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Tri-Village
senior Teha Richards scored her 1,000th point against
Emmanuel Christian Thursday in a
107-13 second round sectional victory.
Richards also poured in 40 on the night. After scoring the landmark
bucket, Teha presented the game ball to her dad, Niles. Dale Barger
facebook photo.
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Richards credits her team for milestone
night
By George Starks
NEW MADISON- With the first half in the books, Tri-Village
senior knew she was getting close to entering the record books as a
thousand point scorer.
With 16 minutes gone against Emmanuel Christian, Richards had pumped in
27 of the 34 points needed to hit the 1,000 point plateau.
When the team went to the locker room, she made it clear that she did
not want to know how many more points she needed.
“I really didn’t want to know,” said Richards. “I felt if I knew, it
would make me nervous and I would never get it. One of our assistant
coaches let it slip to me. Then when we went back out on the floor, one
of the referees said not to get it on a two pointer but get it on a
three. Even the referees knew.”
At about the midway point of the third quarter, Richards hit the
milestone shot, a three pointer, with the assist going to her senior
teammate, Shaye Thomas.”
“When Shaye got her 1,000th point, I got the assist,” said Richards.
“Tonight, she returned the favor because she got the assist for my
1,000th point. We have been good friends through our school years so it
only was right we got the assists for each other.”
Even though there were times in the first half of the 107-13 blowout
game against the Lions that Richards could have gotten the record
bucket, she opted for the assist to another teammate so they could get
in the scorebook, despite scoring 40 points in the game.
The 40 scored made Richards only the third Lady Patriot in the history
of the school to net that many in a game.
“We are all very unselfish players,” said Richards. “If it weren’t for
the people I’ve played with, I wouldn’t have a thousand points. Shaye
never would have got a thousand and Kayla (Linkous) 2,000. It takes a
team working together for the same goal to accomplish goals. We have a
good team and a good coach. He (Brad Gray) is a good coach and we love
playing for him. When you have that kind of chemistry, you get things
accomplished.”
In an interview after the game, Grad said that Richards had dedicated
herself to the basketball program at Tri-Village.
Richards commented on that statement.
“I started playing when I was little,” Richards said. “My dad (Niles)
would take me out and work with me. He was a good player at Tri-Village
in his day but baseball was his sport, not so much basketball.”
“I think I’m a better athlete than he was though and he was good,”
Richards said with a chuckle.
Putting on the jersey game in and game out, Richards, like many before
her, knows there a bit of pride that goes with the uniform.
“I love playing for Tri-Village,” Richards admitted. “I don’t want it
to end prematurely though. I know it will come to an end sooner or
later but there is a lot of basketball left for us to play.”
While many were forced to work hard for their accomplishments, Teha was
no different.
The hard work paid off in a trip to the state semi-finals a year ago
and hopefully, another trip to Columbus to end the 2013.
If there was a difference in her rise to the top, it has to do with
genetics.
Her grandfather (Danny Richards) was a solid athlete in his days at
Westmont and that all trickled down as her dad, Niles and her aunt,
Dana Richards Stahl, set the tone for the next generation.
“My dad was always my biggest supporter,” said Teha. “He has always
been there. When I hit the 1,000 point mark, I gave the game ball to
him. He told me to give it to my Mom (Renee) but I wanted him to have
it.”
Now with a mark of 23-2 overall, the Patriots have to go through Newton
before they hit the district championship.
“It’s one game at a time from here on out,” Richards said. “We all know
the next game could be the last one and we take no one lightly.”
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Teha
Richards unloads a three ball in a game played at Tri-Village
against New Breman
earlier this year. Thursday, Richards became the
next of an elite group at Tri-Village to score
1,000 points in her
career and only the third player ever wearing a Lady Patriots
uniform
to net 40 in a game. CNO File Photo by Dylan Knoop
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