Welcome to the club: Mashpee's Hialeah Turner-Foster scores 1,000th career point

MASHPEE -- Mashpee High girls basketball player Hialeah Turner-Foster entered Thursday night's game against Carver with 997 career points.

By the time the final whistle blew, Turner-Foster sat comfortably at 1,029 career points, becoming just the fifth ever Falcon to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. Making the milestone even memorable was a 59-40 win over Carver in a battle of two undefeated teams.

Turner-Foster's coaches, teammates, and friends were all aware of the impending milestone. Mashpee's gym was decked out with signs to commemorate the achievement as fellow students had blown up cutouts and pictures of her, and even the school's electronic board congratulated her after the game.

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Her family showed out in force, complete with custom matching shirts and jackets to mark the occasion. They, along with everyone else, waited eagerly in anticipation.

Turner-Foster didn't keep them waiting long. After two free throws got her to 999, the senior broke loose from half court, took the contact, and dropped in an emphatic and-one layup that brought the crowd to its feet, and her family and teammates off the bench.

"Honestly, I felt no pressure," Turner-Foster said. "It's family all around, so there's no reason to feel pressure. It was just love in the building."

Among the family members in attendance was her mother, Shani Turner. Turner has watched her daughter grow in the game, and says her usually mild-mannered daughter's quiet killer instinct is what sets her apart.

"She embodies a whole different form playing basketball," Turner said. "When you see her play, you see a totally different animal out there."

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Family is everything for Turner-Foster. Not only was her family out in numbers to watch her make history, but she did so alongside her cousin, senior Amiyah Peters, who starts alongside her in the Falcons backcourt. Peters is also in the 1,000-point club.

In addition to having her family with her, Turner-Foster also felt the support from both her tribes. Her mother hails from the Nipmuc Tribe and her father from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. During pregame, the entire Falcons team joined hands surrounding the Neeshla Singers, who performed prior to lineups being introduced.

"We're a connected community," Turner-Foster said. "It's really important to us to feel our culture while playing basketball."

Once the pageantry was over and the dust settled, there was still a game to be played. Turner-Foster's celebratory bucket came in the first quarter, and made the score 9-5.

The Falcons battled foul trouble and weathered some Carver storms early before they pulled away in the second half. At the center of it all was Turner-Foster.

She finished with 32 points to lead all scorers raised her average for the season to just over 28 points per game. She impacted the game in far more ways than the scoreboard.

She hounded Carver ball handlers with her on-ball defense, helping force turnovers and easy buckets to help the Falcons out the Crusaders away late, including a dagger three to get her over the 30-point mark.

"I don't think anybody in this gym is surprised that she did what she did," head coach Jasmyn Silva said after the game. "I think we're just proud. We know she can do it, she came out on top, and she always does for us."

With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-0 on the season. Mashpee is making an early statement in the South Shore League. Silva believes in her team and believes in her backcourt to help lead the Falcons as far as they can go.

"Those are our heartbeats," Silva said of Turner-Foster and Peters. "They have us go, the other girls feed off of them, they're the energy, they're just two great girls."

They are also two great scorers, and now Turner-Foster has joined her cousin in the 1,000 point club.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mashpee High's Hialeah Turner Foster scores 1,000th point