By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Fittingly, the basket came from a shot in the paint.
Clare Ruff grabbed a long rebound on the offensive end and drew a pair of defenders off the dribble. The Honeoye Falls-Lima junior flicked a pass to an awaiting Samantha Osovski in the corner.
Meanwhile Teagan Kamm sealed off the baseline from her defender. Osovski didn’t hesitate to keep the ball moving to her teammate.
Kamm used one dribble before putting a shot off the glass for a bucket.
With that, the HF-L senior reached the 1,000-point plateau of her career.
“To me it was another basket,” she said of her second field goal in Friday’s game at Eastridge. “It was more so afterwards when all my team came and hugged me and celebrated. It’s great that I have that kind of support and everyone to celebrate with me.”
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Needing six points to reach the milestone, Kamm started the night with a pair of free throws before converting a rebound and putback.
“It was a big relief,” the 6-foot-1 senior said of the basket. “After that, I was able to go and play the rest of the game and not have to worry about it.”
The basket put Kamm in elite company. Having eclipsed a rebound milestone earlier in the season, she joined former HF-L Cougars Maddie Brown (2005), Cameron Buckner (2009) and Emily Edwards (1995) who all have scored at least 1,000 points and grabbed 1,000 or more rebounds.
@TeaganKamm hits 1k pts!!! 🎉🎉🎉 #1kpts #1krebounds club 🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/lyZB6z5Gbj
— Jessica Coleman (@sugalove623) February 12, 2022
“Rebounding is what got her to one thousand points,” HF-L head coach Steve Willoughby said. “She is so tenacious on the offensive boards, and she’s got phenomenal footwork and quickness. She’s sees a shot go up, and she immediately gets herself into an offensive position for the putback.”
She finished Friday night’s game with 18 points and 15 rebounds. The double-double was her 16th of the season. She averaging 17.6 points and 15.2 rebounds while blocking more than three shots per game.
“She’s such a workhorse on the offensive boards,” Willoughby said of his current star. “We have been able to capitalize over and over again with her offensive putbacks.”
Two of those double-doubles came against Our Lady of Mercy.
“People always say rebounding comes down to who wants it more, and she always wants the basketball,” Mercy head coach Kara Ingalls said. “She is a monster rebounder and has a nice finish offensively. If you let her setup deep on the block, you should expect a score from her.”
Kamm has accomplished all this at the expense of displaying her perimeter game.
“She’s a decent outside shooter,” Willoughby said. “The problem is as a coach I don’t want her too far away from the basket. I just cannot replace the rebounds that she gives us.
“She’s definitely making a sacrifice. She is accepting everything we ask her to do. You can’t ask for more than that. She’s a great team leader, great captain.”
Kamm nearly reached the 1,000-point a night earlier at Greece Olympia. She finished an and-one early in the fourth to bring her career total to 994. She didn’t mind, though, postponing the celebration for a night.
“I was able to have a lot more of my friends there in the stands to cheer me on,” she said referring specifically to her AAU teammates, Anaya Coleman and Bridget Miller from Pittsford Mendon. “I’m kinda glad it worked out the way it did.”
Super fans! 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/BykZsajeym
— Jessica Coleman (@sugalove623) February 12, 2022
The 6-foot-1 forward will continue her academic and athletics careers at Assumption College.
“In college, they’re going to stretch her out a little bit and let her shoot the ball,” Willoughby noted. “They’re going to be pleasantly surprised at her ability to shoot the jump shot.”
“She is a fun player to watch,” Ingalls added. “I am excited to see what she does in college!”
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