By Kyle LoJacono
Freedom High’s gym erupted with 2:43 left in the third quarter when senior Faith Woodard put in her 20th point of the night.
The layup put the Patriots (7-0) ahead 53-31, but those specific points were more memorable than just another two in a 31-point blowout of Hillsborough Dec. 3.
They moved her to 1,500 career points.
“I never thought this would happen,” said Woodard, who picked up basketball in second grade. “I thought 1,000 points was a big milestone. Now, 1,500 is even better.”
Woodard, a 6-foot-2 forward, said she had no idea she had reached the milestone when it happened. She was a bit confused when her coach Laurie Pacholke took a timeout after the layup and why the crowd was so excited
“I was just thinking about the game and Hillsborough, so I actually forgot about being 20 points away from 1,500,” Woodard said. “When everyone stopped and were screaming I thought someone got hurt or something. … Everyone in the stands was yelling one more, one more, and I was just thinking one more what?”
Pacholke said the fact that Woodard had no idea how close she was to the mark speaks to her mentality.
“She’s the epitome of a great teammate,” Pacholke said. “She’s going to come in and do what she has to do. She was getting hammered in that first half, not getting the calls and she could have easily lost her cool and given up. The fact that she didn’t know where she was and was the most shocked one on the floor is impressive. That’s just the character of that kid.”
The 1,500th point came while running a two-on-one fast break. Sophomore guard Taylor Emery had the ball on the right side and dished to the open Woodard for the milestone.
Woodard transferred from Riverview during the summer with senior point guard Monet Williams. The two have played together since the eighth grade, and Williams was on the floor when Woodard reached 1,500.
“She can get it done and score the ball when it’s needed,” Williams said. “I was with her for the 1,000th point, so to be here for the 1,500th, I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Pacholke said reaching 1,500 points at the level Woodard has been playing speaks volumes of her as a player.
“I’m happy she’s here to get that milestone,” Pacholke said. “If things keep up, she might even hit 2,000, and you don’t see that. You see it sometimes at private schools or outside in smaller counties, but for a four-year varsity kid at (Class) 7A basketball, that’s impressive.”
