Staff Writer
HOULTON – After missing three put-back shots on rebounding action, Rachel Foster could only laugh at that point in the game.
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
ALL SMILES – Rachel Foster is all smiles after being recognized as the seventh Houlton High School girl to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She is pictured with her coach Shawn Graham.
“It was just perfect. I always miss layups. So, it was just a Rachel-thing,” she said with a smile.
But, Foster finally dropped in her 1,000th high school career point in last Friday night’s game against visiting Schenck.
“It feels really, really good,” said Foster. “I wanted to do it last year, but at least I was able to accomplish it.”
Foster spearheaded her team’s routing of Schenck, 80-34, with 24 points and 15 rebounds. She is only the seventh girl in Houlton High School history to break into the 1,000 point scoring club. Foster’s name is now listed among the other Houlton High School 1,000-point scorers — Lisa Collett, Mary Harrigan, Diane Nagle, Elizabeth Nelson, Hannah Socoby and Carol Bubar.
Heading into Friday’s game, Foster was unsure how many points she actually needed to hit the milestone.
“Mr. Graham told me I was going to need a big game,” Foster recounted. “I had a feeling he was telling me I needed more points than [I thought] I did. He wouldn’t tell me the [exact] number.”
But, Foster credits her teammates for helping her achieve her personal goal.
“They knew I was hoping to get it this game,” explained Foster. “They gave me the ball a lot, but overall, we played as a team in general.”
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
COUNT IT – Houlton’s Rachel Foster knocks down her 1,000th high school point with this shot during last Friday’s game against Schenck.
For a girl who didn’t make the fifth-grade basketball team, Foster is an example of how an athlete can grow into their abilities.
“Mr. Graham said he would never have guessed in my senior year that I would be scoring 1,000 points,” Foster said. “I’m glad I’ve come this far, and I’ve had fun doing it.”
For those who want to play basketball, never give up, is Foster’s advice.
“I would just tell them my story,” she said. “I turned it around and scored my 1,000 points.”
Even though she’s hit her personal highlight, Foster has other goals, personal and team-wise.
“I would love to get 1,500 points, but that is a big goal,” she said. “Obviously, we want to get to Bangor and go further than we did last year. I think we have a lot of talent on the team and when we all play to our highest potential we are a great team.”
Graham said Foster’s last four years of hard work showed by her feat.
“She has put a lot of time into her game,” said Graham. “She works at it year-round and it has obviously paid off for her. It was nice to see her reach that milestone at home in front of our fans. By getting it early in the year, it also takes the pressure off and now we can move forward and strive to attain some other goals that we have set for this team.”
The Lady Shires opened the game with a 19-6 lead and extended it to 39-18 at halftime. In the third, Houlton outscored Schenck, 21-9, cruising to the win.
Supporting Foster in last Friday night’s blowout, Desiree Dow netted 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Vanessa Sanderson scored 13 points and Martha McPartland finished with 12 more for the winners.
The next test for the Lady Shires was last night in Presque Isle.
“It is always a tough place for us to play,” Graham said. “We haven’t won there in a number of years.”
The game is usually very pointworthy for the Lady Shires, so they had their work cut out for them.
Graham was hoping to pressure the Lady Wildcats early to generate offense from turnovers or fast break points. He wanted to take advantage of his interior size, as well as the guard play from the perimeter, while executing an up-tempo type of game.
“That philosophy will change come Friday night against Lee Academy,” he said.
Lee lives off pressure defense and fast break points, said Graham.
“In this contest, we will try to utilize our size a bit more,” he said. “We won’t run with them. Instead, we are looking for more of a half-court game. We need to be very cautious and not turn the ball over too many times. Being able to handle their full and half-court traps will be a vital part of the game.”
The Lady Shires will have to be sharp in all facets of their game.
“We also need to control the boards and limit them to one shot each trip down the floor,” said Graham. “If we take care of the ball, I believe we have a shot. It will all come down to execution.”
