Bigfork’s Berreth scored 1,000th point in win over Plains
Emma Berreth is mobbed by her teammates after scoring the 1,000th point of her career in the third quarter against Plains Saturday. (Jeremy Weber/Bigfork Eagle)
Valkyries senior guard Emma Berreth was surprised when the Bigfork gym erupted with cheers after her three-pointer went through the hoop in the third quarter against Plains Saturday.
The four-year varsity player knew she was close to scoring the 1,000th point of her career, but she had no idea the shot had been the one to push her over the mark.
“I knew I was close to a thousand, but I didn’t know that was the shot, so I was really confused when everyone was cheering so loud,” she said about the moment. “Then I saw all the signs in the student section. It was really cool. It was like a minute of pure happiness. I was focusing on getting shots for the other girls, so I didn’t really think this would be the game. I thought I would pass a thousand against Polson.”
After head coach Cortnee Gunlock called a timeout so the team could celebrate the moment, Berreth was presented with flowers and a commemorative basketball.
While reaching the 1,000 point mark has been a goal for Berreth since her freshman season, she admits she was concerned about not reaching the mark after suffering a concussion against Florence-Carlton earlier this season. The injury kept her off the court and out of the lineup for two weeks.
“After I got the concussion earlier this year, I wasn’t sure I would reach a thousand points, so it was really cool to get there. Everyone in my family played basketball and I am the only one who reached a thousand points, so that is really cool,” she said. “Having to sit out was really hard on me mentally. Basketball is my outlet for a lot of things and not only could I not play in games, but I couldn’t practice either. I’m just glad it is behind me.”
Berreth scored 181 points for the Valkyries as a freshman, 256 as a sophomore and 325 as a junior last season. She has 240 so far in her senior campaign with two regular season games remaining. Berreth’s highest scoring game was a 31-point outing against Thompson Falls in the Western B Divisional Tournament in Eureka last season.