To break 1,000 points in your high school career, not only is it remarkable, but you leave your mark and stamp your ground in the school’s history. Kennedy Coles reached the impressive milestone on Tuesday January 20th, away at Pope John Paul ll, in a close 40-38 win. The shot came from a free throw, late in the fourth quarter.
As Coles is entered into the history books, she joins a group of 8. She’s joining names like Lisa Salters, Kelly Crowe, Cassidy Koenig, Regie Robinson, and more. She also joins most recent hall of fame inductor Kristina O’Sullivan.
“It almost doesn’t feel real in a way, it’s something I set my mind to and I achieved it, but I still got a lot of other things on my list that I keep in my head of what I have to achieve”, Coles stated in an email. “All I can say is that I’m super proud of myself for coming as far as I have…But there’s a little light skin girl who thinks track is her whole world but will soon find a hidden love for basketball. She’s looking up at me with a smile telling me to “keep going, the job’s not finished yet. So I will keep going and I will make sure that I do that for her, because she deserves it.”
Since taking over in 2021-2022, head coach Jennifer Stilwell has never had a 1,000 point player, with the most recent one being Jordan Wilson in 2018. Stilwell knew since Kennedy’s freshman year when she started in the varsity role as a freshman, that she was going to be a problem. There was also a ton of growth, it was all visibly shown. She has been able to watch the progress, through all the trials and tribulations
“Scoring 1,000 points requires talent, but more than that, it requires resilience”, Stilwell said in an email. “To reach that number, a player has to show up every day, play through minor injuries, and maintain a high level of performance for four years. Seeing Kennedy hit that shot is a testament to her work ethic and her refusal to give up when things got difficult.”
To tie along with the milestone, overall team success has come this year too for the Vikings. They currently sit at a record of (12-6) overall, and a (9-2) conference record. There’s a strong push for PAC and District playoffs, and since moving to District 6A just last year, a District playoff appearance has yet to be made. The last time Upper Merion qualified in the largest school division was 2014, and the last time they qualified for Districts was 2023-24 when they still competed in 5A.
