (14), Pennridge (21), Cheltenham 23) and William Tennent (24) would also be in the 24-team field with the SOL occupying 12 of those spots. Pennsbury, one spot out at 25, is not out of the hunt.
The opening round would include three all-SOL contests – William Tennent at Neshamimny, Pennridge at Council Rock North and Cheltenham at Upper Dublin. Central Bucks West would host Coatesville (18).
Sixteen teams will earn Class 5A berths with Upper Moreland occupying the 15th seed. The Golden Bears would travel to West Chester Rustin for an opening round game on Feb. 20.
In Class 2A, Springfield Township is the fourth seed in what will be a four-team tournament.
- Log in to post comments
