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Dec. 17—RED LAKE — Tuesday night against Red Lake, Kylee Binkley was well aware of her career points total.
It may be a weird thing to think about during a game, but there was a good reason for it. The Northome/Kelliher girls high school basketball senior was sitting at 1,978 career points. By the second half, she scored 18, only four shy of hitting 2,000.
With a huge milestone within her grasp, she decided not to attempt any more shots and instead assisted her teammates.
The game was well in hand, so the Mustangs didn't need Binkley to score. And since Tuesday was a night to celebrate teammate Kate Thayer, who became
the Minnesota high school girls basketball all-time leader in steals,
she decided to hold on to her milestone until Northome/Kelliher's next game at home against Polk County West on Friday.
"My thought process was, 'Well, I want to get it at a home game,'" Binkley said. "So I just thought, 'Well, I'll give (the ball) to my teammates.'"
Hitting a big personal milestone at home is extra special, as she learned in her sophomore year when she scored her 1,000th point at home court against Lake of the Woods.
Head coach Kevin Waldo gave the OK on her plan, but still, he was hoping she'd get at least one more basket so she could make the milestone moment on Friday easier.
"We were trying to get her out of the game at the end," Waldo said. "We wanted one more bucket so she's close on Friday. (But) she's just making assists and making assists and making assists."
That's what Binkley has been known for in her entire high school basketball career — her above-average ability to shoot and her unselfishness.
She's the kind of player who puts her teammates above herself. She knows her teammates can shoot, so she likes to give them an opportunity. And when there are multiple scoring threats on the court, it can open up the game for players like Binkley to take over, especially with her dangerous midrange and 3-point shots.
"Everyone is a threat on offense," Binkley explained. "We're there for our teammates, and a lot of us can score. Charli (Hallstrom) can score, Allie (Lundin) can score. We have a lot of options."
Her crisp passes can be beautiful to see, but knowing what she's capable of when she shoots, there are times when Waldo wishes she would be slightly more selfish with the ball.
"As a coach, there's times where we have to tell her to shoot," Waldo said. "I know she's approaching 2,000, but it's like, 'Shoot the ball. You're so good. Your midrange is so good. Your 3-point shot is so good.' But she gets her teammates involved; she looks for that pass."
Nevertheless, her supportive personality has been vital to the team's chemistry, one of the reasons why the Mustangs have started the season 6-0.
Binkley is extremely excited to score her 2,000th point Friday, not because it's a huge personal milestone, but because she can join her teammate Thayer as the only two players in N/K history with over 2,000 career points. Thayer reached the milestone
last season as a junior
.
Both players have been playing high school basketball since they were in seventh grade.
"Just being the two people in our school to get 2,000 would be cool," Binkley said.
Continue reading...
It may be a weird thing to think about during a game, but there was a good reason for it. The Northome/Kelliher girls high school basketball senior was sitting at 1,978 career points. By the second half, she scored 18, only four shy of hitting 2,000.
With a huge milestone within her grasp, she decided not to attempt any more shots and instead assisted her teammates.
The game was well in hand, so the Mustangs didn't need Binkley to score. And since Tuesday was a night to celebrate teammate Kate Thayer, who became
the Minnesota high school girls basketball all-time leader in steals,
she decided to hold on to her milestone until Northome/Kelliher's next game at home against Polk County West on Friday.
"My thought process was, 'Well, I want to get it at a home game,'" Binkley said. "So I just thought, 'Well, I'll give (the ball) to my teammates.'"
Hitting a big personal milestone at home is extra special, as she learned in her sophomore year when she scored her 1,000th point at home court against Lake of the Woods.
Head coach Kevin Waldo gave the OK on her plan, but still, he was hoping she'd get at least one more basket so she could make the milestone moment on Friday easier.
"We were trying to get her out of the game at the end," Waldo said. "We wanted one more bucket so she's close on Friday. (But) she's just making assists and making assists and making assists."
That's what Binkley has been known for in her entire high school basketball career — her above-average ability to shoot and her unselfishness.
She's the kind of player who puts her teammates above herself. She knows her teammates can shoot, so she likes to give them an opportunity. And when there are multiple scoring threats on the court, it can open up the game for players like Binkley to take over, especially with her dangerous midrange and 3-point shots.
"Everyone is a threat on offense," Binkley explained. "We're there for our teammates, and a lot of us can score. Charli (Hallstrom) can score, Allie (Lundin) can score. We have a lot of options."
Her crisp passes can be beautiful to see, but knowing what she's capable of when she shoots, there are times when Waldo wishes she would be slightly more selfish with the ball.
"As a coach, there's times where we have to tell her to shoot," Waldo said. "I know she's approaching 2,000, but it's like, 'Shoot the ball. You're so good. Your midrange is so good. Your 3-point shot is so good.' But she gets her teammates involved; she looks for that pass."
Nevertheless, her supportive personality has been vital to the team's chemistry, one of the reasons why the Mustangs have started the season 6-0.
Binkley is extremely excited to score her 2,000th point Friday, not because it's a huge personal milestone, but because she can join her teammate Thayer as the only two players in N/K history with over 2,000 career points. Thayer reached the milestone
last season as a junior
.
Both players have been playing high school basketball since they were in seventh grade.
"Just being the two people in our school to get 2,000 would be cool," Binkley said.
Continue reading...
