Mt. Blue’s Evans Sterling (1) gets past Messalonskee’s Merrick Smith (11) for a shot during a boys basketball game in Oakland on Tuesday, Jan. 23. It was during this game that Sterling reached his career goal of 1,000 points. Morning Sentinel file photo

FARMINGTON — Mt. Blue High School Senior Evans Sterling made his mark on the school when he scored his 1,000th career point against Messalonskee in Oakland on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Sterling is the third student in Mt. Blue history to achieve the feat.

Previous students that managed to notch 1,000 points in their time at Mt. Blue High School include Karl Knight, who graduated in 1976, and Tyson Wehrman, who graduated in 1993.

Despite the milestone, Mt. Blue took its first loss of the season against the Messalonskee boys basketball team, with the final score of 65-47 in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. In a phone interview with The Franklin Journal, Sterling was more focused on the loss than his own personal feat.

“We took our first loss of the season, so it wasn’t the greatest day,” Sterling said, “but I was still really excited to get that milestone in my career.”

Sterling doesn’t want to let the milestone go to his head, which many consider to be his defining trait as a player and as a captain, a role he shares with fellow teammate Charles Stevens.

Mt. Blue’s Evans Sterling reacts after scoring against Skowhegan in a boys basketball game in Skowhegan on Friday, Jan. 5. According to Coach Norton, Sterling took his performance to a whole new level this season. Morning Sentinel file photo

“He’s a humble, quiet leader,” MBHS Principal Joel Smith said, “who just goes about his business and doesn’t look for that type of recognition. This season has been as much about the exemplary record [Mt. Blue boys basketball] has, as it is his points.”

Sterling began playing basketball in the first grade, and from the moment he stepped out onto the court, he simply fell in love with the game. While many aspiring athletes will point to parents or other family members to explain their interest in the game, Sterling shared that his situation wasn’t like that at all.

“My dad is from the Caribbean,” Sterling shared. “He didn’t play much basketball, strictly soccer, and my mom was never into it. I don’t know, I just fell in love with it when I was young and just never stopped.”

Sterling shared that his favorite team is the Boston Celtics, but the player he looks up to the most is Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks. “Since I was young, it’s always been Kyrie,” he said. “I’ve always gotten his shoes and just look up to his play style.”

“Evans has just had a great career,” Coach Troy Norton said in a phone interview. “To get to 1,000 points, you have to put in a tremendous amount of work.”

According to Norton, Sterling had a bit of a disadvantage getting to his milestone as his first year at MBHS was during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a reduced number of games played during a normal season. Despite this, Sterling continued to put in the work and each year saw him putting more and more effort into his performance.

He was a top performer in the conference during his sophomore and junior years, with his average points per game coming up to roughly 18 points per game during his junior year based on Norton’s estimates. During that season, both Norton and Sterling saw the potential for the player to make it to the 1,000 career point milestone.

“A lot of times with 1,000 points, a lot of it is luck.” Norton stated. “I mean, you can’t miss a lot of games, obviously, if you get hurt. We knew if he stayed healthy, and he played his game, that he’d have a really good chance to get there.”

Once he started the season, however, Norton noticed Sterling was taking his performance on the basketball court to a whole new level. “He’s averaging like 26 plus points a game and so he’s on pace to score almost 500 points this season,” he said. “That’s how well he’s playing right now.”

Norton echoed Smith’s comments, saying that Sterling’s biggest strength is his attitude towards his teammates.

“The great thing about Evans is he’s so unselfish,” he said. “He doesn’t let any of these personal accolades affect his play. If he’s double teamed and one of his teammates is open, he’ll gladly pass on the ball.”

Norton shared that Evans is happiest when he passes to a teammate that manages to score than with his own personal score. He is still very happy with his milestone, nonetheless.

“It feels really rewarding because it has always been a big dream of mine to score 1,000 points, since I was a freshman,” Sterling shared. “Just lots of hours in the gym, and it really feels rewarding to finally get it.”

Sterling has not made any decisions on what college he wants to attend, but he plans on staying in Maine and will continue his basketball career.