Schwieterman reaches 1000

As Hallie Schwieterman generated space just to the left of the top of the key and fired up a 3-pointer, it looked like so many previous baskets in her Jay County career.

Though the junior has made nailing long-range shots a regular occurrence, this one was special. It cemented her presence in the 1,000-point club as the Jay County High School girls basketball team rollicked to a 74-45 home victory over the Concordia Cadets on Tuesday.

“I was really excited about it,” Hallie Schwieterman said. “I mean, just actually doing it, it’s like, wow. You realize that you’ve been playing for three years and stuff, and it’s very surreal, and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I hit a thousand points,’ and none of that could have happened if I didn’t have the coaches and the teammates that I had that lift me up every day, and I wouldn’t have the confidence that I do without them.”

Hallie Schwieterman entered the game needing just six points to etch her name into Jay County lore. She recorded a pair of layups in the first quarter before drilling the historic 3-pointer 12 seconds into the second period.

The junior raised her arms in celebration and was mobbed by her teammates as the game was briefly paused to recognize the achievement.

“Hallie Schwieterman is a special, special person on and off the basketball court,” said Jay County coach Sherri McIntire. “Just so proud of her to get to that 1,000 points. You don’t know how many hours that young lady spends in the gym, and with a basketball in her hand and playing basketball, and it has paid off.”

While hard work was a key ingredient in Hallie Schwieterman’s scoring proficiency, the guard also made sure to remain thankful for the other factors that helped her along the way.

“I’m so glad that God blessed me with the talent that He did, and the family and the community,” she said. “It’s just, I’m so blessed, and I can’t put into words how grateful I am for everything that I have.”

Hallie Schwieterman went on to finish the night with 24 points while adding three more 3-pointers, but she wasn’t the only Patriot to boast a memorable performance.

Her freshman sister Karsyn Schwieterman notched the first 30-point game of her young career, amassing 31. She also snared seven offensive rebounds as the Patriots (9-4) claimed 20 offensive boards to the 12 defensive rebounds captured by the Cadets (2-13).

Despite the younger Schwieterman’s big night, her focus remained on her sister’s accomplishment.

“I’m so proud of her,” Karsyn Schwieterman said. “I mean, I’ve been waiting for this … She also wanted it to be a three, and then it was, and it was so awesome.”

Even after punching her ticket to the 1,000-point club, Hallie Schwieterman made sure to recognize Karsyn’s exploits.

“She’s just amazing,” Hallie Schwieterman said. “Having her on the court is, it’s such a blessing, and I’m so thankful that I get to share these moments with her and get to share time on the court with her. She’s so reliable all the time, and she has such a hard game and she’s so competitive, which obviously, I think it kind of runs in our family.”

The competitiveness in the Schwieterman bloodline has produced tangible results, and not just for Hallie. Her older sister, Renna Schwieterman, is the all-time scoring leader in Jay County history, having stacked up 1,754 points in her career. (Renna will be inducted to the Jay County High School Athletic Wall of Fame at halftime of Friday’s game against Bluffton.)

Though Hallie Schwieterman likely has several more milestones within reach after solidifying herself as the eighth overall Patriot and fifth Jay County girl to reach 1,000 points, continuing to win remains the guard’s priority.

“Points-wise, I don’t really have a goal,” Hallie Schwieterman said. “I mean, breaking records, I don’t really care to do it. I just want to win as many games as we can as a team and stuff, and I just want to get as far as we can in the tournament because I think we have a very good team this year.”