AUGUSTA — From the gridiron to the hardwood, senior year has been nothing short of exceptional for Parker Sergent.
It continued Saturday night with the latest exploits for the standout athlete, who reached one of high school basketball’s most coveted individual milestones in a lopsided victory for the Cony boys team.
Sergent scored his 1,000th point as the Rams claimed a 64-46 victory over Spruce Mountain. He became the sixth Cony boys player to reach the mark, joining Dave Parquette (1971), Andrew Pullen (2008), Walker Cooper (2013), Simon McCormick (2020) and Luke Briggs (2022).
“It’s amazing with the whole community here and a lively crowd here to come out and support me,” said Sergent (18 points), who was previously a Fitzpatrick Trophy semifinalist for the Cony football team in the fall. “To get it and get it here at home, it just feels great.”
The 3-pointers started falling for Cony (6-8) early and often. Fueled by an early triple from Sergent, the Rams jumped out in front 7-0 to start the game. Parker Morin, Alex Fournier and Matt Boston also connected from long range for the home team, which held a 19-7 lead through one quarter of play.
After Jace Bessey hit a 3-pointer for Spruce Mountain (10-5) to begin the second quarter, Jordan Benedict fired back for Cony to push the league back to 12. Then, with 7 minutes, 15 seconds to play in the opening half, Sergent joined the 1,000-point club with the Rams’ sixth triple of the game.
“Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to get it on because I wasn’t planning how (it was going to happen),” said Sergent, who entered Saturday with 995 career points. “The more I plan, the more I think about it, and I didn’t want that. It just felt good launching that 3 and hitting it. It was a great moment.”
Spruce Mountain never got closer than 14 the rest of the way as Cony got five straight points from Sergent in the first half’s final minute to take a 39-18 lead into the break. The Rams led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter before the Phoenix used a garbage-time run to make the score more respectable.
Sergent has been one of the top scorers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference this year at 20.8 points per game. That follows what he did on the football field this fall, setting Cony records for receptions (76) and receiving yards (1,159) while catching 14 touchdown passes.
The only player to outscore Sergent on the evening was Morin, who finished with 21 points. It was fitting for the two to lead Cony in scoring after they connected all fall with Morin, the Rams’ quarterback, throwing touchdowns to Sergent — but this time, it was the senior feeding the sophomore for big-time baskets.
“He’s got good court awareness; I’ve just got to stay there, do my job, and he’ll hit me for easy buckets,” Morin said. “It’s a fun experience because I’ve known him ever since I was a little kid and we were going to camps together. I’ve always looked up to him, and it’s fun to play with him.”
Rebounding was key to Cony’s victory Saturday as the Rams beat the Phoenix 25-14 on the glass over the first three quarters. Cony also shut down one of the most potent scorers anywhere in the state in Spruce Mountain junior Jace Bessey, who finished with just nine points.
“We face-guarded him a little bit,” said Cony assistant coach Ed Worcester, who was filling in for head coach Isaiah Brathwaite. “The two kids that took him, Matt Boston and Josh Kidd, had zero responsibilities except to stay with him. We also rebounded well, which is something we’ve focused on.”
There have been some trying moments this season for Cony, which had a very difficult start to the season as it began the year 1-6. The Rams have also been without Brathwaite for the past four games after their second-year head coach tore his patella tendon two weeks ago.
Yet through all of it, as Mr. 1,000 pointed out, Cony has turned its season around for the better. Saturday’s win marked five victories in the past seven games for the Rams, who are effectively guaranteed a sport in the Class A North tournament as a result of the victory.
“We’ve had to stay in there and battle, and we’ve done that,” Sergent said. “We’ve had three different coaches along the way, but you can’t control that. You have to know not everything is going to go your way, but you have to deal with it and stay confident.”
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