JENSEN BEACH — Lizzie Fitzwater says she doesn’t remember her first basket as a varsity high school basketball player.
But when you go on to pour in more than 1,000 points over the course of your prep career, it’s understandable that the initial bucket gets lost in the shuffle.
The Jensen Beach senior guard reached the 1,000-point mark during the Falcons’ 52-30 victory over Fort Pierce Central on Friday, Dec. 12 from the Jensen Beach High School gymnasium.
She entered the night nine points shy of the mark and reached the milestone during the fourth quarter. Receiving a pass from Mo McFadden on the right wing, Fitzwater dribbled to her left, spun back to her right before finishing a strong layup through contact as part of a three-point play. The game was stopped for a brief presentation prior to the free throw.
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“It feels unreal. I’ve been waiting for this since my freshmen year and it feels like all my hard work has finally paid off,” Fitzwater said.
The senior had a mini flurry in the second quarter after failing to crack the scorebook in the first. Fitzwater scored his first field goal with a left-handed breakaway layup. She followed that with a tough, contested lefty floater and later a lefty layup in transition.
In the third quarter, she closed to within a point of 1,000 after a left-handed drive resulted in two free throws. However, the senior missed her next four field-goal attempts. Still, Fitzwater remained calm and didn’t jack up shots.
“I feel like if I thought about it more than I did, I wasn’t going to get there,” she said. “I just needed to clear my head, just play my game and let it come to me.”
Fitzwater finished the night with 11 points, as did fellow senior Danielle Bell to pace the home team. McFadden chipped in 10 points.
Following a three-game losing streak, Jensen Beach (4-3) has won its last three games and is back above .500 for the first time since a season-opening win over Somerset College Prep on Nov. 18. The Cobras (5-2) have dropped their last two games after opening the season at 5-0.
‘She does a lot more than just to score’
Fitzwater leads the Falcons in scoring this season at a career-high 16.0 points per game.
She’s always shown a knack for putting the ball through the hoop, as she averaged double-figure points through each of her first three seasons. But the senior developed additional skills through the years – such as the ability to score with both hands – that have advanced her game.
“I think you need to be able to go both ways. Most (defenders) think if you can’t go left, they will force you left. But if you can go left, you might as well finish left,” she said.
Reaching varsity as a ninth grader, Fitzwater started her career with the Falcons as a shooting guard. She has since evolved as the team’s point guard and most-trusted ballhander.
“I used to think I could only be a shooting guard, but I’ve grown to be a point guard,” Fitzwater said. “Bringing the ball up and facilitating is really my strength.”
Jensen Beach head coach Kindell Rivers adds: “When Lizzie came in, she really wasn’t a point guard, but we made her into that. She fits right into the scheme that we’re trying to do, especially this year. She has the ball more in her hands. Sometimes, we run some plays with her off the ball, but when we tend to struggle a little bit, it’s just because she doesn’t have the ball in her hands to make things go.”
Fitzwater is also on pace for career bests in rebounds (3.4), assists (2.7) and steals (3.7).
Serving as Fitzwater’s head coach for the entirety of her career, Rivers has been there to watch the point guard’s development. He says that development includes a key intangible.
“She brings so much to us as far as being a leader,” he said. “She’s been a captain for us for the last two years. Now she’s our leading scorer, but she does a lot more than just to score. Her leadership is what I’m most proud of.
“I’m just excited that she’s on my side and I haven’t had to face her on any other given night.”
‘Favorite thing in the world’
Fitzwater excelled as a bowler in the fall and as a wide receiver in flag football during the spring, but basketball remains her true passion.
She started playing the sport in the third grade and calls it her “favorite thing in the world.” Her love for the game was birthed simply by watching her older sister perform on the court.
Julia Fitzwater was also an 1,000-point scorer at the prep level, surpassing that plateau at South River High School in Edgewater, Maryland. She’d go on to play collegiately at Purdue Northwest and Keiser.
“When I was growing up, my dad was taking her to basketball tournaments and I always used to go to all of them. I always wanted to be just like her,” the younger Fitzwater said.
Lizzie Fitzwater does not plan on playing basketball at the next level. Instead, she intends to study finance and pre-law in hopes of becoming a lawyer. The senior currently holds a 4.0 GPA.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jensen Beach’s Lizzie Fitzwater scores 1,000th point in win over Central
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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