By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – There’s two things you should know about Camryn Runner.
First, she knows how to score points in basketball. The senior became the all-time leading scorer in Huskies girls basketball history last Saturday during Heights’ 53-41 win over Jay County at the Huskies’ gym.
Second, Runner is a fantastic teammate. The game was historic, but it was also frustrating because she had to sit on the bench for much of the second half due to early foul trouble. But Runner made it clear that the Huskies are more than her.
“I trusted my teammates,” said Runner. “Ella Hickok handling the ball, that’s big. Hitting free throws towards the end. I trusted my teammates. Hadleigh Cherry coming up big, driving towards the lane. Kamryn Rhoton coming off the bench, hitting that 3 and that layup, that was big.”
“Camryn Runner is one of the best teammates I’ve ever coached,” said Heights coach Keegan Cherry. “So, for her to say she trusts her teammates, I wouldn’t expect her to say anything else. She’s definitely a ‘We before me’ kid. Fantastic teammate. Does whatever you ask her to do.”
Runner made two 3-pointers in the first quarter for the Huskies. Hickok also hit a triple at the end of the period. Not only did that give the Huskies a 15-10 lead, but it started an 11-0 run that lasted well into the second quarter.
The spurt finished when Runner scored off a steal, and those were the points that broke the record.
“I had no idea,” said Runner. “I knew I reached 1,000 points last year at Lewis Cass, but I had no idea where I stood in the rankings. When my teammates started jumping for joy, I thought I hit a buzzer-beater for halftime. And then I looked up and they’re all like, ‘Congrats!’ I’m like, ‘Uh, what did I do?’ And they’re like ‘You just passed the leading scorer.’ So, I’m thankful, I’m grateful for my teammates, but I had no idea.”
After the Patriots hit a 3, Hickok drained another 3 – her third of the game, and Heights led 26-13. Jay County closed the half with a little run and were within 31-24 at halftime.
Despite the foul adversity, the Huskies stayed in front through the entire second half. Keegan Cherry pointed out that Heights won the third quarter, outscoring Jay County 7-6 to lead 38-30 going into the fourth. Katie Brown hit a 3 to start the third period.
Rhoton, a freshman, made a layin to finish the third quarter. After the Patriots opened the fourth with a layin, Rhoton nailed a 3 to give the Huskies a 41-32 advantage.
Jay County cut the lead to four points three times during the final four minutes of the game, but by then the Patriots were fouling. Heights went 12-for-12 from the free-throw line during the last 3:19 of the game – Hickok went 6-of-6, Runner was 4-of-4 and Brown was 2-of-2.
Runner finished the game with 17 points, and now has 1,348 points for her career. She broke the 12-year record of 2011 graduate Jessica Carr, who totaled 1,340 points. Hickok added 15 points.
Heights is 3-1 and plays Tuesday at Guerin Catholic.