Three-Peat: Lynchburg-Clay senior trio all earn 1,000th point in final season

DODSONVILLE — Thirteen times in the history of Lynchburg-Clay girls basketball, a player has scored at least 1,000 career points, but the 2023-24 season is a little different — historic, one might say — as three of the aforementioned 13 players have achieved that milestone moment this season, and to top it off, all three players are seniors. 

To achieve such a milestone, one mostly has to play a majority of their high school basketball career at the varsity level, and for Jade Massey, Macy Etienne and Addison West, that has been the case for the three Lady Mustang seniors. All three of them have scored their 1,000th career point, and all three are climbing their way up the ladder of the all-time greats to ever play at LCHS. 

All three seniors scored their 1,000th point on the road, and all three games were against opponents from the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, plus all three games were wins by the Lady Mustangs. 

Lynchburg-Clay head coach Whitney Lewis is not only the LCHS head coach, but a former player of the LCHS program. When she graduated, she was the all-time leading scorer for the girls program with 1,705 points, but has since moved to second place all-time (Peyton Scott is first). Lewis knows special players when she sees them, and she knows the feeling of being a part of the 1,000-point club at LCHS, as she’s also coached eight of the 13 members of the exclusive scoring group. 

“This group’s special,” Lewis said. “They’re a talented group, and they play hard. You can kind of see that they play and feed off each other.

”All season, we’ve kind of built on that (the players reaching the 1,000-point club), and we’re just super happy we’re able to celebrate their accomplishments.”

Massey was the first of the senior trio to score her 1,000th career point, with the milestone occurring on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2023 on the road against the Fairfield Lady Lions, a game where the senior finished with 14 points. 

The shot Massey used to gain the milestone moment was a shot in the paint, with a Fairfield defender attempting a block in the third quarter with 4:02 left on the scoreboard. That quarter, Massey scored 10 points. 

“It wasn't one of my goals [to start], but as I progressed throughout the season, it was,” Massey said after scoring her 1,000th point. “I didn't have a very good first quarter or half, so I just thought that I would have to come out and try and get it then [in the second half], my last chance to get it.”

Massey has said later in the season it was more fun watching her teammates score their 1,000th points, though the reserved Massey said it was something she’ll remember. 

Lewis said Massey is a “phenomenal athlete.” 

“Jade scored her points before Christmas, and she’s such a phenomenal athlete,” Lewis said. “You’d never know it, because she’s just a quiet kid that would bypass the moment if she had the opportunity. 

“But when she’s going and playing the way she can, she’s one of the most phenomenal athletes I think I’ve ever seen, and she does it quietly.”

Since scoring the 1,000th point — as of Feb. 1, 2024 — Massey has accumulated 1,162 career points, with 281 points scored her senior season. In previous seasons, Massey has had scoring totals of 238 (freshman), 349 (sophomore) and 294 (junior). 

Massey’s career high for scoring came her sophomore season where she scored 30 points in a loss at Eastern on Dec. 6, 2021. 

After Massey joined the Lynchburg-Clay 1,000-point club, next was Etienne, and her points were scored in a SHAC game at Ripley on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, as the Lady Mustangs defeated the host Lady Blue Jays, 68-32. 

Etienne’s shot that propelled her to the 1,000-point club came with a first-quarter 3-pointer, giving her at the time exactly 1,000 points. She ended the game with 15 points, including an eight-point first quarter.

Etienne spoke about her scoring achievement, plus she talked about seeing her teammates score their points as well this season. 

“It's been exciting. I'm proud of my teammates, obviously,” Etienne said. “It's been fun to see. I've played with them since we were in fourth grade, so it's been fun to see all the hard work we put in pay off.

“It was exciting to see them get it, and for myself, it was kind of emotional. I went and hugged my parents, and I was like, ‘this is kind of sad.’ Jade and myself talked about it a lot at the beginning of the season and after last season, so getting this with both Jade and Addison has been exciting.”

Getting to that moment of scoring achievement saw a four-year career by Etienne that included a freshman year with 199 points, followed by a sophomore season of 357 points and a junior year of 288 points. Up to Feb. 6 of the 2023-24 season, Etienne’s senior season includes 235 points scored, for a total of 1,079 to date. 

“Macy is like Jade where she has a passion for basketball,” Lewis said. “She goes hard each game. Macy is such a talented player, and I’m happy for her success this season and happy to see her recognized for her accomplishments.”

Etienne’s career-high scoring game came her sophomore season on Feb. 7, 2022 where she scored 31 points in a 74-44 win over vs. Whiteoak. 

West was the third senior to complete the trifecta of 1,000-point scoring for a career, with West’s big moment coming on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 where she scored her 1,000th point on a 3-pointer against the West Union Lady Dragons in a 64-25 win. 

West’s 3-pointer for 1,000 points came with 4:01 left in the first quarter when she drained the long-distance shot, as she was left open beyond the arc.

”It was just unbelievable,” West said about achieving the scoring feat. “I wasn’t sure at the beginning of the year if I’d get it, but I somehow managed to. 

“It has been exciting watching my teammates get their 1,000th point. I saw how excited they were when they got it, and I was just hoping I could get that feeling, too.”

West’s career for the Lady Mustangs has included 125 points her freshman season and 236 points her sophomore season. The past two seasons, things really took off for West with 321 points her junior season, and thus far as a senior she’s scored 344 points for an overall total of 1,026 points. 

“Addie’s been in our program for four years, and she’s a kid that works hard at everything that she does,” Lewis said. “She’s also got a passion for basketball, and you can see that when she plays, and you see that in practice when she’s working to get better each and every time she’s on the floor.”

The career-high mark for West has also happened her senior season, scoring 28 points in a 62-57 win at Peebles on Nov. 27, 2023. 

Lewis said it best, summing up Lynchburg-Clay as “a special place” for girls basketball. 

“All three of them have worked for four years in our program,” she said. “I’m super happy for them to get that recognition and reach that milestone. 

“Lynchburg-Clay is a special place to play basketball, and the Lady Mustangs basketball program is a special place to be. I’m fortunate enough to be able to coach these amazing athletes and kids.”