By Michael Lindsay
The Stone Memorial Panthers won their fifth consecutive game Tuesday evening as junior Cade Capps dropped 38 points in an 82-61 victory at Clarkrange.
Along with the victory, Capps surpassed a career milestone as he scored his 2,000th career point on a three-pointer with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter.
“I just wanted to come out and win the game,” said Capps. “When the game started, I scored a few baskets and forgot about it to be honest until I was two away.
“I don’t think it’s set in yet,” he added. “I’ve been looking forward to it and thought I could get to it this year. It was a really good team win tonight. It’s special to do it as a junior. It’s a testament to how much hard work I’ve put in and my teammates throughout the years.”
Capps’ 2,000th point comes in his junior season under the direction of head coach and father Neil Capps.
“As a coach, it’s always special to coach a player that can score 2,000 points,” said coach Capps. “You’ve got a guy that can go get a bucket for you. There’s been a lot of good teammates over the years. You can’t do this by yourself; he’s played with a bunch of really special guys to make it possible.”
“As a dad, there’s not many practice shots or times he’s been in the gym that I’ve not been there, or his mother or sister,” added Capps. “So as a family, we’ve seen 99.9% of all the buckets he’s made. You always tell them as a kid to be a hard worker and hope they trust you with it.”
Tuesday’s victory at Clarkrange comes on the heels of a 68-37 win over Cumberland County on Monday.
“We didn’t defend well, and we might have some tired legs,” said coach Capps. “I love the effort our guys gave coming in on a quick turnaround. It wasn’t the prettiest and I’m proud of them. We knew Clarkrange plays really hard and have some really good young players. The scoreboard isn’t indicative of how close it was. They could upset some people in the postseason.”
Along with Capps’ 38 points, Braiden Elliot scored 12 points for the Panthers. Jack Cordell led Clarkrange with 28 points in the loss.
Stone Memorial held a 26-15 lead after one quarter as Capps scored 18 in the opening frame. The Panthers pushed their advantage to 17 points by halftime as they led 44-27 at the break.
Stone Memorial extended their lead to 66-42 after three quarters before winning by an 82-61 final score.
The Panthers improve to 18-8 overall and are scheduled to play their final game of the regular season on Thursday at home against DeKalb County in District 7-3A play while Clarkrange travels to Gordonsville.
“We’ve still got a district game to go,” said coach Capps. “All district games are important. DeKalb is very good and they battle. Connor Close is a special young player; he had 30 on us the last time we played them. This is a short-lived celebration, then it’s back to work tomorrow.”
Stone Memorial (82): Cade Capps 38, Braiden Elliot 12, Preston Mayberry 10, Brady Lane 10, Jayden Eldridge 2, Spencer Bowman 2, Kadyn Page 2, Zaiden Rice 2
Clarkrange (61): Jack Cordell 28, Kris Beaty 15, Bryton Swallows 13, Lane Byrd 3, Brayden England 2
