Karppinen Goes Over 1000 For AlBrook

Wes Vork-NSO

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Mar 1

Wes Vork-NSO

One could tell there was an extra bit of anticipation and excitement in the Albrook gym Monday night as the Falcons faced off against McGregor.
The anticipation mounted not because the Falcons are having a very good season, but rather focused on AlBrook’s star player Kolten Karppinen who was looking to break the 1000-point plateau.

Karppinen was 31 points shy of the prestigious 1000 point mark upon entering the game. Even though 31 points is a mark one could not reasonably be expected to score in a single game, the local faithful still packed the gym equipped with countdown signs and a congratulation banner.

Karppinen wasted no time getting into the scoring column by putting up 18 first half points, all which were three pointers.
Albrook built a 36-27 halftime lead heavily aided by Karppinen’s performance.

McGregor came out strong in the second half strong and took the lead at 51-49 midway through the half. With 7:14 left in the game, Karppinen was only a 3-point basket short of his mark. Taking into account his hot outside shooting–he finished the night with eight 3-pointers–it seemed like a foregone conclusion Karppinen would hit his goal of 1,000 when he lined up from the left side and let go from beyond the arc. Yet, fate was not so kind.
The ball that was well into the cylinder rimmed out, temporarily putting the crowd back into their seats.

However, on the next trip down the court, Karppinen was fouled while driving the lane and scored. This sent him to the free throw line with 999 career points. On a night when 3-pointers were the norm, it couldn’t have been more ironic for Karppinen to hit the free throw, completing the three point play the old fashioned way. The basket brought the crowd to its feet, giving them what they came for.

Although there were banners and signs galore, Karppinen didn’t appear to be bothered by the pressure. “I didn’t want to be too concerned with reaching the mark,” Karppinen told NSO after the game. “It was a big relief. I wanted to get it [the 1000 points], but didn’t want it to get in the way of winning or playing team basketball.”

In addition to putting Karppinen over the 1000-point mark, the play gave the Falcons a 52-51 lead. Unfortunately, that would be their last lead of the game with McGregor pulling away to claim the 66-61 win.

The Falcons were led by Karppinen, who ended the night with 34 points, including an amazing 8-12 from three point land. Damondtaye Gaines had the inside game working, scoring 18 points on the evening. Others scoring for the Falcons were Peter Martin and Bryce Karppinen with 5 and 4 points respectively. McGregor was led by Preston Hurd with 24 points.

With the loss, AlBrook falls to 13-7 on the season and finishes out the regular season by hosting Cromwell on Tuesday and Barnum on Friday.

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com