By BOB CHAVEZ
HONEOYE, N.Y. — It was 6 a.m. on a winter Sunday recently when the dogs woke Adam Parker at home. He rose to investigate, discovering his garage door wide open on the chilly, snowy morning.
Heading to the garage while considering the words he’d offer to whichever of his children left the door open, he was greeted with a surprise.
There was his daughter Kendall, deep in meditative thought. With the door wide open.
And that is the mindset of a champion. A scoring champion, to be precise.
On Friday night, the Dundee senior who plays for Dundee/Bradford, became Dundee’s all-time leading scorer with a running jumper late in the fourth quarter of her team’s 57-19 road win against Honeoye.
“I try to meditate every day,” Parker said after Friday’s game gave her 1,767 career points. “Twice on game days. I used to get antsy. My dad and I researched it so now I do it to clear my head.”
It apparently works. A varsity starter since seventh grade, Parker grew up admiring the legacy of Kate Cronin, the 1993 Dundee graduate whose record she broke. And for the last five seasons, Parker has been as big a problem for opponents as Cronin was during her time.
Parker entered Friday’s game needing 28 points to break Cronin’s record and she came out of the gate firing. She knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to open the game and had 15 points by the end of the first quarter. At halftime, she was nine points from the record and at the end of three quarters, she needed just five.
With this runner late in the 4th quarter at Honeoye, senior Kendall Parker broke Dundee’s all-time scoring record.
— Bob Chavez 🥍 (@chavez_flx) February 1, 2025
Parker has 1,767 points to pass Kate Cronin’s mark of 1,765. @PickinSplinters @SecVGBasketball pic.twitter.com/vPXDKZXFDj
Two baskets early in the fourth raised the tension and with 3:31 left, her runner on the right side of the key dropped through and with it, all the pressure of chasing the record.
“I don’t really keep track of my points, but it’s good to get it out of the way so we can concentrate on the team,” she said. “When I came up to varsity in seventh grade, my goal was to win sectionals. And I thought I might get somewhere, but maybe not here.”
Parker finished Friday’s game with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 7 steals, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots.
It is said the ball don’t lie, and that certainly applies here. Especially for a player like Parker who as evidenced by the meditation story, works daily to improve her craft. And as coach Michael Strait puts it, it’s all on Parker.
“She’s always been so tough and worked hard,” he said. “I’m really proud of her. It’s been a privilege to be able to coach an athlete who I haven’t had to push or motivate. She does it all on her own.”
From her home near Chicago, Cronin said “half the town” has been texting her to let her know she is now No. 2 on the all-time scoring list at Dundee with 1,765 points. But the Section V Basketball Hall of Famer (Class of 2002) has no problem having her record fall to a player like Parker.
“I first saw her play hoops in 6th grade and knew she was something special,” Cronin said in a text message Friday night. “I’ve watched her grow and improve every year with hard work and sacrifice. I couldn’t be prouder of Kendall and all of the people in the community who have supported her.”
Friday’s win puts Dundee/Bradford at 13-3 and in solid position to defend its Section V Class C2 title. And with games against Naples and Marcus Whitman next week, the focus can be on preparing for the stretch run.
At the same time, Parker will continue her quest to not only be a Section V champion, but do it in a way to make Dundee predecessors like Cronin and Cassie Strait proud.
“I just try to set a good example,” she said, acknowledging the young girls in Dundee’s program that admire her like she admires Cronin and Strait. “Being a good example is bigger than the game.”
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