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Smith surpasses 1,000 points for Ipswich girls basketball

Friday, December, 28 By Mike Grenier and Bill Kipouras
Staff writer

IPSWICH | Ipswich High forward Amber Smith was eight points shy of 1,000 for her career heading into last night's game against Triton, but a personal milestone was hardly her priority.

"We've never won our own (Christmas) tourney," explained Smith. "There were more important things than (scoring 1,000)."

That kind of attitude has made Smith popular with her coaches and teammates, so they were thrilled when the tough-minded junior tossed in 23 points and added 13 rebounds and seven assists in a 50-37 win over Triton that gave the unbeaten Tigers (6-0) the Christmas tourney championship.

Smith, who was the easy choice for the tournament MVP award, now has 1,015 career points. She becomes only the third Ipswich girl to surpass 1,000 points. Jen Usher, from the Class of 1996, is the all-time leader with 1,263 points. Jane Benirowski, who graduated in 1979 and went on to play at Providence College, scored 1,113.

After being held to seven points by a physical Triton defense in the first half, Smith's magic moment came with 6:45 left in the third quarter. It was a classic Smith basket as she sealed her position inside, then made a quick spin move for a layup off the glass. The bucket, which put Ipswich ahead 28-18, gave Smith 1,001 points.

"It doesn't faze me," Smith shrugged when she was asked about the personal achievement. "I mean, it's a nice thing and I'm proud of it, but I love this team and my teammates. They're the ones who made it all possible. I get some amazing passes from them. I'm just happy that we're 6-0."

Smith was absolutely brilliant in the second half, hitting 6 of 7 shots and controlling the boards.

"Amber wasn't pressing (in the first half), her teammates were," said Ipswich coach Mandy Zegarowski. "They kept trying to force the ball to her when she was surrounded by three defenders. At halftime I just said, 'Forget about trying to get the ball to Amber. Let's just keep moving the ball and it'll happen (naturally)'.

"This is really great for her and for our team," Zegarowski said of Smith's 1,000-point milestone. "I was shocked after last season when I looked at her points and she had accumulated (869) in her first two years. It surprised me because when Amber was a freshman, she played with Megan Berry, who averaged 18.5. Amber has been a great team player. She really doesn't like the spotlight being on her."

Everyone in the Ipswich gym anticipated that Smith would get her 1,000th point in the opening half, but life sometimes doesn't work that way. Smith looked good rebounding and occasionally leading the fast break, but she was just 3 for 10 from the floor and had seven points as Ipswich took a 24-18 first half lead.

The almost 5-foot-9 Smith is a long way from being a complete player, despite her huge success in achieving this milestone in the sixth game of her junior year.

It would seem her very best days on the court are ahead of her, especially at the college level.

"Amber came to high school as basically a raw prospect," Zegarowski pointed out.

"I'm hearing from (college) coaches that they're pleased she's developing her perimeter game," Zegarowski said. "She's working hard at it because Amber's been a low post player for the most part and will be playing outside in college, probably as a 3, the small forward position.

Smith got a late start in basketball, the coach said.

"We've only had two years of travel basketball, so she didn't get to benefit much from that program, and when she was in middle school there were 60 kids active from sixth to eighth grade," Zegarowski said.

Smith's court intelligence also needs to improve, the coach said.

Smith is not the typical 1,000-point scorer. Big scorers are inclined to thrive on 3-point shots as well, but not Amber.

Zegarowski said Smith has only collected three or four trifecta baskets in two-plus seasons.

Who's interested in her future? Who isn't? That's a better question, even if she's a junior and can't even talk directly to coaches until next July.

"A ton of Division 2 schools, and a few other Division 1 schools," Zegarowski said. "B.C. has contacted me, Cindy Blodgett of Maine is very interested, and so is Lehigh. The head coach at UMass Amherst called. It's not often a head coach calls at this stage. Virginia has made contact | which could be a stretch. We've had lot of calls and they all say the same thing, they're keeping an eye on her."

Smith, a two-time CAL all-star and The Salem News Player of the Year for the 2006-07 season, was also a CAL soccer all-star as a sophomore keeper, but bypassed soccer in the fall after an injury limited her in her sophomore year.

"There's no question Amber's on the radar screen," Zegarowski said.

The coach's husband, Zack, an all-conference performer at UMass Lowell, has been mentoring Smith on the court since she was a seventh grader.

Smith also credits her coach for her development. She had 123 points for a 24.6 average in five games this season and had 869 through her sophomore campaign, 414 as a freshman and 455 as a sophomore.

Smith will be performing for the Lynn-based Mass. Thundercats under Jim Ridley and Marvin Avery in the travel season.

Joining Smith on the all-tourney team last night were teammate Lyndsay French, Beverly's Alex Vavladellis, Triton's Nicole Wurdeman, and Manchester Essex's Dani Ciccone.