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Pierson sets new scoring record at Belvidere
CORRESPONDENT
Emma Pierson capped her junior campaign with the Belvidere Bucs off with a bang. Not only did the Bucs finish the season with over 15 wins and a regional victory, but Pierson set history along the way.
On the night of Feb. 13, the Bucs were preparing for their first postseason game of the year. The Bucs had finished the regular season with an overall record of 16-14. They were set to square off with a familiar opponent in the Freeport Pretzels, who they faced off with in the final game of the regular season.
Just five days before the postseason opener, Belvidere beat Freeport by a score of 68-63. Earlier in the season, the Bucs beat the Pretzels 53-48. Belvidere had captured the season sweep, but both games came down to the wire.
Pierson was also nearing Belvidere history. Coming into the game, Pierson had 686 total points on the season. That total had her tied with Belvidere’s all-time single season scoring record holder, Amanda Levens. As the current head coach of the Nevada Wolfpack, an NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball program, Levens is a bit of a legend in Belvidere.
In high school, Levens was a three-time All-State selection and went on to play college ball at Old Dominion and Arizona State. Levens eventually coached at Arizona State before taking over the Nevada program. This year, Nevada got off to a 14-12 overall start, while being 8-5 in Mountain West play.
Although Levens’ record has stood tall for years, records are meant to be broken, and Pierson is the type of player to do it. Pierson immediately made an impact in the first half against Freeport. A trio of 3-pointers gave Pierson 13 points in the half as she led the way to a 30-21 advantage.
While Pierson had the focus on her, Reem Aldi had a dynamite shooting performance. Aldi hit four first half 3-pointers of her own as the duo combined for 25 first half points. Aldi continued to let it fly from deep in the second half as she finished with six threes in the game.
A big third quarter saw the Bucs outscore the Pretzels 25-11. That essentially put this one out of reach as Belvidere held on for a 61-43 regional victory.
Pierson racked up 19 points on her historic night. Following the game, Belvidere’s head coach spoke about what it meant for Pierson to break the record held by Levens.
“Amanda Levens was an incredible basketball player who did so many great things for not only the girls’ basketball program, but also for BHS. For Emma to break a record of such a high-caliber individual, speaks volumes about Emma,” Bradford shared.
Bradford also went into detail on what sets Pierson apart, both on and off the court.
“Emma is a talented basketball player due to the hours of work that she has put in to improve her skills. On top of her basketball talents, Emma is also a state qualifier in golf and track.
“She is also a top notch student in the classroom. More importantly than anything previously mentioned, she is a great person who demonstrates respect, humility, and coachability on a daily basis. From a coach’s standpoint, you feel blessed when you have the opportunity to work with individuals like Emma,” Bradford shared.
On the repeat matchup with Freeport, Bradford was asked if the previous wins helped boost the team’s confidence heading into the playoffs.
“I think it helped that we won both matchups against them this year as it gave us some confidence coming in. It also helped that we didn’t forget what happened to us last year in the opening round of the regionals, where we lost a close one to Freeport at their place. This team has achieved so many things that haven’t happened for the girls’ program in quite some time. So, that has boosted their confidence as well,” Bradford explained.
The Belvidere coach was also extremely pleased with how they showed up for the postseason game.
“The regional game with Freeport was definitely one of our best of the year. No matter what happens in the regional championship game, this group has so many things to be proud about,” Bradford added.
Belvidere did go on to fall to an incredible Sycamore team 68-38. However, they look to be a scary team for next year. Not only did the Bucs finish with 17 wins, but they got the experience of winning in the postseason. That helps when you consider the fact that the Bucs lose just two seniors in Aldi and Ariadne Ramirez.
Returning for the Bucs is an experienced and strong group, led by Pierson. After scoring 12 points in the final game, Pierson’s single season scoring record ended at 716 points. You can bet Pierson will have her eyes on that record next year, but she’s also going to go for more in the postseason.
The Bucs will also return their next two leading scorers in Arianna LaBeau and Maggie Sternquist. They will also return their top four rebounders, as well as their top three passers. Overall, the Bucs will return a majority of their team as they look to take another step in the right direction, next year.
