FREDERICKTOWN — Cally Carpenter is understandably proud of cracking the 1,000-point barrier as a senior at Fredericktown High School.
But one moment stands out even more to her.
“Did they tell you about the game-winning 3-pointer?” she asks with a smile.
In Carpenter’s four-figure, four-year point barrage, she holds one game in particular close to her heart: the 14 points she scored against Utica in the second game of the season.
“I had over 60 people from my family there,” she recalls. “The nerves hit me at first. I missed a few shots and thought, ‘This isn’t like me.’”
When Carpenter scored her 1,000th point, the game was paused, and a special ball was presented to her.
“It was really nice to see everyone supporting me,” she says.
“I got a basketball with ‘1,000 points’ and my name on it, along with a Freddie Bird. It was a memorable moment.”
After the celebration, Carpenter and her teammates got back to work.
“It was a relief,” she says. “We were able to play more relaxed after that.”
In a nail-biting, back-and-forth game, the result came down to the final shot.
“It felt amazing to score my 1,000th point,” Carpenter says, “but I thought, ‘It would be awesome if we could win this game too. That would make it even more memorable.
“Hopefully, people will remember the 1,000 points, the game-winning shot, and not all the misses.”
Jared Pryor, in his second year as Fredericktown’s coach, recalls that Nov. 26 game vividly.
“She scored her 1,000th point early on, then hit a buzzer-beater to win the game.”
Not only has Carpenter been one of the highest scorers for the Freddies, Pryor said she has been foundation for the team.
“She’s been crucial, she has been a leader in the locker room and vital to our success” he said.
Despite the well-deserved accolades, Carpenter remains grounded, embracing the Fredericktown Athletic Department’s motto, “It’s Not About Me.”
As a team, the Freddies are 10-3 overall, 6-2 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference after Wednesday night’s 44-32 loss to Cardington.
Fredericktown is a game behind Centerburg in the conference standings, and handed the Trojans their only loss of the season, 41-29, on Jan. 3.
The two squads will have a rematch on Jan. 29 at Centerburg.
“My teammates feed me the ball,” Carpenter says. “You can’t do it without them.”
Most conversations with the team, she adds, don’t revolve around breaking records.
“Of course, I appreciate my teammates, family, and community support, but we don’t focus on it. It’s just another day.”
In addition to basketball, Carpenter is a member of the volleyball team and describes herself as “a pretty competitive person.” She’s been playing basketball since kindergarten, with her mother, Lori, coaching her in those early years.
“She was a big help,” Carpenter says, adding that she’s had plenty of support from her brothers and her father, Ty, who also played an instrumental role in her development.
Though her future remains uncertain, Carpenter has a scholarship offer from Ohio Northern University and is weighing her options — either pursuing a career in
dental hygiene or continuing her athletic journey.