Now that she's reached a personal goal, senior guard Ryann Stefaniak has her sights set on leading the Batavia High Lady Devils to a legitimate run at a sectional title.
Stefaniak eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her varsity career tonight, scoring 22 points in Batavia's 67-28 win over Eastridge. The bucket that put her right at 1,000 came with 5:17 left in the second quarter -- a three-point shot from the left side that gave her 19 points at the time and pushed the Lady Devils' lead to 31-5.
It followed a trio of three-point attempts that missed the mark, and had Stefaniak wondering when it was going to happen.
"I was like c'mon," she said, "but it finally went. It was my time."
The 5-foot-9-inch sharpshooter said reaching the milestone became a goal of hers after watching a couple star teammates score over 1,000 points in their time at BHS.
"After seeing Tiara (Filbert) do it in her junior year (2015) and Maddie McCulley in her senior year (2016), I felt I could do it," she said.
Now, she said she's committed to doing all that she can to help Batavia soar to lofty heights.
"I think we have a great chance to go undefeated the rest of the season and make a long run in the sectionals," she said.
Batavia Coach Marty Hein, who presented a plaque to Stefaniak during a timeout after the defining three-point, said the achievement couldn't happen to a better person.
"Ryann has been on the varsity since eighth grade and to see her grow up to become a nice young lady and the way she has matured as a basketball player makes me very proud," Hein said. "I'm just so glad for her."
Mackenzie Reigle chipped in with 15 points for Batavia, 3-1, while Bryn Wormley and Emma Krolczyk each had eight and Meghan Houseknecht seven.
Batavia High girls basketball standout Ryann Stefaniak, receiving a plaque from Coach Marty Hein and celebrating afterward with teammates, from left, Emma Krolczyk, Mackenzie Reigle, Bryn Wormley and Jenae Colkey, scored the 1,000th point of her varsity career tonight in the Lady Devils' 67-28 victory over visiting Eastridge. In photo at top, the crowd goes wild after Stefaniak's three-point basket at the 5:17 mark of the second quarter.
