Girls basketball: Putnam Valley's DeChent makes school history, joins dad in 2,000 club

PUTNAM VALLEY — It was not a question of if, but merely of when.

Eva DeChent, daughter of Ed, who was inducted into the New England College Basketball Hall of Fame after scoring more than 2,000 points for the University of Bridgeport men's basketball team and of Maria, who might not have netted quite 2,000 points in her hoops career but was fifth-grade foul shooting champion at PS 23 in Yonkers, entered Tuesday's game against Haldane needing 15 points to reach 2,000 for her varsity career at Putnam Valley High.

The game wasn't expected to be much of a game, since the host Tigers had defeated Haldane by 43 points earlier this season.

But Put Valley's gym was packed, fans waiting to witness the University of Rhode Island-bound senior making school history.

And they didn't have long to wait.

DeChent, whose steal and ensuing bucket put the Tigers up 4-0 1:31 into the game, had 10 first-quarter points as the Tigers broke out to a 19-2 lead.

Just 22 seconds into the second quarter, DeChent buried a 3-pointer.

And, then, seconds later, she stole the ball and drove in for an easy two points

What it means

And, with that, DeChent joined the very select 2,000 point-scorer club.

DeChent, who was called up to varsity for the playoffs as a seventh-grader, was in the Tigers' starting five by eighth grade.

But 2,000 points didn't seem obtainable, especially after the 2020-21 season was shortened due to COVID.

It wasn't until DeChent, the 2021-22 Journal News/lohud Westhester/Putnam Girls Basketball Player of the Year, surpassed 1,000 career points Jan. 11 of last year that her dad suggested 2,000 might be possible.

Tuesday, friends parked on the first row of bleachers displayed colorful drawings of her point totals in a big sketch patch. As the number increased, the old number or numbers were crinkled up and tossed and the new number displayed, stopping at 2,000.

But 2,000 was quickly old news.

DeChent, who was lifted from the game with 1:14 left in the third quarter of what would end up being a 55-27 blowout, finished the night with 2,016 points.

But, of course, the focus was on No. 2,000.

"It's very special to me to make history here at this school," DeChent said after psoing for dozens of photos with those who'd cheered her on.

Player of the game

DeChent was, of course, both the story of the game and the player of the game.

Despite not playing for better than a quarter, she finished with a game-high 31 points.

Her final points came on a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Put Valley up 50-13 on the Blue Devils.

But maybe even more impressive was her defense.

DeChent had seven steals and two blocked shots and knocked pass attempts away from Haldane a couple of times, as well.

While attributing a few early missed shots to her being a little "wound," two-year Putnam Valley coach Don Hamlin described his star as "locked in" defensively from the get-go.

By the numbers

Hamlin sat his four other starters for about half a quarter starting late in the third quarter but Nai Torres still hit double digits with 11 points. She also had five steals.

Although limited to just one basket, Simone Gabriel was big defensively five blocked shots.

Haldane was down 19-0 when Marisa Peters scored her team's first and what would be her only basket, with eight seconds left in the first quarter.

Eight players ultimately scored for the Blue Devils with senior Moretta Pezzullo finishing with a team-high six points.

Junior top player:Putnam Valley's Eva DeChent headlines 2022 Westchester/Putnam All-Stars

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They said it

Hamlin, who coached for 36 years at Briarcliff before taking over at Put Valley last year, called DeChent one of the best players he'd seen during that span.

He said the best part of her game is she's "well-rounded," and "does everything."

Haldane coach Eddy Crowe indicated he was impressed with DeChent's ability to score in multiple ways.

"She's very talented. She does a nice job helping her team win game," he said.

DeChent, who listed her top three high school hoops moments as beating Irvington in the Section 1 Class B final her freshman year, making the state final four in Class B last year and dropping 52 points against Yonkers Montessori to open this season, said she figures the best part of her game is her passing and she did have four assists Tuesday.

Butit was her 2,000 points that were noted on a ball presented to her whne the game was stopped for a few minutes following her record-maing inside two-pointer.

While she has plenty of trophies and plaques over he years, this new addition was getting a place of honor.

"My room — right in the center," she said.

Up next

Putnam Valley, now 18-1, will wrap up its regular-season games. at Croton Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Haldane, 3-15, will host Clarkstown South Friday at 6 p.m.

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Girls basketball: Putnam Valley's Eva DeChent scores 2,000th point