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JERREY ROBERTS

Nick Bryda of Holyoke Catholic shoots against Pioneer Valley Christian on Monday on East Longmeadow. Bryda reached his 1,000th career point as the Gaels won 75-42.

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JERREY ROBERTS

Nick Bryda of Holyoke Catholic, center, gets a hug from his coach, Bob Prattico, after reaching 1,000 career points during a game against Pioneer Valley Christian Monday in East Longmeadow. He is surrounded by teammates Tom Siddell, from left, John Greaney, Ryan Ferriter and Blake McConnell.

EAST LONGMEADOW - Nick Bryda was sick and battling asthma Monday, but that was not enough to slow down the Holyoke Catholic senior.

Bryda scored 35 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in the Gaels' 75-42 victory over Pioneer Christian at the First Baptist Church Community Center.

"It's a great feeling," said Bryda, who lives in Holyoke. "I'm so glad I got it out of the way. All the hard work paid off."

Bryda entered the game needing 35 points. The 6-foot, 4-inch forward sank two free throws with three minutes, three seconds remaining in the game to cap his effort, which matched a career high. Bryda also had 13 rebounds, four blocks, four assists and two steals.

"I was just going to play my game," Bryda said. "My teammates found me and I did my job. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary."

Stuck on 33 points, Bryda missed his first attempt at the milestone when his fade-away along the right baseline rimmed out. His second attempt, an underhand scoop shot in the paint, also rimmed out. Bryda's third try, a fade-away on the low block, was heavily defended by 6-foot-4 Eagle center Jake Sinnema and resulted in an air ball.

And when Bryda went to shoot the free throws, nerves set in because he was 3-for-7 from the line before those two attempts. When he made them, they gave Holyoke Catholic a 69-39 lead. He then left the game.

"I missed a few earlier so it was running through my head," Bryda said. "That's when I was really thinking about it."

Bryda became the ninth Gael to score 1,000 points, joining Jimmy Palmer, Neil Callahan, Bob Schneider, Fran O'Conner, Dave Pelzarski, Sean O'Brien, Jack Jerzyk and Ray Witkos.

After he made the free throws, the game was stopped. Bryda entered the stands and was greeted by family and friends. He slapped hands with his father Joe, who played with Callahan and taught Bryda the game. It wasn't until high school that Bryda began beating his father.

"A lot of hard work went into this," Bryda said. "Ever since preschool I've been playing ball. My dad started me off and I have to give all the credit to him."

Bryda's high-school career started slowly. He didn't make varsity until his sophomore year, when he averaged 12.3 points per game and scored 221 points. He scored 362 points last season, averaging 19.1 points for the Gaels.

As a senior, Bryda has 417 points and is averaging 24.5. But it's not just his scoring that makes him valuable - it's his all-around game.

"He's terrific," Holyoke Catholic coach Bob Prattico said. "I've been doing this 21 years and he's the best shooter I've had."

In the first half against the Eagles, Bryda scored 14 points and added 11 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and one steal. He scored nine points in the first quarter but slowed down in the second when it appeared his illness and asthma caught up to him.

"I didn't rush my shot and I let it come to me," said Bryda of his first-half play. "I was sick since Friday and I have really bad asthma so I had running nose, sore throat and headaches."

A monster third quarter put Bryda back on track for 1,000. Settling in along the left wing, Bryda nailed four of his career-high eight 3-pointers. In his previous three games combined, Bryda made just three 3s.

"If Nicky's hot, feeling his stroke, I was going to let him get it," Prattico said. "He found his stroke in the second half and I wasn't going to take him out. He was struggling and this was a good sign."

Bryda then opened the fourth with a 3-pointer in the left corner. He was fouled on the play and finished the four-point play to give the Gaels a 59-32 lead. Another 3 along the left side with 5:51 left gave his team a 67-36 lead and left him two shy of the milestone.

"I was very comfortable over there," Bryda said. "They were falling."

Nate Powers added 20 points in the victory for Holyoke Catholic (11-6, 6-0 Bi-County South).

Nick Campolongo had 12 points for the Eagles (1-17, 0-6 Bi-County South).

Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. For more coverage, including a high school sports blog, go to www.gazettenet.com/hs-sports.