Except this was a little different. More meaningful. And historic.
Broermann’s stickback with 4:36 left in the second quarter pushed her career point total to an even 1,000 on Thursday night at Lakota East, and she went on to score nine more in a 53-38 victory for the visiting Rams.
» PHOTOS: Terri Adams’ gallery from Badin-Lakota East
“I get a lot of offensive boards,” said Broermann, who finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. “Just putting it back up just like a normal game, but it’s not normal because it was my 1,000th point. So it was pretty exciting.”
The 6-foot-2 senior forward and four-year starter became the fourth player in Badin girls history to score 1,000 points in a Ram uniform. Kim Richter (Class of 1990) has 1,228, Kara Gerbus (2012) has 1,178 and Lizzy Sunderhaus (2008) has 1,081.
Broermann is averaging 16.9 points per game this season. If Badin (6-1) plays the minimum amount of games the rest of the way, she would need to average 13.8 during that time to pass Richter.
“It’a big night,” said Broermann, who posed for one picture after another during the postgame gathering on the floor. “This has always been one of my goals, to hit a thousand and ultimately to get the scoring record. I have to give it to my teammates, though. They feed me the ball as much as they can. They give me all the energy I have.”
Broermann & Co. got off to a slow start. She missed a couple close-range shots and was admittedly nervous in front of a big crowd that was no doubt expecting some history to be made.
“Once we got going, I lost track of what she had,” Rams coach Tom Sunderman said. “It was just time to coach and focus on the game, and then all of a sudden it came. I kind of knew by the crowd behind us.”
After a one-point opening quarter, Broermann erupted for 12 points in the second stanza. She responded to the momentous basket by clapping her hands together once, and play was stopped 12 seconds later.
Having started the night with 991 points, did she know that basket would achieve the milestone?
“I knew because I looked up and saw how many points I had,” Broermann admitted. “I was waiting for Sundy to call the timeout and then I turn around and see him running down the sideline trying to call a timeout, so I knew it was the one.”
Broermann was presented with the ball during the timeout and headed into the stands to hug her parents, Nick and Deanna. It was not a spontaneous move.
“Always part of the plan,” Broermann said. “I’ve been waiting to do that ever since my freshman year.”
She will play NCAA Division I basketball at the University of North Florida. Sunderman said that goal became reality because she worked hard to improve her footwork and developed into a mobile post player.
“We see players really step up their work ethic between their junior and senior years,” Sunderman said. “To her credit, she did that. She runs the floor better now. She can do different things. She’s made herself more than one-dimensional.”
Shelby Nusbaum also had 12 points, four boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks in the victory, which helped ease the sting of last Saturday’s 64-57 loss at Carroll.
East (5-4) didn’t react particularly well to the Rams’ pressure. The Thunderhawks did sink seven 3-pointers, but shot 29.3 percent from the field and committed 23 turnovers.
Badin trailed 8-5 at the first stop, then reeled off 24 points in the second stanza and took a 29-22 lead into halftime. East simply couldn’t keep up offensively.
“Our kids played with a lot of energy,” Sunderman said. “From the second quarter on, I thought we executed on both ends of the floor. I think everybody was caught up in the Broermann 1,000-point thing — I think we were pressing in the first quarter. But once we got past that, our girls did a great job. It was a total team effort.”
Emily Maher and Claire MacGowan scored six points apiece for Badin, and Maher added four steals.
East, under the direction of first-year coach Dan Wallace, got 11 points from Megan Hatfield. Jordan Stanley tossed in eight points, and Logan Fox had four points, five assists and three boards.
“Dan Wallace does a phenomenal job wherever he’s at,” Sunderman said. “That team is already getting better. Next year is a year I wouldn’t want to play them. But for our kids to come here with all that’s going on and beat a Division I school like that, it’s big for us.”
As for Broermann’s march toward the school scoring record, Sunderman said playing as many games as possible in the Division II tournament would be helpful.
“Her focus has got to be on the team being successful and making a run at the end,” Sunderman said. “I’m sure she’ll take that approach. We’ve got to keep getting better every day, and if we do that, she’s going to have more opportunities.”
On Saturday afternoon, Badin will visit McNicholas, while East travels to Alter.
Badin 5-24-16-8—53
Lakota East 8-14-11-5—38
BADIN (6-1): Shelby Nusbaum 4 4 12; Jaelynn Scowden 1 1 4; Emily Maher 2 2 6; Mickayla Kowalski 1 0 2; Emma Broermann 6 6 18; Claire MacGowan 2 0 6; Emma Adams 1 0 3; Jada Pohlen 1 0 2. Totals: 18-13-53
LAKOTA EAST (5-4): Maddy Bley 1 0 2; Logan Fox 1 1 4; Megan Hatfield 4 0 11; Jordan Stanley 2 2 8; Sydney Harrison 1 0 2; Lily Rupp 1 0 2; Kalie Siereveld 1 0 2; Grace Honigford 1 0 3; Delaney Senger 0 2 2; Kelsey Siereveld 0 2 2. Totals: 12-7-38
3-pointers: B 4 (MacGowan 2, Scowden, Adams), L 7 (Hatfield 3, Stanley 2, Fox, Honigford)
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