N  I  A  G  A  R  A    G  A  Z  E  T  T  E

Published: January 11, 2006 12:00 am

Frieday is all-time leader

HS GIRLS BASKETBALL: Vikings rout Lancers, 64-22.

Needing just five points to surpass 1,000 for her career, and 13 to become Grand Island’s all-time leading scorer, Ashleigh Frieday was nervous before tipoff of Tuesday night’s game.

“I was trying not to think about it,” the senior guard said. “But it was hard ... It was very nerve wracking.”

Frieday’s jitters took a while to subside. She went scoreless in the first quarter, missing all eight field goal attempts, but kept firing up shots, going 7-of-7 in the second quarter en route to becoming the highest scoring Viking of all time.

Grand Island (6-5, 3-2) led Lewiston-Porter the entire game, coming away with a 64-22 victory.

Frieday hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 5:52 left in the second, becoming the second GI player to score 1,000 points in her career. After another 3-pointer and two more layups, Frieday took a pass from Dana Szczepaniak on a backdoor cut, laid the ball off the glass, and broke Julie Roth’s all-time scoring record (1,007) set in 1996.

“Records are made to be broken,” Roth, who is the Vikings’ JV coach said after the game. “I respect Ashleigh, she’s a great player and if there’s anyone that can break it, I’d want Ashleigh to do it. She plays all year round and works very hard at the game. That’s why she is a great player.”

“She’s been a scorer for us for four years now, starting from when she was a freshman,” GI coach Jenepher Banker said. “So it’s a lot of hard work that has gotten her to this point. We’re all thrilled to see her get those honors tonight.”

Senior point guard Jessica Remmes, who became the school’s all-time leading goal scorer for girls soccer in the fall, said the milestones represent a team accomplishment, but Frieday should still be applauded for her individual efforts.

“We didn’t make those baskets for her,” she said.

Frieday finished with 22 points, shooting 10-of-11 in the second and third quarters before sitting out the final eight minutes.

GI survived Frieday’s cold start with pressure defense and quality offensive play from junior center Courtney Donovan. The Lancers could not handle Donovan’s scoring from the low block of her passing from the high post.

“We needed to focus on execution today, and putting the ball in the hole,” said Donovan, who finished with 11. “We always say that our offense is going to come off of our defense, and if we run the ball, we are going to get easy shots at the other end.”

According to Lew-Port coach Tina Williams, the Vikings forced the Lancers into 22 first-half turnovers.

“That gives them 22 more opportunities to score,” Williams said. “They’re a great team and they made their shots.”

“I thought our kids played hard,” Banker said. “ ... They took what was there for them and played well together.”

n Grand Island also won the JV contest, 45-39. Mallory Griffiths led the way with 10 points.

Contact Jonah Bronstein at 693-1000, Ext. 111.



Grand Island ...... 64

Lewiston-Porter .............. 22

Lew-Port (1-9, 0-4) — Salerno 0-1-1, Taibi 1-3-5, Broderick 2-0-4, Moreland 4-4-12. Totals 7-8-22

Grand Island (6-5, 3-2) — Duda 2-0-4, Frieday 10-0-22, Szczepaniak 5-0-10, Donovan 4-3-11, Hayes 1-1-3, Remmes 1-0-2, Rossi 2-0-4, Kormin 1-0-2, Bellanca 3-0-6. Totals 29-4-64

Lew-Port 4 6 6 6 — 22

Grand Island 11 26 18 9 — 64

3-Point Goals—Grand Island 2 (Frieday 2). Fouled out—none.