By Mark Eddlemon
sports@joplinglobe.com
MORRISVILLE, Mo. — Miller senior Hannah Wilkerson became Missouri’s all-time girls high school basketball scoring leader during a 75-54 victory at Marion C. Early High School on Thursday night.
The senior guard hit a free throw with 6:21 to play in the second period, toppling the old record of 3,212 with her 10th point of the contest.
Wilkerson finished with a game-high 32 points — and boosted her career total to 3,234 — as Miller improved to 15-4 on the season.
After the record-breaking free throw, Wilkerson was honored with a standing ovation. She was also presented the game ball by former record holder, Melissa Grider, who played high school basketball at Morrisville and Marshfield before becoming a record-setting athlete at Missouri Southern in both basketball and softball in the 1990s.
“I think it’s so neat that Hannah broke the record here in Morrisville, where I started my career,” Grider told the packed house at Marion C. Early High School. “And I want to be the first to congratulate her.”
Wilkerson then went into the bleachers to hug her great grandmother, Maxine Morris.
“My great grandma is 95 years old,” Hannah Wilkerson explained. “And this was the first game she’s seen me play in high school. She says she can’t take it when I get knocked down.
“But everyone was here for me tonight, which was really important.”
“Hannah is all about family,” April Wilkerson, Hannah’s mother, explained. “She’s been blessed with a healthy body and good family support. Both sets of grandparents (Gene and Deloris Wilkerson and Joe and Beverly Morris) are here, her dad (Darren Wilkerson) and brother are here, and all her cousins.”
Back on the court, it was easy to see the pressure of breaking the record was lifted. Hannah Wilkerson was just 3-of-11 from the field in the first period, then went 9-of-13 in the final three periods. She earned her 32 points by making 12-of-24 field goals and all seven of her free throws in the game, with five assists, a steal and 10 rebounds.
“I was nervous all day,” Hannah said. “But I thought, ‘You can make a free throw.’ ”
“All my teammates were very supportive,” Hannah said. “I think they were feeling the pressure with me. They really came out and played great the second half.”
Betsy Epps finished with 17 points for Miller, hitting three treys in the game. Epps was 5-for-5 from the field in the second half. She also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Kaitlin Johnson added 14 points to the winning attack, hitting 6-of-7 field goals with nine rebounds and an assist.
Nicole Adams added 10 points to the Miller effort, making 5-of-8 shots from the field, with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for the Lady Cardinals.
But with multiple television and newspaper outlets covering the contest, and a full house, the Panthers also seemed to battle a case of nerves before Wilkerson broke the state record.
Senior Kasey Painter led Morrisville, 9-8, with 25 points. She was 1-for-6 from the field before the record fell. Painter then hit 10 of her next 15 shots. Freshman Kylie Painter added 11 points for the Panthers and Rachel Phillips scored 10 points.
“We started driving Hannah to games when she was 5-years-old,” April Wilkerson said. “We drove to between 90 and 100 games a year, driving back and forth all the way to Kansas City when she played with the Kansas Belles. She’s had a great coach (Brandon Weiss) the past two years at Miller.”
“I can remember Hannah dribbling a basketball around the house when she was 18 months old,” grandmother Beverly Morris said.
Hannah Wilkerson has six more regular season games to add to her state scoring record, along with post-season opportunities. She has signed to continue her basketball career with the Missouri State Lady Bears.
