Beaird makes history, leads Gaston girls over Coosa

Thu. February 09, 2012 at 10:54 p.m. | By Andrew Schmidt Sports Writer

Gaston's Morgan Beaird eclipsed the 2,000-point mark in Thursday's game against Coosa Christian. (Photo by Nick Johnston | Gadsden Times)

Gaston senior Morgan Beaird made history Thursday night by eclipsing the 2,000-point mark for her high school career in a 76-28 win over Coosa Christian in the semifinals of the Class 1A, Area 11 girls high school basketball tournament.

Beaird, who entered the night with 1,986 points, drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 6:25 left in the second quarter for her 12th, 13th and 14th points of the night and exactly 2,000 for her career.

Gaston coach Tonya Bogle called timeout immediately after the shot went through the net and gave her star guard a congratulatory embrace as Gaston students cheered with signs recognizing the accomplishment.

“I didn’t want to cry, but I was really happy,” Beaird said of the moment. “I was trying not to show too much emotion.”

Beaird became the fourth female in Etowah County history to reach the 2,000-point milestone. She is the second at Gaston behind Jenny Pitts, who scored more than 2,100 career points for Gaston in the late-1980s and was on Bogle’s 1988 state championship squad.

“Basketball is her thing. She loves it and she works at it,” Bogle said of Beaird. “She gives up her summers and plays AAU. She’s invested a lot of time, and to me, when you put that kind of time into it, then things come around like this for you, and you deserve them. If anybody deserves it, she does. She’s worked hard for it.”

Beaird knew exactly how many points she needed to reach 2,000 going into the game, and got some advice from Bogle earlier Thursday afternoon about how to handle the moment.

“Mrs. Bogle just told me to stay relaxed,” said Beaird, who’s played for Bogle since her seventh-grade season. “She said, ‘If you try for it, you’re probably not going to hit anything, so just let it happen.’ I just came out and tried not to think about it.”

That was easier said than done. By the time the game was five minutes old, Beaird had knocked down three 3-pointers and had 11 points as Gaston raced to a 17-0 lead. Beaird knew she was just one shot away.

“I keep track (of my points) in my head every night,” Beaird said. “I don’t mean to, it just happens.”

Shortly into the second quarter, Beaird hit her fourth triple of the night to make history. By the time the contest was over, Beaird had matched her season-high with 31 points, and eclipsed the school record for 3-pointers in a game. By going 9 for 12 from deep, Beaird topped Whitney Abernathy’s previous record of eight, set in the early-2000s.

“I felt like I couldn’t miss,” Beaird said. “That’s always a good feeling.”

Beaird wasn’t the only Gaston player shooting well. The Bulldogs (15-7) made 16 3-pointers in the game. Tanna Lawson hit four to finish with 12 points. Ten Bulldog players scored in the game.

“We played well. Really well,” Bogle said. “That’s probably the best overall game we’ve played as a team. ... Everybody was hitting. I was hoping we’d save some of those shots for down the road. We might need another one of these games here soon.”

Coosa got 10 points from Hannah Meadows, while Morgan Luttrell netted eight as the Conquerors wrapped up their season.

“(Gaston) shot the ball well both (previous) times we’ve played them, but they hadn’t shot anything like they did tonight,” Coosa coach Troy Evetts said. “They shot the lights out. ... We were just overmatched.

“We’re building and we’re going to be better. The girls have to work during the summer time. Beaird didn’t show up in October and start being good. She’s been practicing. That’s what I tell them if they want to be good.”

Gaston’s victory advanced the host Bulldogs into Saturday’s area championship game against Ragland, a 53-40 winner over Appalachian in Thursday’s second semifinal. The teams have played twice this season, with Gaston winning each time. Both area finalists are guaranteed a spot in next week’s sub-regional round.