DALTON — Berkshire County high schoolers were safely playing basketball on Wednesday night in the middle of a pandemic riddled year, but that storyline took a backseat to one four years in the making.
Midway through the first quarter of Wahconah’s 63-13 win over Mount Everett, senior captain Maria Gamberoni muscled her way into the paint to secure an offensive rebound and scored on a putback, becoming the eighth player in school history to notch 1,000 career points.
Wahconah’s Maria Gamberoni looks back to teammate Olivia Gamberoni on the fastbreak Wednesday night.
“I kind of wanted to just get it out of the way because I was nervous about it,” Gamberoni said following the game. “I am very fortunate to reach this milestone because I know there are a lot of good teams and a lot of good players who aren’t playing this season.”
We may not know the next hand dealt, especially in the midst of a pandemic, but Wahconah’s senior captain took full advantage of Wednesday’s opportunity. She entered the game 11 points short of 1,000 in her career and scored 11 of her team’s first 15 points, just four minutes into the first quarter.
Gamberoni averaged 17 points a game as a sophomore and 15 as a junior, but the flurry of points early in the game came as a bit of a surprise to seventh-year coach Liz Kay.
“She’s a kid who has given up shots for three years,” Kay said. “For her to come out and just play loosely and get it that early, I was really surprised.”
Gamberoni didn’t slow down, finishing with a game-high 23 points. Fellow senior captains Noelle Furlong and Morgan Marauszwski combined for 11 points, Emma Belcher added another seven.
Wahconah graduate Kevin Huban was the school’s most recent 1,000 point scorer, hitting the mark last season.
Patrick Duquette is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,312 points. Meghan Vaughan, who finished her high school career in 2002 with 1,214, is the highest scoring girl in school history.
Gamberoni is the fourth female member of the 1,000 point club, joining Shannon Hoosick, Mary Lagendorf and Vaughan. She now stands third all time at 1,012.
“[Gamberoni’s] basketball IQ has increased dramatically over the last couple of years,” Kay said. “She knows her responsibilities and she knows what I am going to tell her before I say it.”
Gamberoni made the accomplishment possible by showing she was worthy of minutes early in her high school career. The talent has been there, but now, as a senior, she is focused on becoming a well-rounded floor general.
Wahconah girls basketball vs. Mount Everett - Maria Gamberoni 1,000 points
First-year Mount Everett head coach Amanda Colpack speaks to Makenzie Ullrich during Wednesday night's season opener.
Wahconah’s Maria Gamberoni looks back to teammate Olivia Gamberoni on the fastbreak Wednesday night.
Wahconah's Grace Wigington and Mount Everett's Huddah Ngoy Nkulu go after a loose ball on Wednesday in Dalton.
Wahconah head coach Liz Kay speaks with Sophia Drury on the bench.
Wahconah senior Maria Gamberoni starts a fastbreak on Wednesday.
Wahconah's Maria Gamberoni scored her 1,000th career point during Wednesday night's season-opening win over Mount Everett.
Wahconah and Mount Everett opened the Berkshire County basketball season with a boys-girls doubleheader on Wednesday in Dalton.
Mount Everett center Emma Goewey, posts up against Wahconah on the road Wednesday night.
Wahconah's Olivia Gamberoni pushes the ball up the court on Wednesday against Mount Everett.
Wahconah’s Maria Gamberoni celebrates scoring her 1,000th career point with sister Olivia and their parents.
Wahconah’s Maria Gamberoni, with ball, celebrates scoring her 1,000th career point with sister Olivia and their parents.
“I was nervous as a freshman and sophomore, but you step up as a junior and senior. As the team’s point guard — you have to take that leadership role,” Gamberoni said.
With six underclassmen, Gamberoni was directing traffic and commanding the offense, which would’ve been heard loud-and-clear even if the gym was packed.
“She is quieter kid who had to lead by example and is now doing it verbally, it just makes her better,” Kay said. “I am just really proud and really happy.”
The Eagles struggled to get going against a stout Warrior defense. Not only was a hand up for every 3-point attempt, but there was always a swarm of hands swiping at the ball when crashing the paint.
There were some bright spots, though, as Emma Goewey notched eight points, showcasing her rebounding ability and vision while working in the paint. The team’s lone senior, Makenzie Ullrich, known for her sharpshooting abilities, canned a 3-pointer in the contest.
Visions of the Western Mass. tournament would be going through the minds of hoopers in a normal year, but in a pandemic, where nothing is guaranteed, Gamberoni is planning to keep it simple.
“We don’t even know if we’ll be playing next week,” Gamberoni said. “The goal for this year is just to have as much fun as possible.”
The day that started with eggs and toast, but ended in the record books for the Wahconah senior.
“Our administration has given so much effort and flexibility for us to be able to play,” Kay said. “If there is one thing I remember in 20 years, it’ll be how great they’ve been at enabling us to play because a moment like this needed to happen for a kid like her.”
———
Everett 7 0 4 2 — 13
Wahconah 21 14 16 12 — 63
ME — Ullrich 1-0-3; Ngoy Nkulu 1-0-2; Goewey 2-4-8; Czarnacki 0-0-0; Devoti 0-0-0; Steuernagle 0-0-0; Gennari 0-0-0; Carpenter 0-0-0. Totals 4-4-13.
W — Furlong 4-0-9; Eberwein 1-0-2; Belcher 3-0-7; M. Gamberoni 10-0-23; O. Gamberoni 2-0-4; Drury 2-0-4; Marauszwski 1-0-2; Quinto 1-0-2; Barry 0-0-0; Wigington 1-2-4; Mason 3-0-6. Totals 28-2-63.
3-point field goals — ME: 1 (Ullrich); W 5 (Gamberoni 3; Belcher, Furlong).
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A moment like this for a kid like her: Gamberoni hits 1000-point mark in win over Mount Everett - Berkshire Eagle
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