GREENFIELD — The third “Big 3” member has joined the 1,000-point club.
After shaking off a pair of Amherst defenders at the top of the circle, Greenfield High School junior Katie Haselton lined up a straightaway 3-point attempt with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter of her team’s independent girls basketball game on Friday night. The shot was a no-doubter, swishing through the hoop and setting off a celebration on the GHS bench and in the stands. Haselton’s 3-pointer moved her over the 1,000 career point plateau, and she finished the night with 24 points in Greenfield’s 57-48 loss to the Hurricanes at Nichols Gymnasium.
“It’s very exciting,” said Haselton of reaching the 1,000-point club. “It’s a great feeling to have, feels awesome to get it done. I definitely have to thank all my family and friends, supporters. They all helped me get to where I am right now.”
Haselton, who entered Friday night’s game with 989 career points, became the seventh player in school history to accomplish the feat. She is the sixth girl to do it, and joins fellow “Big 3” members Raegan Hickey and Samantha Smith on the banner. It was the third year in a row that a GHS player notched their 1,000th point, with Hickey doing it in 2018 and Smith joining her last year. Both players have since graduated, leaving Haselton as the spark plug for this year’s edition of the Green Wave.
“She’s our catalyst,” Greenfield head coach John Hickey said of Haselton. “Everything revolves around her for us this year. It’s no secret Katie’s our main person. Other teams know this as well and try different things to stop her. She works hard, she doesn’t give in and she wants to win. I’m happy for her, she deserves it.”
Haselton helped Greenfield (4-4) get off to a strong start in Friday’s game. She scored her team’s first six points, the cheers growing every time she moved closer to the milestone. Her layup with 3:07 left in the second quarter brought her to 999 career points, setting up the big moment with 1:46 to go. Her 3-pointer temporarily halted action, allowing for a brief celebration near the Green Wave bench area. She added a jumper in the waning seconds to stake the hosts to a 28-21 halftime advantage.
“I kind of had an idea what I needed (to score) going into the game but once the game started, I was playing for the win. I wasn’t really paying attention to points,” Haselton offered. “I didn’t know I got it until everyone was cheering and the game stopped.”
Amherst (6-1) rallied in the second half to spoil the party. Using a trapping half-court zone that pressured the Greenfield backcourt, the Hurricanes outscored the Wave by a 36-20 margin after intermission to snag the road victory. Trailing 37-36 late in the third quarter, Amherst used a 13-2 run that ran into the fourth quarter to seize control.
Greenfield rallied down the stretch to make things interesting, as Kristina Reed’s bucket with 2:30 remaining in regulation had the hosts back within 51-46. The team had several looks and chances to pull even closer, but missed shots and turnovers in the final two-plus minutes doomed the Wave. Amherst sealed the deal at the free-throw line.
“We lost a little energy, looked flat to start the second half,” admitted Hickey. “And Amherst did a good job up top, taking away our guard play.”
Haselton’s 24 points led the way for Greenfield, 10 of those coming at the free throw line. Reed scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, while Lillia Kachelmeyer followed with seven points and Racquel Provost tossed in five.
Amherst had four players score in double figures in a balanced offensive outing. Erin Klaes and Petua Mukimba scored 14 points apiece, followed by Tessa Kawall with 13 points and Delaney MacPhetres with 11.
With 1,000 points behind her, Haselton still has a year and a half to climb her way up the all-time leading scorer list at GHS. She said following former teammates Hickey and Smith into the record books was something the trio had hoped was in the cards way back when.
“Ever since we all started playing together when I was in eighth grade, we all worked together and wanted to be successful,” she said. “It’s a different team this year. I’m the one that has to shoot the ball when the game is close. It’s a different role, but my goal is to help make the younger players more confident and hopefully that’ll lead to more wins.”
Greenfield looks to climb back above the .500 mark on Monday when it takes on Pioneer in another independent tilt.