Big night for Leonard who hits 1,000 points
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AMHERST
Some of Alyssa Leonard's earliest memories involve being around the basketball court.
The Amherst Regional senior made another big one on Wednesday night, scoring her 1,000th career point during a 58-47 win over East Longmeadow.
Leonard, the daughter of former UMass assistant and Manhattan head coach John Leonard, grew up around her father's teams and has fond memories of those times.
"I loved being around the players," she said. "They always seemed so special. I never imagined being able to do what they could do."
Leonard's special moment came after a bit of frustration. The normally solid free throw shooter was just 2-for-6 from the line to start the contest and nothing fell for her from the floor early.
"I definitely thought about it too much all day," said Leonard, who entered the day with 990 career points. "I couldn't help it."
But the standout's struggles didn't hurt her team, as the Hurricanes dominated play against the defending western Massachusetts Division 1 champions and took a 19-3 lead into the second quarter despite only one point by Leonard.
The senior had just two points midway through the second quarter when her second foul forced her to the bench with three minutes, 37 seconds left in the half.
"That's when I calmed down," she said. "I got my head into the game and stopped thinking about" the points.
She was back on the court one minute later and immediately looked more comfortable, first knocking down a deep jumper from the right baseline, then converting a three-point play on a fast break.
She stole the ball on the Spartans' ensuing possession and was immediately fouled, making the second of her two attempts to reach the milestone.
The buzzer sounded, the packed gymnasium cheered and Leonard was awarded balloons and flowers, including a bouquet from her 4½-year-old brother Kyle, who got a big hug from his big sister.
"It was a great feeling and it was so nice to have so many people here," Leonard said. "Hopefully they all saw that we aren't making it up in school when we tell them we're really good and that they should come to the games."
The fact is, Amherst has been good for all four of Leonard's years, as she, classmate Jenna Klaes and fourth-year coach Cristal Murphy have turned a team that was once a doormat into a legitimate western Massachusetts contender this year.
"We've been together since fifth grade," Klaes said. "It's really great to see her get this honor."
Leonard finished with 19 points, but the rest of her statistics show all the progress she's made since entering her freshman year as a scorer.
"I was pretty much offense-only when I first got here," she said. "I've worked hard to become an all-around player."
She added five rebounds, four assists and four steals on Wednesday.
"She's such an amazing player and such an amazing person," Murphy said. "How lucky am I to have Alyssa and Jenna for four years? They are every coach's dream."
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.
