(Photo: Kait Constantino with her parents Dave and Kim after scoring her 1,000th career point Thursday. Kait joins Dave, who scored 1,000 points at Punxsutawney, in the 1,000-point club. Photo by Roger Walter)

Constantino, who needed 13 points coming into the game was sitting at 12 points when she took a pass inside from Jordan Best, took one dribble and put it in for her milestone.

“It means so much,” Constantino said. “I’ve been working out this since my freshman year, and now it’s finally paid off.”

Constantino finished the game with 22 points giving her 1,009 in her career putting her just four points shy of Kristen Siegel (Class of 1992) for sixth all-time with the Lady Cats.

“I’m proud of her,” Clarion head coach Roger Walter, who has coached Constantino the last two seasons, said. “It’s an accomplishment for anybody, and she is somebody that deserves it just by working hard night in and night out.”

Many in the crowd expected Constantino to score her 1,000th point in the first half, but the senior showed great leadership in the first half only taking shots if they were open and having no issues dishing the basketball to players who were wide open for easy layups.

Constantino with her teammates after the game. Photo by Chris Rossetti

“I knew I didn’t need to rush anything,” Constantino said. “I wanted to play more as a team than myself.”

Constantino’s unselfishness didn’t go unnoticed by her coach.

“Before the game, we said, ‘Kait, we’re going to get there. It’s not a big deal. Even if it’s not tonight, we are going to get there. And there are two ways to get it. You will get it in the flow of the game and it stays team basketball or you start forcing,’” Walter said. “There was a play in the second quarter she drove in and had a wide-open layup. She had to make a little move to get there, but she found Ava (Cherico) across the lane and Ava scores. Kait looked at me and nodded. She knows exactly what that means.”

Constantino’s quest for her 1,000th point was put on hold a day, as the contest was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed to Thursday when Forest Area was forced to cancel school Wednesday because early morning snow squalls that came through the area.

“A little bit,” Constantino said when asked if the delay added to her nerves. “I was really looking forward to last night. But they did what they (could) to move it to tonight. I am just really glad.”

Constantino joined her dad, Dave Constantino, in the 1,000-point club. Dave Constantino scored 1,276 career points at Punxsutawney before graduating in 1988. They are one of a select group parent-child 1,000-point scoring duos in District 9 history.

Constantino with head coach Roger Walter. Photo by Kim Constantino

“It’s very special,” Kait Constantino said. “It’s something that we can both share together and it just means so much.”

Watch all of Constantino’s postgame interview.

As for the game itself, Clarion led 12-0 right out of the gate and was up 23-4 at the end of the first quarter and 41-8 at halftime.

Cherico and Best each added 12 points for the Lady Cats with Payton Simko scoring eight and Eva Lerch seven.

Jess Wagner paced Forest Area with six points with Meg Clow and Dez Ginnery each scored four points.

Clarion is now 6-4 on the season and Forest Area is 1-9. Clarion returns to action at Venango Catholic Friday with Forest Area back in action Friday as well when it hosts Redbank Valley.

NOTES: Clarion’s 1,000-point scorers include Bobbie Simpson (Class of 1992, 1,765), Maci Thornton (Class of 2015, 1,579 points), Kyla Miles (Class of 2014, 1,247), Karen Curll (Class of 1980, 1,157 points), Briana Kriebel (Class of 1996, 1,100 points), Siegel (Class of 1992, 1,013 points), and Constantino (Class of 2020, 1,009 points through Jan. 9).

CLARION 67, FOREST AREA 18

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Forest Area 4 4 6 4 — 18
Clarion 23 18 8 18 — 67

FOREST AREA — 18

Megan Clow 2 0-0 4, Jen Lander 1 0-0 2, Annie Culver 0 0-0 0, Haleigh Tebay 0 0-0 0, Dez Ginnery 2 0-0 4, Kenzie Kopchick 0 0-0 0, Jess Wagner 2 2-2 6, Maddie Borowski 1 0-0 2, Olivia Thompson 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 2-2 18.

CLARION — 67

Payton Simko 4 0-1 8, Jenna Miller 0 0-2 0, Jordan Best 5 2-2 12, Kait Constantino 6 10-13 22, Noel Anthony 1 0-0 2, Bekah Ketner 2 0-0 4, Eva Lerch 2 1-2 7, Ava Cherico 5 0-0 12. Totals 25 13-20 67.

Three-pointers: Clarion 4 (Eva Lerch 2, Ava Cherico 2).