Area Has Several 1,000-Point Stars Players Who Reach Milestone Usually Start Early, Persevere

From Basketball notebook, Sports section, January 28, 1999, page C4: CAREER SCORING UPDATE Updating last Thursday’s story about career scorers: Wellpinit’s Miranda Payne has 97 more points than listed because she played varsity as an eighth-grader. The smallest B schools, by enrollment, are allowed to use eighth-graders on varsity. Payne’s total through last weekend was 1,375 points. Ritzville’s Dustan Arlt had 945 points through last weekend, 51 more than listed. Our figures omitted six games from Arlt’s sophpmore season.

What does it take to score 1,000 points during a high school basketball career?

It takes averaging in double figures, over four seasons, for a team that plays at least five postseason games per year.

One hundred games, 10 points per game.

For that reason, it’s far more likely for players at smaller schools to reach 1,000. Of the 10 active players in the area who have hit 1,000, eight come from Class B schools, where many receive substantial playing time as freshmen.

It’s also easier for girls to hit 1,000 than boys, given that freshman girls can physically match up against seniors better than freshman boys. Eight of the 10 area players with 1,000 points or more are girls.

The area’s leader is Newport’s Carey Sauer. The Grizzlies senior has scored 1,634 points in 81 games (20.2 points per game).

Sauer and Pullman’s Christa Brossman, who both play in the 2A Great Northern League, are the only current 1,000-point scorers not from the B ranks. Brossman, who ranks 10th with 1,045 points, is also one of two juniors on the list.

The other junior is Curlew’s Jeremy Groth, whose 1,210 points rank fifth overall and first among boys.

Rounding out the local top 10 are Karen Sauvola, Northport, 1,391; Miranda Payne, Wellpinit, 1,237; Megan Yerxa, Ritzville, 1,232; Heather Cox, Tekoa-Oakesdale, 1,122; Mandi Walters, Sprague-Harrington, 1,100; Joe Bell, Christian Heritage, 1,097; and Alyssa Erickson, Wilbur-Creston, 1,096.

Totals are based on reported games. The only player in the top 10 with more than two unreported games is Bell, with four.

At least nine others could reach 1,000 this year: Kara Weitman, Cheney, 953; Grant Bafus, St. John-Endicott, 952; Brent Cummings, Pullman, 937; Nikki Petticrew, Lakeside, 892; Lucy Wilson, Republic, 886 (five games unreported); Candace Young, Northport, 884; Dustan Arlt, Ritzville, 872; Ryan Floch, Odessa, 867, and Nicole Hunt of Odessa, who has 765 points plus 10 unreported games.

Arlt has the top single-game high, with the 38 he scored last year against Davenport. Sauer and Cummings have scored 37 in a game, while Sauvola, Yerxa and Young have hit 36.

Lakeside has an 83-6 record (.933) during Petticrew’s career. Other top percentages during players’ careers are: Yerxa’s Ritzville, 82-13 (.863); Erickson’s Wilbur-Creston, 79-20 (.798); Sauer’s Newport, 64-17 (.790); Groth’s Curlew, 56-15 (.789); Weitman’s Cheney, 65-23 (.739); Cummings’ Pullman, 40-16 (.714), and Sauvola’s and Young’s Northport, 64-27 (.703).

Coaches with additions or updates, please telephone 459-5502.