Realizing the moment, Plymouth Christian Academy athletic director Derek Delgado hollered to Clara Groen, “Take a breath!”
Groen had been chasing five points through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter in the Eagles’ 50-25 win over Garden City on Feb. 24. She drove to the basket for two, then slipped behind the defense on a backdoor cut for another layup.
Over the next few possessions, her teammates passed up a few high-quality looks, giving the senior point guard the green light to let a couple jump shots fly. None fell, and the urgency showed on her face.
Finally, Groen kept the ball on the floor and used her left-handed dribble to scoot to the basket for another layup attempt. This time, a Garden City defender fouled her.
It might not have been the most significant trip to the foul line of her life, but it will likely go down as the most memorable.
“Take a breath!” Delgado shouted again.
Groen swished the first free throw and cracked a smile. Teammate Riley Pilat hugged her, then Abbigail Brumwell jumped on top of her.
Coach Rod Windle quickly called a timeout. The Eagles raced to half court, lined up for a celebratory photo and Groen tightly held onto a commemorative Wilson basketball.
She had done it.
That free throw gave her 1,000 career points, on senior night, in her final regular-season home game.
“It’s a special night for everybody because everybody was pulling for her,” Windle said. “You could tell a lot of the girls were like, ‘Uh, how do we pass up shots to get her those points?’ So, there was a sense of wanting to let Clara do it tonight.”
That’s because it’s usually Groen setting up her teammates for those shots.
A four-year starter, Groen has been the heart and soul of the Eagles’ backcourt, trusted to run the offense against some of the toughest competition around.
That started early. As a freshman, she stepped into a major role just one offseason after PCA reached the Division 4 state championship game and fell to Fowler, 61-46.
“She’s always been really good at finding players open and making assists,” Windle said. “Her greatest strength is just finding players and creating space for other people. That’s where she’s really, really good.”
Ain’t that the truth?
Groen entered the Garden City game averaging five assists per game, along with 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and nearly two blocks.
Which is saying something, because she might be an even bigger softball star.
Committed to Cornerstone in Grand Rapids, Groen is on track to own just about every school pitching record. The fact that she even has time for basketball speaks to her work ethic.
During the winter, she pitches four times a week at 6:30 a.m. before school with her mother, PCA softball coach Jori Groen, and attends weekend team practices. That’s on top of three or four basketball practices and two or three games per week, all while being a standout student.
“It’s tough going from one practice to another, but it’s really fun,” Clara said. “It’s been fun getting to work on two different things, practice two different sports and work on two different motions at the same time.”
She hasn’t slacked on the hardwood. Heck, this season alone she’s reached milestone marks for assists (400), steals (300) and blocks (100). In the past, she’s also helped the Eagles claim two Michigan Independent Athletic Conference-Blue championships, while her senior class has won 61 games so far in their careers.
“She’s just been a go-getter on the basketball team from the beginning,” Windle said. “It’s great to see her really pour herself into it, from the backyard to everywhere else she plays. We’re really proud of all the leadership she’s given our team. She’s done a great job being a mentor, especially for the four freshmen we have up.”
PCA celebrated its six seniors at halftime. Four are signed to play college sports, including Dani Goodfellow (Rochester Christian basketball), Madi Hare (Cornerstone track and cross country), Pilat (Cornerstone volleyball) and Clara (Cornerstone softball and JV basketball). They also honored Abbigail Brumwell, who has pulled down more than 500 career rebounds and swiped over 100 steals, and Ellie Johnston.
But no one seemed upset when the spotlight shifted to Clara at the end of the game. A consummate leader in multiple sports, she had everyone pulling for her to make history in front of a packed crowd waving signs congratulating her on finally reaching her goal of scoring 1,000 career points.
Nerves might have gotten the best of her down the stretch. But Delgado and a dozen other fans were there, reminding her to take a deep breath and let the moment happen.
“This has been something I’ve been working for all of high school,” Clara said. “It was fun to get it on the home court in front of all of my friends and family. It’s just been really nice having coaches here who have poured their time and effort into me, always encouraging me and supporting me. And it’s been nice having teammates who are constantly on my side and pushing me to be my best as a player, so I love playing for them all so much.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Clara Groen scores 1,000 career points for Plymouth Christian Academy
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
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