BARRETT, Minn. -- Taryn Frazer is a name that will never be forgotten in Cass Lake-Bena lore.
And now her name is officially etched in the record books as the all-time leading scorer in CLB girls basketball history. Frazer reached the milestone with 16 points in Saturday鈥檚 thrilling 70-69 win over West Central Area in Barrett.
ADVERTISEMENT
Frazer, a senior guard, had 2,194 career points coming into Saturday鈥檚 tilt and needed just five points to surpass Amanda Gehrke on the all-time list.
Frazer tied Gehrke鈥檚 total of 2,198 on a pair of layups in the first 10 minutes of the game. With a little over five minutes left in the first half, Frazer found herself at the free-throw line with the chance to take sole possession of the record.
Her first free throw rattled out, but the second rolled in to give her the record and put the Panthers up 28-27.
鈥淚t just felt so nice after all the years of putting all that work to finally beat the record,鈥� Frazer said.
The officials paused play to let teammates and coaches congratulate Frazer, and she took the game ball up into the stands to give it to her family.
鈥淚t means everything pretty much,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been playing since as long as I can remember.鈥�
Basketball is deeply embedded in Native American culture, and Frazer sees young people locally becoming more interested in a sport that also serves as a positive outlet.
ADVERTISEMENT
鈥淥n the (reservation), it鈥檚 an outlet for a lot of kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we have so many good hoopers coming up on the rez.鈥�
Frazer now has 2,110 career points. The only player in Cass Lake-Bena history who has more is Martin Wind -- Frazer鈥檚 current head coach -- who scored 2,622 points for the boys program.
鈥淲hen I first came here, I knew I had a special player in Taryn,鈥� said Wind, who鈥檚 in his third season as the girls coach. 鈥淪he鈥檚 worked hard, she鈥檚 a big part of our team, our offense, and it鈥檚 awesome that I got to see her break the record.鈥�
Frazer has been on varsity since seventh grade and reached the 1,000-point mark during her freshman season. She surpassed the 2,000-point milestone in December .
鈥淪he鈥檚 just come to be an all-around leader,鈥� Wind said of Frazer鈥檚 growth. 鈥淚 call her a coach on the court. She鈥檚 lived up to it, embraces her role and does awesome at it.鈥�
Following Frazer鈥檚 milestone moment, however, the momentum changed. The Knights (8-3) outscored the Panthers 17-5 in the final five minutes and held a 44-33 lead at halftime.
CLB (10-1) kept clawing back in the second half, but West Central Area responded by extending its lead upwards of 13 points.
ADVERTISEMENT
But Cass Lake-Bena kept fighting, and eventually that work paid off.
The Panthers found themselves down two, 67-65, with two minutes to go and possession of the ball. After two missed shots and two offensive rebounds, the ball found its way into the hands of Frazer.
From the top of the key, Frazer launched a 3-pointer that scorched the net and gave the Panthers a 68-67 lead -- one they never relinquished.
鈥淚 just saw that (the defender) didn鈥檛 have a hand up, and I just knew that it was my time to make the difference in the game,鈥� Frazer said.
With the ability to light up the scoreboard, Frazer has been the focal point of the opposing defense. Saturday鈥檚 game at WCA was no different.
鈥淪he can do it all,鈥� West Central Area head coach Eric Schoenbauer said. 鈥淪omebody that鈥檚 going to break a school record doesn鈥檛 usually have one golden rule or only one element of their game.鈥�
The Knights had the chance to beat the Panthers, owning possession of the ball down one with 16.4 seconds left. But two missed threes and a blocked shot down low prevented WCA from prevailing.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Frazer broke the program record Saturday, she was only the third leading scorer for the Panthers on the afternoon. Seniors Amira LaDuke and Krisayln Seeyle both finished with a team-high 21 points.
On the West Central Area side, senior Lexi Bright, who recently became the school鈥檚 first player to ever break the 2,000-point plateau, put up a game-high 22 points.
