Savannah area basketball players who have reached the 1,000 point career milestone this year
Reaching 1,000 points in a high school basketball career is a testament to a player who has been a consistent contributor from an early age.
This year, a number of Savannah area basketball standouts have seen their efforts pay off as they reached the 1,000 point milestone. Here's a list of some of the players who have reached that plateau this season.
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Caleb Jones, Benedictine
Jones, the star junior guard, is leading the entire GHSA in scoring at 28.1 points per game, according to Maxpreps.com.
He picked up his 1,000th career point in a win over Beach on Jan. 13.
Jones put up a career-high 40 points in a win over Islands on Jan. 23 and has scored 30 points or higher in seven games on the season.
BC coach Frank Williams said Jones is a tough cover for defenders because he can score on all three levels as a gifted 3-point shooter with the ability to slash to the basket. He has added a deadly mid-range jumper to his arsenal in the past two seasons.
Brianna Pelote, Woodville-Tompkins
The 6-foot-2 senior has been a strong presence in the post since she was a freshman with the Wolverines. She notched her 1,000th career point in a win over Bethune-Bowman on Jan. 6.
Pelote said reaching 1,000 points was important to her because her older brother, Bernard Pelote, now playing for Western Carolina, scored 1,000 when he was a star with the Wolverines.
"For me to be the second in our family to get 1,000 points meant a lot," Brianna Pelote said. "He told me he was very proud of me and to keep pushing."
Pelote is averaging 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. She also has more than 800 rebounds in her career and is striving to get as close to 1,000 in that category for her career.
Pelote has committed to play at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, where she will join her former teammate Janiyah Heyward on a program that started this year.
Jermaine Edwards, Savannah High
A steady presence during his career with the Blue Jackets, Edwards is a workhorse with his effort on both sides of the court.
The 6-foot-5 senior reached the 1,000 point mark earlier in the season, and had 1,163 career points and 1,478 career rebounds as of Feb. 6 for Savannah High, which has been ranked in the Top 10 among Class A Division I teams all season.
"Jermaine has been the backbone of our team for the last four years," Savannah High coach George Brown said. "He was second team all-region as a freshman and first team the last two years. This season he's a candidate for the region player of the year. He's a workhorse."
Robert Spaulding, Savannah Country Day
The senior guard reached 1,000 points in a matchup with cross-town rival Savannah Christian.Spaulding would have probably reach the mark as a junior, but an injury cut his season short.
"Getting to 1,000 points meant a lot to me because I've been working so hard the last couple of years to get there," Spaulding said. "I had a Jones fracture in my foot last year, so to come back from that and reach this goal meant a lot to me and my family."
Spaulding has a versatile game with the ability to get to the basket comebines with a mid range jumper and solid defense. A leader on the SCD squad, he is averaging 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He is receiving recruiting interest from schools such as Tennessee State and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Destini Gooddine, Calvary Day
Gooddine made her presence felt since her debut as a freshman with the Cavaliers when she averaged 11.2 points per game.
Her production has been increasing every year since. And this season, she has moved into the role as the primary scorer for Calvary Day after the graduation of Hannah Cail, who set the school record of 2,021 points and is now playing at Georgia College & State.
Gooddine reached the 1,000 point milestone in a game at Liberty County and celebrated it after sinking her first two free throws in a home game against Johnson on Jan. 26 when she scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Cavs to a win where they rallied from a 15-point first half deficit.
Jordan Cave, Islands
Basketball runs in the family for Jordan, the younger brother of Justin and Jaylen Cave, who starred for the Sharks before him.
Cave reached the 1,000 point milestone in a loss to Jenkins on Dec. 8.
"It meant a lot to me because I've looked up to my brothers for such a long time, and to be the second person in the family to reach 1,000 points has deeper meaning. Now I can be in the same trophy case as my brothers."
Justin, who went on to play at Georgia College & State University, has the school record with 1,670 points. Jordan said that number was out of reach -- but he thinks he has a shot to reach 1,300 in his career, which included four years as a starter.
Parris Parham, Bradwell Institute
Parham has been a standout for the Tiger girls basketball team and reached the 1,000 point plateau with plenty of time to spare as a junior.
She notched her 1,000th point in a win over Tattnall County on Jan. 27.
The 5-foot-9 forward is averaging 19.6 points and 8.8 rebounds for a Tiger squad ranked No. 10 in the state among Class 5A schools by Sandysspiel.com.
Elena Hairston, South Effingham
The senior point guard experienced a night she'll never forget in a game against Evans on Saturday, Feb. 3 as she poured in 26 points to reach the 1,000 point mark for her career.
She also joined the 500 career rebound and 500 career assist club in the same game — showing her versatility.
Hairston has posted some of the top statistics in the Coastal Empire this year as she was averaging 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists as of Feb. 6.
Zayden Edwards, St. Andrew's
Edwards has been a mainstay with the Lions, who have won back-to-back GIAA state championships.Now in his junior season, he has taken on the role as the squad's leader as his older brother, Zyere, is now playing at Augusta State.
The standout guard reached the 1,000 point milestone in a win over Bulloch Academy on Jan. 26.He had one of his best games of the season when St. Andrew's beat previously undefeated Hebron Christian, then ranked No. 3 among Class 3A GHSA teams in the state, in overtime on Jan. 20 as he scored 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Jeremiah James, Jenkins
The athletic senior tallied 12 points on January 26th in a win at Swainsboro to reach 1,000 for his career.
James is one of the most versatile athletes in the Coastal Empire. He starred on both sides of the ball for the Warrior football team that made a memorable run to the Class 5A state semifinals as a No. 4 seed — by beating Arabia Mountain and Dutchtown on the road by one point each.
James' versatility extends to the basketball court where he is a threat to score with drives to the basket, or with an accurate jumper. He is also a standout on the Warrior baseball team.
He is averaging 15.5 points and 11.9 ponts per game as of Feb. 5.
Kayley Wedlow, Bryan County
The senior guarded netted her 1,000th career point in a win at Savannah High on Friday night.
Wedlow transferred to Bryan County from Statesboro High before her junior season and earned Region 3-A Division I Player of the Year honors last year.
She was averaging 17.3 points, six rebounds and 3.6 assists per game through Feb. 5 for a Bryan County squad that was ranked No. 10 in the state in its classification at the time.
Tahshaun Frasier, Bradwell
The talented guard has signed to play at Columbus State and is having a stellar senior season for the Tigers.
He recently reached the 1,000 point milestone for his career. Frasier was averaging 14.8 points and 4.7 rebounds for a Tiger squad that had a record of 19-4 as of Feb. 6.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Here's a look at 12 Savannah area players who have scored 1,000 career points
