Lady Camel surpasses 1,000 points

CAMPBELL, Mo. - If, as Tom Hanks told Madonna in the film A League of Their Own, “There's no crying in baseball,” that didn't apply Monday when a Lady Camel achieved a basketball milestone.

Tears of joy flowed conspicuously after Campbell's Elyssa Schatz slammed home her 1,000th point during a Senior Night victory over Westwood Baptist Academy.

Schatz entered her home court with a random, but understandable case of nerves, thoughtful teammates, a fiercely supportive coach, stands filled with enthusiastic spectators and four points shy of 1,000.

“It was our Senior Night, so it was a really big deal,” Schatz explained. “We had quite a big crowd and we normally don't have that for our team. So it was a lot of nerves. A lot of emotions running high. Things like that.”

She scored two of the necessary four in the first half, then dropped a three-point bomb from a bit beyond the key to gather the remainder.

Lady Camel No. 22 exited her court with 1,008 under her belt, a commemorative basketball, a gymnasium filled with adoring fans and a full heart.

“I was extremely nervous,” Schatz told the Delta Dunklin Democrat. “Then when I hit the outside shot I felt instant relief.

“Actually watching it?” she mused. “I thought I air-balled it. I was like, 'It's dead on. But it looks short.' It was kinda like a quick moment and it was kind of a blur. But I turned around and realized my coach and I had locked eyes and we were laughing uncontrollably because every shot I took up to then, nothing was gonna hit.”

Lady Camels Head Coach Laura Foster said she recognized Schatz's skills long ago.

“I knew she was gonna have 1,000 points when I met her in fifth grade,” Foster said. “She's a workhorse.

“She's a hustler,” the coach added. “She was determined. She was gonna get those points.”

However, it wasn't until the beginning of her senior season that Schatz realized the landmark was within her reach.

“I actually never really had that goal in mind until this year when we sat down and looked at the numbers,” Schatz said Tuesday. “I had less than 300 points left to hit it and then it became a quest.”

Although outside shooting is on her radar, the uber-talented Lady Camel noted steals and layups were her go-to.

“I've really not begun to shoot outside until going into post-season play last year and now, this year,” she admitted. “It depends on the night and the defense we're facing.”

Foster said Schatz is one of a small number of Lady Camels to reach the career high.

“I think she's the third in program history,” Foster said. “It's really a big deal for us here. It's something to strive for, especially for the younger group coming up.”

Schatz agreed.

“Last year we graduated a really big part of our team,” she said. “We graduated three of our starters and going into this year we knew it was going to be a little bit tougher.

“We have two seniors, a sophomore and four freshmen,” she continued. “So going into this season we knew we were gonna be young. And we knew it was gonna be a tough season for us. But it's actually turned out to be a lot of growth and a lot of learning for the underclassmen. Then we actually had a little bit of success this season. So it's been a really good year.”

Schatz plans to attend university locally post-graduation and shared kind words of appreciation for all the encouragement that's come her way.

“I would like to thank my family and my coach,” she said. “All my teammates throughout high school.

“It's been a really good year for growth and improvement, not just on the court, but off the court,” she added. “I have a great support system among my parents, my coach and getting to play with my little sister this season, her first year here at school. This is a really really big deal to me.”

And, Schatz surpassing the 1,000-point mark was equally as thrilling for Foster.

“I'm so proud that I got to coach her her whole way through,” the coach said. “She's a great kid, a great leader and she's helped send Campbell's basketball program to another level.”