Emma Smith received the ball at the top of the key, set her feet, locked her eyes on the basket and drained a three-pointer. The buzzer went off, but not because of the clock, because she became the sixth girl in state history to reach 2,000 points.
Her team-leading 14 points on Tuesday night helped Concord Christian Academy put away the Portsmouth Clippers, 43-28, in a defensive battle. The Kingsmen improved to 12-0 despite having their lowest scoring game of the season and still sit atop Division I.
Technically, according to her coach and father, Matthew Smith, she reached the milestone against Londonderry, but the game was so important that they did not want to be distracted from trying to win.
“I just really love to win, and I’ll try to do anything in my power to win,” she said.
Smith’s milestone is historic for her school, but also for girls’ basketball in the state.
She has joined an elite club alongside Henniker’s Karen Wood, class of 1984, who leads all-time among girls with 2,677 points; Nute’s Julie Donlon; Orford’s Cynthia Thomson; Epping’s Kerry Bascom; and Mascoma’s Tonya Young.
The journey to 2,000 doesn’t happen casually. It’s a constant grind, year over year. Smith plays year-round in AAU competition and constantly practices in the gym.
“It feels really cool. It’s all to my teammates, I could not have scored the two thousand points without my teammates and hard work every single day,” she said.
Emma isn’t the only Smith tearing up the court. Twin sister Kate Smith is close to breaking the 1,000-point mark and is only 150 points away from the milestone. The pair, along with the team, ascended through the ranks each year, winning every single division beginning with D-IV in 2022.
Since beginning her varsity basketball career, Emma Smith accrued 2,000 points, over 700 rebounds and over 350 assists, and counting.
In addition to her offensive efforts, she is tasked with guarding the opposition’s best scorers night in and night out. Smith is averaging 3.7 steals per game this season and her impact defensively was evident against Portsmouth.
Not to mention the three state championships she’s won.
“It’s taught me a lot of patience,” she said about the journey. “It’s not going to come overnight.”
She’s well on her way to climbing the all-time high school scoring ladder as she’s averaging a double-double this season on the undefeated Kingsmen.
“The part we like the best is prepping for each game. It’s the car rides to and from,” her father and coach said.
“It’s watching the scores of the other teams as we’re trying to see where we’re seeded and what we need to do to put ourselves in a good position for a playoff run,” he added.
After high school, Smith has already picked a destination to continue her basketball career. She’ll attend Lee University at the Division II level. She chose it not just because of her athletic ambitions, but also because of the environment.
Her faith has guided her through her journey, she said, and Lee offered the opportunity to grow in a “Christ-centered” atmosphere.
“This talent is from God, and yes, I do put in the work, but it’s from him,” Smith said. “He’s the one that helps me and keeps me going.”
The Kingsmen will play away at Nashua South on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in another big matchup between two of the top teams in the division.