BY HEIDI ZENEFSKI
Sports Correspondent
Meghan Gilhool proudly holds her 1,000 point ball with her parents, Dana and Joe, at her side on Saturday night. PHOTO BY HEIDI ZENEFSKI
With 6 minutes and 31 seconds left in the second quarter of the Montrose Lady Meteors’ victory over Lackawanna Trail on Saturday night, Montrose senior Meghan Gilhool stole the ball, drove down the court, and scored a lay-up.
But it wasn’t just any lay-up. With that basket, she earned her way into the elite 1,000 point club. Gilhool is the 17th Montrose player since 1978 to reach the 1,000 point mark.
Gilhool talked of the support she received from her team and the community. “It’s been awesome. They’ve all been so supportive. They all knew, going into this season that I could have gotten it, so they were all telling me to push myself and take the open shots. They’ve been unbelievable with the support.”
Many of her extended family members attended the game to support her and the student section was a sea of blue because blue is Gilhool’s favorite color. Coming into the game, she needed nine points and the crowd counted down with each point she scored, cheering her on and hitting a frenzied state as the lay-up fell through the net.
Gilhool has plenty of talent, but talent alone is not enough to get 1,000 points. It took a lot of hard work. To develop her talent which led to reaching this point, she put in a lot of work. “I practiced a lot. I’ve played in the off-season every year since sixth grade and I was always shooting in the driveway with my brother and my dad. Just always playing has really helped me.”
Her coach, Al Smith, agrees, “She’s earned it. She worked very hard from her freshman year up. She puts in a lot of time in the off season. She’s been very dedicated to our program. She’s a great kid.”
Gilhool said reaching this accomplishment feels “Unbelievable. I still can’t believe it happened. I don’t know when it will set in.”
Gilhool plans to attend Western New England University in Springfield, Mass., where she will continue her basketball career playing for the Golden Bears in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and study Health Sciences.
Gilhool is the daughter of Joe and Dana Gilhool of Montrose.
Be the first to comment on "Gilhool nets 1,000th point"