Bruton senior Marcus Carter needed 14 points against New Kent on Wednesday night to join his father and assistant coach, Brenner Carter, as one of 17 players in Panthers’ boys basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career.
It didn’t even take 14 minutes of game clock before Marcus was standing with both of his parents, Bruton principal Dr. Anita Swanson, head coach Joe Dillard and assistant athletic director Jay Rada at center court where he was presented a basketball that honored him as the first Bruton player since Mark Tyler in 2001 to reach the career milestone.
“It was a special moment. … I was a little emotional but didn’t want to show it,” Carter said with a smile in the locker room after the game.
Carter said he hoped to reach the milestone early so he and his teammates could “focus on basketball,” and that’s precisely what he did.
Carter opened the game with 11 points in the first period as the Panthers seized a 21-13 lead. In the early stages of the second quarter, Carter scored his 15th point on a mid-range jumper from just beyond the free-throw stripe.
After a brief ceremony at center court, Carter and his team dominated the remainder of the first half.
The Panthers, using their vintage three-quarters-court defensive pressure, forced 12 turnovers in the first half to take a 44-27 lead into the break.
The second half was much of the same as Bruton put the clamps on New Kent’s free-firing 3-point attack and went on to win 84-45. Carter finished the game with a season-high 28 points and was joined by Lonnie Swinton (16 points) and eight others in the box score.
Carter’s career achievement was the highlight of the night, but he and his teammates – as well a large crowd of students, faculty and staff – had more to celebrate.
Wednesday’s game was the first hosted at Bruton High this season as the school’s gymnasium had been under renovation since the beginning of the school year.
Playing all eight of their games prior to Wednesday on the road hardly proved to be a challenge. The Panthers have dominated all but one of their opponents by 10 points or more, but Carter said “it felt good to be home” nonetheless.
“The bleachers, the floor, everything looked great,” Carter said. “A lot of people came out and we were able to get the win. It was a perfect night.”
Bruton (8-0, 7-0 BRD) will be back on the road Friday when they travel to Smithfield (7-1 BRD) for a first-place showdown in the Bay Rivers District.
