'Most pressure I've ever had': Pequannock junior reaches basketball milestone

Chloe Vasquez wasn't counting down to her 1,000th point as Pequannock played Hanover Park on Tuesday night. But when she stepped to the free-throw line with a minute and 13 seconds left in the game, Vasquez "knew that was it."

The Golden Panthers junior point guard was also convinced she had to take the foul shots just like thousands of others before.

"That was the most pressure I've ever had in my basketball career," Vasquez said. "I've been on the free-throw line many times in close games. But it was a different kind of feeling. I was very nervous, shaking, but also happy. It was a bunch of different emotions. I had to check in mentally, because I had to hit this."

She sank both, giving her 23 points in the game and exactly 1,000 for her career.

Vasquez had seen both the milestone and the number of points she needed on Tuesday as challenges she had to meet. And by reaching her goal, she also helped Pequannock beat NJAC-Liberty foe Hanover Park.

Teammates, friends and family members rushed to the corners of Pequannock's gym to get balloons, flowers and posters they'd stashed away, just in case. Vasquez is the eighth Golden Panthers girl to reach the milestone.

"Once I hit it, I think the whole crowd and my whole team (had) a weight lifted off their shoulders – especially my shoulders," said Vasquez, who made all nine free throws on Tuesday.

"I was like, 'I did it. I can breathe. I can relax now.' ... Getting it as a junior was great. I was very determined to get it this year with this team."

Vasquez has been Pequannock's "most impactful player" since she walked into the gym as a 5-foot-9 freshman guard, according to coach Jennifer Baggott. She runs the Golden Panthers' offense, and is able to score both in the paint and beyond the arc.

The only thing that set Vasquez back was COVID, which restricted Pequannock to only 15 games in her first season. She is averaging 20.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 steals this winter.

Flashback!Pequannock girls basketball player Chloe Vasquez voted Athlete of the Week

"When she goes, we go," Baggott said. "I don't think (1,000 points) was even a question. It was like, 'Wow, what are we going to accomplish as a team with her leading us. It was never a question of if, it was when."

Vasquez has been playing basketball since second grade, and she fell in love with the game almost immediately. She was part of coed rec teams, and went to camps with boys. Vasquez has since transitioned to girls travel and then AAU teams, but the initial experiences built both her skills and confidence.

"I was and still am a very competitive person, so playing against boys was a big thing for me back then," Vasquez said. "It made me tougher, more competitive, more determined. Like, 'I can do this. You can't stop me.'"

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls basketball: Pequannock junior Chloe Vasquez reaches milestone