Twin Valley's Hailey Kilgore Becomes Sixth Raider to Score 1,000 Points
- Sean McBryan
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
By Sam Cavalieri, Berks Girls Basketball correspondent
Hailey Kilgore became the sixth player in Twin Valley girls’ basketball history to score 1,000 points.
She achieved the feat on Friday night in a 73-42 loss to Wilson on her home court in front of a strong crowd with many there in anticipation of the goal.
The milestone bucket came with 4.8 seconds left in the first quarter. Kilgore drove the left wing and pulled up from about 15 feet and calmly banked one in off the glass.
“One of the big things that I’ve worked on this offseason was my pullup,” Kilgore said. “Because getting to the rim, obviously me as a shorter guard, it’s not effective at this level and the college level, too. Shooting the 3 and then getting to my pullup was a big part of my offseason.”
The Bulldogs knew she was approaching the mark and tried to stop her from getting it against them.
“We knew how close she was, and we know how good of a player she is,” Wilson senior forward Violet Houck said. “So, our goal was to try and not let her get her (1,000th point), but we’re all super proud of her.”
The respect from a rival athlete in Houck, who recently committed to Jacksonville for track and field, displays the level of player and competitor that Kilgore is. The senior guard is committed to Shippensburg and will compete in both basketball and track and field. She holds the school record in hurdles for both the 100m and 300m.
“She’s just such a hard worker and she deserves it,” Twin Valley coach Matt Hahn said. “Of all the kids I coached, she puts in so much time and effort. I’m just so proud of her and everything that’s she’s been able to accomplish here.”
Kilgore was trying to stay in the dark about how close she was to the milestone. She lit up Conrad Weiser earlier in the week for a season-high 28 points in a 63-28 rout, bringing her within four points of reaching 1,000.
“The last game I played against Weiser I didn’t know how many points I needed,” Kilgore said. “But then afterwards, I was talking to my cousin and he actually told me. I had it like in the back of my mind the whole time and I was a little bit stressed. I kind of just wanted to get it over and it was good when I did.”
Kilgore grew up watching the Raiders’ all-time leading scorer Peyton McDaniel, the two-time Berks Player of the Year who graduated in 2020 and is now a record-breaking senior at James Madison.
She'll soon join McDaniel, Cindy Doaty, Taylor Knorr, Hayley Kochel, and Ava Morrow on the 1,000-point banner in the gym in Elverson
Twin Valley 1,000-Point Club | |
Peyton McDaniel | 2,102 |
Cindy Doaty | 1,287 |
Taylor Knorr | 1,157 |
Hayley Kochel | 1,074 |
Ava Morrow | 1,027 |
Hailey Kilgore | 1,012 |
“I’ve always dreamed of doing it,” Kilgore said. “Seeing Peyton hit her 1,000 and then her 2,000, it’s always been a dream of mine. But getting to high school I didn’t want to think about it because I didn’t want to make it all about points. I want to win. I don’t really care about how many points I scored, but it’s obviously like a super, super cool accomplishment. I’m proud of my teammates for helping me get there too.”
Twin Valley won just four games in Kilgore's freshman season as she scored 231 total points at a 10.5 per game average. The Raiders improved to seven wins in her sophomore year as she totaled 259 points at a 14.4 average.
Kilgore and the Raiders broke through last season with 14 wins, the Berks II crown, and a District 3 playoff berth. She scored 282 total points with an 11.8 average.
Kilgore has Twin Valley in position for another Berks II title as they are currently tied with Exeter with 4-1 league records. The Raiders beat the Eagles 54-47 on Dec. 11. The Raiders are currently No. 15 in the District 3 Class 5A field; the top 14 qualify.
Kilgore has scored 240 points with an 18.5 scoring average so far during her senior season.
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