WESTHAMPTON — Ashley Vazquez just needed to see one go through the basket. 

The Holyoke senior entered Wednesday night’s game against Hampshire Regional sitting at 988 career points, needing just 12 to hit the milestone every high school basketball player dreams of reaching. 

With it being the final game of the regular season for the Purple Knights, the pressure was on to hit the 1,000 point mark before the postseason. Early in the game, that pressure was mounting. 

Vazquez missed the first two shots she took and was unable to convert from the foul line. With 4:18 to play in the first quarter, she got the ball in transition, euro-stepped a defender and finished while being fouled. She made the free throw, and from there on, it seemed like she couldn’t miss. 

“Once the first one went through it was a wrap from there,” Vazquez said. 

Thirty seconds later she got to the rim in transition, and the next possession she drained a 3 from the left wing. Later in the quarter, Vazquez knocked down a shot from the foul line to put her at 998 career points heading into the second quarter. 

With 7 minutes, 15 seconds to play in the second period, Vazquez got the ball in the left corner and swished a 3-pointer, putting her over the 1,000 point mark.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Vazquez said. “I took a great nap on the bus ride over. I felt great. My teammates kept telling me I was going to get it. They kept feeding me the ball even though I missed my first two shots. It felt great when I finally got it.” 

The shot was all the more special as it came with an assist from Bianca Ortiz. The symmetry wasn’t lost on Vazquez, who made the pass to Ortiz last year when she reached 1,000 points.

“I wanted the 3,” Vazquez said. “I love all my teammates but I specifically wanted Bianca to pass me the ball. Last year when she hit 1,000 points I passed her the ball. She’s my best friend so I wanted it to be another moment for us two.” 

Holyoke coach Andrea Enright said she’s seen Vazquez progress greatly during her four years with the program. She said Vazquez never focused on being the top scorer, instead doing whatever was needed to win games.  

“She’s a pass-first player,” Enright said. “She makes everyone better and is always worried about getting all her teammates involved. Last year we played Taconic and she had 31 points and went 17-for-21 from the line but when she looked at the stats she was mad she only had nine rebounds. She wants to do all the dirty work, which is great. It’s great she got this accomplishment.

“Above all the kids I’ve coached, she’s matured a ton over these four years,” Enright continued. “It’s great to see her continue to grow.” 

Vazquez finished the game with 19 points as Holyoke cruised to a 56-34 victory over the Raiders. 

Ortiz had a game-high 21 points for the Knights (11-7), while Sam Moran (eight) and Addison Miklasiewicz (six) were the high scorers for Hampshire (4-14). 

With this being the final game of the regular season, Vazquez now gets to enters the postseason without the stress of hitting 1,000 points. That freedom is something she’s embracing.

“It took all season to get this,” Vazquez said. “Now my mind is clear for the postseason.” 

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