Watching Benton Harbor’s Kyrse Gondrezick score a state record 72 points against Benton Harbor was nothing short of amazing.

In fact, it was the greatest individual performance I have personally seen in my more than 30 years of covering high school sports.

She scored from everywhere. She hit mid-range jumpers, long-range 3-pointers and even scored on a sweet spin move.

Yes, she shot 57 times, but she also made 50 percent of those shots and the Tigers needed every single one of those 72 points to move on in the state tournament.

I was thinking as I watched her amazing performance what would have been the previous best individual effort I had ever witnessed?

It would have to be in 1983, while covering the Dowagiac boys basketball team in the state finals at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor.

Detroit Southwestern’s Antoine Joubert scored 44 points in the Class A championship game against Flint Central.

Joubert, who would go on to play for Michigan and spend time in the NBA, scored those 44 points without the advantage of having a 3-point line.

Most of his shots came from well behind what is now the arc. It was something to see.

But it was nothing like the show Gondrezick put on in the Dowagiac gym Monday night.

If there is a better player in the state of Michigan I want to see her. If not, then she should win Miss Basketball hands down.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.