History was made at the Tim Dreckman Memorial Gym on Tuesday night.
Gehlen Catholic junior Keaten Bonderson joined illustrious company becoming the fourth member of the Gehlen Catholic boys basketball 1,000-point club in Gehlen’s 76-37 win over Harris-Lake Park.
Bonderson achieved the mark with a 26-point performance on 12-19 shooting from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arch. While he reached the mark with a three-pointer, Bonderson says his goal was to get more looks around the rim.
That strategy was part of a week long effort in practice from their last game. Head Coach Mike Langel says their offensive efficiency drew a lot of their focus in practice lately.
Coach Langel says that the cards fell right for Bonderson to get his initial start. Once Bonderson was on the floor though, Coach Langel says it was impossible to take him off it.
That does not mean everything has been handed to Bonderson over his high school career. The Jays made a position change moving him to the point guard at the beginning of this season. The initial adjustment, according to Bonderson, was tough, but he says that it gives him an opportunity to become an even better player on any given night.
The focus was not solely on Bonderson last night. Carter DeRocher poured in a 26-point performance alongside his teammate. Drake DeRocher added nine points, and nine different players contributed points on the scoreboard. Coach Langel knew, though, that the goal would be for his team to get Bonderson the milestone.
Bonderson joins Ryan Stoll, Russ Wittkop, and Neil Rohe as the only other members of the Gehlen Catholic 1,000-point club. That club could add another shortly as Carter DeRocher sits at 916 career points after last night.
The Jays are now 5-0 and 2-0 in the War Eagle Conference and host Unity Christian for a non-conference matchup on Thursday night.
Thanks to my coaches and teammates on helping me reach 1k points🙏🏻! pic.twitter.com/gCTXAfmABA
— Keaten Bonderson (@KeatenBonderson) December 15, 2021
