Mount Saint Joseph’s Niekelski sees work pay off with 1,000th point

SPRINGFIELD >> As the referee signaled for two free throws, Grace Niekelski couldn’t stop a smile from crossing her face.

The Mount Saint Joseph Academy junior knew she only needed on to reach 1,000 career points and with it being a dead ball, a make would give her a chance to celebrate the accomplishment on the court. With an otherwise raucous crowd silent and plenty of cameras trained on her, Niekelski’s first free throw caught a bit of back iron but went in without a hitch to reach the milestone.

Niekelski finished with 15 points as the Magic edged rival Gwynedd Mercy Academy 46-41 Tuesday, a fitting cap to a banner day.

“I was just so happy I could do this with my team against our biggest rival,” Niekelski said. “It’s just so exciting, it’s amazing that it happened it this early.”

Niekelski, a 6-foot hybrid guard/forward, has been a centerpiece for the Mount since her freshman year. A fluid opencourt scorer, the junior’s halfcourt game has improved plenty in the last three seasons by adding a solid outside shot, strong midrange game and even post scoring.

One of those players every opponent pays attention to, Niekelski knew the Monarchs would be guarding her closely all game Tuesday. She needed just eight points to reach 1,000 at the start of Tuesday’s game but didn’t try to force the issue early.

“I knew I shouldn’t rush it and my teammates were playing so well there wasn’t any point to me rushing shots just for my own benefit,” Niekelski said. “I knew I’d get it at some point and my team was there for me the whole time.”

Niekelski became the first Magic player to reach the 1,000-point threshold since 2016 graduate Libby Tacka, who went on to play at Army.

Her first hoop was also the Mount’s first score, a breakout layup with 4:22 left in the opening quarter. Nikelski added a three in the second quarter and got another hard-charging layup with 3:35 left in the half but had to settle for being a point short at the intermission.

It didn’t take long for the chance to arrive, as Niekelski drew a shooting foul trying for a midrange shot in the lane with 7:05 left in the third.

“I knew if it was a dead ball, they’d have to stop the game, so it was exciting it came on a foul shot,” Niekelski said. “I knew I only need one point.

“My teammates from freshman, sophomore and junior year helped me get here and it’s not all me, they make me better.”

The packed Mount student section had plenty of signs and posters for Niekelski and they all went wild when the junior’s free throw went down to tie the game 24-24.

Magic coach Matt Feeney is in his first season at the helm of the program, but he knew the type of player he was getting in Niekelski. Having seen Niekelski in CYO ball and watching Mount play the last few seasons, he had a picture of the talent but Niekelski’s work ethic has really made an impression.

“She just works so hard and when your best player is your hardest worker, it’s a good combination,” Feeney said. “She really comes and plays hard. In practice and games, she’s always going 100 percent and that’s what has stood out to me. To coach her, you really see how hard she works.”

Niekelski’s had some big games this season, earning team MVP honors at the Hoops for Hope showcase against Archbishop Ryan and again Sunday against Cardinal O’Hara. An All-AACA pick last season, the junior’s not only evolved as a scorer but Feeney noted her passing as the area she’s most grown in this season.

On top of everything – the milestone, the crowd and the environment – Niekelski got to compete against one of her closest friends on Tuesday. Gwynedd Mercy junior Kaylie Griffin and Niekelski are on the same AAU team with the Comets program, a roster that includes among others Upper Dublin’s Dayna Balasa and Germantown Academy’s Becca Booth, so Griffin knows as well as anyone what her friend can do.

Griffin managed to give Niekelski a hug after the 1,000^th point and the two got a picture together after the game.

“She’s so versatile, she can do anything,” Griffin said. “Her pull-up game is so strong, I think she made all of them on us, even last game. Her best thing is going left, she’s so good at it, I try to tell my teammates all the time but she just goes and makes it.”

Niekelski said there was an air of suspense during the day, with the school making announcements to remind students about the game and her impending milestone and the junior thanked classmates and parents who helped decorate the gym.

Now, Niekelski can turn her focus to the upcoming postseason, which she hopes starts with an AACA final four appearance before trying to reach a second straight District 1-5A final and return to the PIAA tournament.

“I was shocked, I wasn’t sure if it was going to go in, but if it didn’t, I had another one,” Niekelski said. “I’m just looking forward to playoffs, maybe seeing Gwynedd again and hopefully we can go pretty far in the playoffs.”