Mt. Blue’s Evans Sterling drives past Messalonskee’s Drake Brunelle during a Jan. 23 boys basketball game in Oakland. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

The new central Maine members of the 1,000-point scoring club share at least one common trait. All have reached personal success while leading their squads on a winning path during the 2023-24 season.

“It’s awesome,” said Mt. Blue senior Evans Sterling, who reached 1,000 points in a 65-47 loss to Messalonskee last week in Oakland. Despite the loss, the Cougars (12-1) are ranked first in Class A North Heal points. “I think we’re going to keep rolling. We had a great start and we’re looking to have a great finish, too.”

The other central Maine players to reach the milestone this season are: Parker Sergent of Cony, Sammy Calder of Monmouth Academy and Madeline Hill of Valley.

Sergent hit the 1,000 point mark on Saturday in a 64-46 win over Spruce Mountain in Augusta. Sergent, a senior, sat on 995 points entering the game and surpassed the 1,000-point mark on a 3-pointer. He ended the game with 18 points.

“It’s amazing with the whole community here and a lively crowd here to come out and support me,” Sergent said after the game. “To get it and get it here at home, it just feels great.”

The Rams (6-8) have enjoyed a nice turnaround this season, thanks in part to Sergent’s play. Cony started 1-6, but have won five of its last seven games.

Sterling entered the game against Messalonskee with 996 points, but didn’t reach the mark until the second quarter.

Valley’s Madeline Hill shoots during the Class D South championship game on Feb. 25, 2023 at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“I think Messalonskee was playing really good defense in that first quarter,” said Sterling, who finished the game with 17 points. “I think there was a lot of pressure getting to that 1,000th point. But once I got it, I was able to (feel) a little more free with the ball. … It was pretty rewarding and relieving at the same time. It’s something I dreamed about since I was a freshman. When I (hit the shot for 1,000), I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was very rewarding. But it was relieving at the same time, because I had been stressing out about it for a couple of weeks.”

Hill scored her 1,000th point Jan. 13 against Piscataquis and has been playing great since. She scored 31 points on Jan. 17 against Forest Hills before scoring a season-high 33 Jan. 19 against Buckfield. The 15-0 Cavaliers are seeking their first-ever state championship.

“She’s a captain as a junior, and I almost don’t want to say she’s stepped up because she was a pretty good player to start with, but she’s improved on the weaknesses in her game to become even better,” said Valley head coach Gordon Hartwell. “She’s been a huge part of our success moving forward.”

Calder, a senior, netted his 1,000th point on Jan. 11 in a 64-46 home win over Madison. Calder scored a game-high 27 points. According to head coach Wade Morrill, Calder is the first player to reach 1,000 points in 54 years. The Mustangs (10-3) have been rolling and are third in Class C South.

“It feels great, especially since Monmouth has only had a couple (of 1,000 point scorers) in its history,” Calder said. “That’s pretty cool to be a part of it. I always thought it’d be cool to do, but my freshman year, I never really thought I’d do it, because I only played in 10 games. My sophomore year, I scored more with the ball and said, ‘if I keep doing this, I might be able to get it.’ I never thought too much of it until this year. I kind of wanted to get it out of the way, take the pressure off.”

The players also added they would not have reached the milestone without the help from teammates.

“I’ve had good teammates beside me all the years I’ve been around,” Calder said. “It’s helped me a lot.”

“My team is so unselfish, they pass the ball so well,” added Sterling, who is only the third player in his program’s history to reach 1,000 points. “This year especially, everyone understands their role on this team and that’s why we’re doing so well.”

• • •

The Messalonskee boys basketball team grabbed a thrilling 60-58 win at Skowhegan on Saturday afternoon. The victory also carried extra meaning for junior Ryan Parent, who sank the game-winning shot.

“We were down early and we fought through some adversity,” Messalonskee head coach Sam Smith said. “I was proud of them for fighting through the adversity in the second half.”

Saturday would have been the 53rd birthday of Parent’s mother, Candice Berger Parent, who died in late October after a battle with cancer.

Monmouth’s Sammy Calder (11) makes a layup against Waterville during a preseason boys basketball game Nov. 28 in Waterville. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

A 1993 University of Maine at Farmington graduate, Candice Berger Parent was inducted to the school’s hall of fame in 2010, both for volleyball and women’s basketball, scoring 1,138 points on the hardwood for the Beavers. She would later go on to a successful coaching career, leading the Colby College volleyball team for 25 years, where she won more than 350 games. She was twice named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005. She later served as Associate Athletic Director/Compliance and Community Engagement at Colby.

Smith was quick to credit Ryan Parent for his performance on an emotional day.

“It’s a storybook ending, for him to do it on his mother’s birthday,” Smith said. “She was such a beloved member of the community. I’m so proud of Ryan. He’s the best teammate we have. Whether he plays zero minutes or all 32, he’s always up and he just wants to win. Candice and her husband Mark (Parent), they raised a really great kid. We wouldn’t be where we’re at without him. To have that moment for him, on this day, it’s unbelievable.”

Candice Berger Parent is survived by her husband, Mark, and five children, Emily, Matthew, Daniel, Ryan and Lydia.

Ryan Parent finished the Skowhegan game with nine points, while Sam Dube led the Eagles with 26. Messalonskee is 11-4, and is third in Class A North.

Morning Sentinel sports reporter Mike Mandell contributed to this story.