Levelyn Katzenberger of Crosby-Ironton found herself in possession of the ball after a steal Tuesday. She started a fast break, eventually putting the ball into Tori Oehrlein’s hands.
Oehrlein looked up, saw she had the angle and, with a right hook, rolled the ball off the backboard and into the hoop. A crowd of maroon and white erupted in applause while officials stopped play not even two minutes into the game.
Oehrlein had become the first Minnesota girls basketball player to reach 3,000 career points as a sophomore, and it was time for the crowd at Providence Academy, many of whom had driven 115 miles to Plymouth to see that basket, to acknowledge her success. Oehrlein began the game with 2,999 points.
With a smile on her face, Oehrlein ran to her family sitting courtside holding posters and balloons and joined them for a photo.
“I couldn’t do it without my family and the community,” Oehrlein said. “When we have this big of a crowd come to the game, it’s awesome.”
Providence Academy guard Maddyn Greenway walked over to hug Oehrlein during the celebration. Greenway and Oehrlein are linked as high-scoring sophomores; their scoring totals have been neck and neck since they began playing varsity basketball in seventh grade. Greenway reached 2,000 points two days ahead of Oehrlein last season by scoring 60 points against Minnehaha Academy.
It’s not a competition, Providence Academy coach Conner Goetz said.
“People like to make it out to be ‘Tori versus Maddyn’ or ‘Maddyn versus Tori,’ but it’s just two kids running their own race,” he said.
