Junior Lillee Alpe had no idea she came into Tuesday night’s game with 998 points in her Starkville Academy career.
And until she made her third basket of the contest — at which point a Volunteers coach yelled, “1,004!” — she was unaware she’d reached an important milestone.
Alpe scored 12 points Tuesday, more than enough to push her across the 1,000 mark she hadn’t ever thought about. After the contest, the team presented Alpe with a commemorative basketball with her accomplishment written upon it.
“I was not expecting it at all, so it felt really good,” Alpe said. “I had no idea.”
For coach Bill Ball, the moment was a nice culmination of all the work the junior guard poured into it.
“What a huge accomplishment for a young lady who’s put countless hours in the gym,” Ball said. “A very humble player who doesn’t force the action. She just lets the game come to her. She’s a huge part of what we’re trying to do this year. So proud for her and this accomplishment.”
In Ball’s view, Alpe’s milestone Tuesday was trumped by the Volunteers’ 60-34 road victory over rival Heritage Academy.
“I know the biggest accomplishment for her tonight was to win this game the way we did, in that fashion,” Ball said. “That just kind of made it a little bit sweeter.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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