For Brandywine Heights senior Deanna Daddona, the Lady Bullets’ game against Susquenita on the opening night of the Kutztown Holiday Tournament was more than just your typical basketball game. Daddona needed just four points to reach the 1,000 point mark in her career.
It didn’t take her long. She poured in a three-point bucket to get within one, then drained a jumper less than two minutes into the game to put her over the top.
“It felt like all the hard work I put into all the years of playing basketball finally paid off,’ said Daddona. “This milestone means that when I set goals, I can achieve them.’
Daddona went on to score 14 points in that game, but hit her head in the second half and had to leave. She missed the second game of the tournament, but has return to the line-up to add to her point total.
addona and her teammates went into the game trying their best to make this game like any other. But of course, the milestone was on everybody’s mind.
” Nobody really talked about it,’ said Daddona. “We didn’t do anything different or special, and we all treated it as if it was a normal game.
“When I made the basket, I thought about all the different girls I played with throughout the years. Meagan Loos had a huge impact during my freshman and sophomore years, and Lizzy Leiby also had a great impact throughout each year of high school. I could not have reached this goal alone.’
Deanna has been playing basketball since the first grade at Lower Macungie. Her father and mother encouraged her to do anything she wanted, and she wanted to play basketball. In fact, Daddona says her father was her biggest influence in the sport.
“He has always told me that I will get what I put into things,’ she said. “He always told me to work on what I am most weak at, and at a young age, I was very good with my left hand.’
It was her work ethic and her love of the sport that brought her to this milestone. But she won’t take all of the credit.
“Without unselfish teammates, I would have never accomplished this goal,’ said Daddona. “Also, basketball goes way too fast in high school to look back and wish you worked harder, or done something differently.’
Daddona went on to score 16 points against Daniel Boone on Jan. 5, and seven points against Tulpehocken the following night. That gives her 1,033 career points and counting. But her final point tally does not really concern her. Her only goals for the rest of the season is to help her team win the division, then make the district and state tournament. For Deanna, it’s always the team first.
