ONE GREAT YEAR: Nelson concludes calendar year with history
Dec. 22—Grace Nelson has had quite the calendar year.
In January, Nelson scored her 1,000th point as a sophomore for the Altamont girls' basketball team. In May, she won a state track and field championship in the hurdles, and now, she can call herself the all-time leading scorer in girls' basketball history and school history.
"We knew when Grace was a young athlete that she had a lot of potential," Altamont head coach Katie Lurkins said. "She grew into the athlete that she had the potential to be. She also set high goals and standards for herself and her team. Reaching this milestone of her career is an example of her commitment to her goals."
Nelson overtook Peggy Bueker as the all-time leading scorer in girls' basketball history against Newton in the Newton Bob Kerans Tournament in November and took down Ryan Armstrong as the all-time school leader during a game against Moweaqua Central A&M at Lake Land College earlier in the month.
"It's a big honor," Nelson said. "I grew up watching Ryan and said I always wanted to be like him."
"I appreciate having a front-row seat to her hard work. God gave her something special, and her work ethic and her desire for success have taken it to the level of which it can," Lurkins added. "Having the opportunity to watch her play as a junior high kid from a coaching standpoint and having a kid in that same age group, we knew that she was gifted with talent. She acquired a taste for that hard work and has excelled in being a classy teammate."
Prior to Nelson breaking the record, Bueker's original total was 1,510 points, while Armstrong's was 1,692.
Nelson currently has 2,099 points in her career. She is averaging 31.3 points per game this season, doing so while having a target on her back each night.
"Since freshman year, I have had a target on my back. I knew that everyone was going to come out for me; they're always going to play their best against us because they want to beat me, and I have a lot of teammates this year that have surrounded me, came out strong, and contributed a lot," Nelson said. "I couldn't do it without them."
That leadership is what Nelson has also worked on the most since her freshman year.
"Before, I didn't talk much, but I knew I had a role," Nelson said. "My skills have developed way more since this summer. I work a lot on my game. I'm a three-level scorer; it's a huge advantage to me to do that."
"Grace is evolving and becoming comfortable in her game," Lurkins added. "She's starting to pick up where she left off last year, and the team atmosphere around that is picking up."
Who truly helps Nelson with that, though, is her father, Jared.
Nelson said her father always pushes her to be the best she can be.
"He's always pushing me, even though sometimes I get sick of it," Nelson joked. "He always says I'm not doing this to be mean to you; I want you to be the best person and player you can be. He gets me into the gym and gets me in all these hard workouts."
So far, all of that has paid off.
Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.
