Tri-Village duo records rare 1,000-point double

This past Saturday night was special for over a thousand fans and a couple 1,000-point scorers for Tri-Village.

The Patriots honored the 1990-91 State Runner-up Boys Basketball Team between the varsity girls and boys double header. During those games, however, the night became even more memorable as two players achieved individual milestones.

Quite a night indeed.

It doesn’t seem like 20 years since Coach Lee Falknor along with his assistants Matt Renfro, Jerry Foster and Greg Eley fielded a team that went 27-1 that put together an amazing run to the state finals in 1991.

But the likes of Dirk Lewis, Shane Bietry, Nate Lindamood, Randy Ward, Scoob Cook and Lee Brandon along with the rest of the team were a special group of young men that worked hard and put a lot of time and effort into their game and had a strong desire to succeed.

“You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have the right attitude things aren’t going to happen for you.” – Coach Lee Falknor.

The 1990-91 team had an attitude, it was quite simple, they wanted to win and they didn’t care who got the points or glory.

“They were all for one and one for all, I never saw any selfishness out anyone of them,” said Falknor.
They did it together as a team that still 20 years later is iconic within the community, setting a standard for all teams that come through Tri-Village.

Speaking of setting standards, junior Kayla Linkous and senior Drew Moore have done that as well.

In the girls game, Linkous scored her 1,000th point off a free throw in the fourth quarter. Linkous finished with 27 points as the Patriots defeated a stubborn National Trail team 52-46.

No more than an hour later In the nightcap Moore scored his 1,000th point off a short jumper. He ended with 23 points in a 67-50 win over National Trail.

Ironic enough Moore surpassed Scoob Cook, a member of the 1990-91 Team, as the all time leading scorer at Tri-Village.  Cook held the record for 20 years with 1,012 points.

“This was a special night here at Tri-Village,” Head Coach Josh Sagester said.  “Honoring the best team in school history and then two players scoring over 1,000 points, it was quite a night.”

“Those points aren’t just one man’s points they are reflection of a team.  It reflects guys who have accepted roles in setting screens or getting the ball in Drew’s hands to score at the right time.  It’s guys who have played with Drew that graduated all the way up to now who have contributed to that success.”

Moore, thanked each of his team members after the game and was overwhelmed by the moment.

“I will always remember dropping him off at school in first grade with basketball in hand and a Reggie Miller jersey on,” Drew’s father Ron Moore said. “He would get out and dribble down the sidewalk and into the school and then dribble the half-mile home every day.

“He has spent at least 10,000 hours practicing with just a basketball, himself and a hoop.....with a dream.”

The elder Moore himself was a great player at Tri-Village while averaging 19.6 points a game his senior year in 1981. Ron Moore scored 905 points in his career.

Linkous was beaming ear to ear after the game and was surrounded by her family who has supported her through the years.

“Kayla has put many hours of hard work and dedication into her game over the years,” said her mom Christy (Hollinger) Sarver.

Scoring a 1,000 points has become the norm for the family.  Christy who graduated in 1992 scored 1,042 points in her career.  Her father Randy Linkous, graduated in 1990 from Highland High School in Sparta, Ohio and tallied 1,489 points in his career.

Before it’s over KJ may be boasting the highest point total in the family. Just a junior, four games into the season she will pass her mom shortly…and if things go well her father next year.

Much like the 1990-91 team, Moore and Linkous have both put in hard work and owe some of their success to having great teammates. Both have added to the rich tradition of Tri-Village Basketball just like the ‘91 State Runner-up team.

The only thing to make the evening perfect for Linkous and Moore was for their respective teams to get a win…and that is what they got, capping off a rare but special night.