EASTHAMPTON – There was a lot to celebrate in Easthampton on Tuesday night. Valentine’s Day, Christine Raymond’s birthday, the Eagles’ Senior Night.

But the sold-out crowd in the gymnasium was waiting for one celebration in particular: Easthampton senior Lauren Morse was just 11 points away from hitting the 1,000-point milestone. 

She started off at a solid pace, scoring a bucket and a free throw in the first quarter and five more points in the second, putting her at 997. From that moment on, it seemed like the Eagles had a singular goal -- get the ball in Morse’s hands. 

A mere three points away from 1,000, Morse was doing everything she could to try and hit her milestone, launching 3-pointers and attempting to draw fouls to send her to the free throw line. Nothing was falling for the senior, but her patience and determination paid off late in the third quarter. 

With just over two minutes left in the period, Morse lined herself up at the three-point line and launched a shot that hit nothing but net, unleashing fireworks in the gym. 

The game stopped in its tracks for the party, her family rushing out to hug her as teammates and friends swarmed her with balloons, a banner, a trophy and flowers. At the side of the gym, the Easthampton student section, which had been meticulously keeping count of Morse’s total with a handmade point counter, rushed over to hang up four new posters - a 1 and three zeros, marking 1,000 points for the senior star. 

“It’s hard for me to realize it's happening. On the shot, I hit the three and I immediately was in tears,” Morse said on her milestone bucket. “It was like ‘What the heck?’ Like this is not real. Since middle school, my high school dream, this has been it. It’s finally accomplishing something I’ve worked for, it felt really good.” 

The milestone was made all the more impressive because of the way Morse had to do it. Not only is she the first Eagle to hit the 1k milestone since 2017, but she also had to do it in an abbreviated time; the COVID-19 pandemic took away a year in the middle of her high school career. But while it made the accomplishment harder, her teammates never doubted it would happen.

“I knew the whole time,” Easthampton's Jess Cloutier said confidently about Morse hitting 1,000. “It's so exciting to see. We've all been counting it down all season. In our English room, there's a little checkoff list.” 

The win was never in question -- Easthampton cruised to a 53-27 victory over McCann, a nice cherry on top of Morse’s party. But despite the W, the priority on Tuesday night was clear - this was Morse’s night, a culmination of four years of hard work.

But it was more than just about hitting her milestone. Morse was part of the first class that Easthampton's Brian Miller coached with the girls' program, and the three seniors – Morse, Maria Belfakih and Cloutier – have completely changed the culture around the team, turning the Eagles into a perennial contender. In their three years (sans COVID) with the team, the group has amassed a 44-15 record.

“(Morse and I) both came in at the same time...we just said this is my senior year, too," Miller said. "So just coming in knowing that we have that work ethic between Maria, Jess and Lauren, they really have changed that culture. Our girls are putting in the extra time in the gym, they're playing summer league, they’re playing AAU, they’re playing in the fall. I don't think we really had that in the past. So this group right here is sort of the ones who kind of took it to that next level for us.” 

The season is far from over for Easthampton – the Eagles want a long postseason run, past the first rounds in the Western Mass. and state tournaments. Cloutier said postgame she thinks this team has a title in them. But all that can wait for a little while longer. For now, the Eagles will celebrate Morse, a senior who has meant so much to Easthampton basketball, and who has gotten so much out of being a part of the Eagles team.

“I couldn't see myself playing anywhere else. I think I was meant to come here, I think I was meant to be part of this team and be able to get this with the team,” Morse said. “To have the support from the team – it means more to me having the support here. And I think that's a big reason why I was able to get it, because everyone was here for me.” 

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