Inchelium’s Meika Heath reaches 1,000 points for career
For any high school basketball player to register 1,000 points in his or her career is an impressive feat. To do that in a little more than two full seasons is almost unheard of.
But then, Inchelium’s Meika Heath is a remarkable player.
The junior scored her 1,000th point in a 43-39 win over Cusick on Friday as part of a 26-point performance. The Hornets are off to a 5-1 start and Heath averages 21.8 points, combining with Rylee Desautel (16.3 points) to form a dangerous duo at the 1B level.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Heath said. “When I looked back on my points from my freshman year and over my high school career I was like, ‘I’m getting there.’ When I hit 21 points (on Friday) and they stopped the game I was full of emotion.”
Inchelium athletic director Steven Carson announced it to the crowd and presented her with a ball to commemorate the achievement.
“She’s a coach’s dream,” said coach Mike Flett of the 5-foot-10 Heath, who is also an all-league volleyball player and Northeast 1B MVP as pitcher on the fastpitch softball team.
“She runs the floor like a point guard,” Flett said. “She can play the one through five for us.”
“I like to play all over,” Heath said. “I like to keep the other teams on their toes.”
Heath is in her first full season with Inchelium. She started at Davenport and was second-team all-Northeast 2B as an eighth-grader and first-team as a freshman. She transferred to Inchelium and sat out the first semester last season, joining the Hornets for the conclusion of her sophomore season after the holiday break.
Flett said Heath will go to the community center after practice to help out with younger kids in the community and has helped to reinvigorate Inchelium’s athletics.
“I love helping the younger kids get better,” Heath said.
Heath said she’d like to play college ball but is also interested in attending Idaho to pursue forestry degree.
She still has goals to reach in high school.
“For the rest of my high school career, for this year of my senior year is … to at least make it to state,” she said. “That’s one of my biggest goals.”
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