Kelly throws down 1,000th point
PHOENIXVILLE >> This will be a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year holiday season for the Kelly family in Phoenixville.
On Tuesday night, Christian Kelly, Phoenixville High School’s 6-4 star senior forward, achieved a scholastic milestone when he scored a game-high 19 points in the Phantoms’ 64-32 Pioneer Athletic Conference victory over Upper Perkiomen at the old Phoenixville Area High School gymnasium.
Kelly entered the night with 986 career points after tallying 33 during a non-league road victory over Avon Grove Friday evening. So starting the night needing just 14 points to reach the coveted mark, Phoenixville went to the PAC-10 scoring leader averaging 25.5 points per game early and often.
Kelly scored 13 points in the first period, including one 3-pointer to draw within a point. Then he entered the exclusive 1,000-point club in fine fashion, punctuating it with a steal and one of several slam dunks he had during the night with 7:15 remaining in the second quarter to give Phoenixville a 27-9 lead at that point.
The large, loud crowd on hand for the special occasion went bananas. Kelly’s parents, Greg and Tanya, and his older brother, Jordan, rushed the court and hugged him along with his Phantom teammates. The crowd gave Kelly a standing ovation as part of the celebration.
“It is a sigh of relief, really,” said Kelly afterwards. “I wanted to get it out of the way early. Now we can focus on what we want to do as a team.”
As a group, the Phantoms remained undefeated at 5-0 and in first place in the Frontier Division (8-1 overall). They have won eight straight games after dropping their non-league season opener to Penncrest in the Downingtown West Tournament.
Avery Close, averaging 10.5 points per outing, also reached double figures with 14 points, and all 11 players who saw action for the Phantoms dented the scoring column.
Sophomore Ryan Kendra led Upper Perkiomen (0-5, 1-7) with 14 points, which included 3-pointers in the first and fourth quarters. Kendra came into the game averaging 15.4 points per game.
Phoenixville jumped out to a 25-9 lead after one period and stretched the margin to 39-9 by halftime. The Phantoms assumed a 57-21 lead entering the final stanza.
“Regardless of the situation, I knew I wanted to get it here at home in front of my friends and family,” said Kelly. “To have my parents and brother hugging me on the court was really good. I came out aggressive Friday night so I could get it earlier and quicker here at home. I wanted to get it on a good play. I wanted a dunk, and it came on a steal and dunk.”
Phoenixville coach Eric Burnett was thrilled for Kelly and the rest of ‘Phantom Nation’. They were able to see one of the Phantoms become the area’s newest member of the 1,000-point club. So it was a grand time for all involved at this festive time of the year.
“We played really hard tonight, and it honored Christian,” Burnett said. “We wanted to get it done tonight. We understand there were some jitters, but Christian is the type of kid who doesn’t let things bother him. We were talking before the game and we told him to get it come to him. They all took care of business, and we got it done early.
“Because of the type of kid he is, and the leader he is, his teammates treated it like a game-winning shot. They shared it with him, and he deserves it.”
Notes >> Kelly became the first Phantom to reach the plateau since Jon Hogga (2007), who was in attendance. … Also on hand were Ashley MacLelland, the only girl in school history to achieve it and the all-time leader, as well as another male in the club, Mike Gary.
