The Brandywine Blog

Penn State Brandywine senior guard Shari Harper asked the scorer's table how many points she needed before heading back into the game against The Apprentice School on December 10. "One more," she heard. 

Moments later, with about eight and a half minutes to go in the second half, Harper had the ball. A quick first step got her past the first defender, while a nifty spin move jettisoned another. Harper finished the drive with a tough layup to make her only the fourth woman in Penn State Brandywine history to reach 1,000 points in a career.

"I kind of didn't know until the buzzer went off," she said. "I knew I was close." After the score, play was stopped to recognize her accomplishment. She was given the game ball, which she marched over to give to her mother, Jaqueline Harper-McIver.

"I was so proud," Harper-McIver said after the game. "This is her passion, and I'm here to support her. This is a milestone."

It was a milestone that looked like it would have to wait for another day. Coming into the game, Harper only needed 10 points to eclipse the mark. However, she struggled to find her groove in the first half, scoring only one point. Strong early play by sophomore Emily Lawry Thompson and junior Bobbi Caprice put the Lady Lions in the lead by three midway through the first half. Freshman Amanda Congialdi provided the team with some key defensive plays, but the team struggled to capitalize on forced turnovers.

Apprentice took the lead for good during a stretch of three separate runs of six or more points. Turnovers and foul trouble spelled disaster for the Lady Lions, who trailed 39-25 going into halftime. Brandywine head coach Larry Johnson tried to rally his team after a sluggish start.

"At halftime, we told them that they had to come out with a lot more energy. I think [Harper] is the one who brought the energy," the coach said. "She's definitely the hardest working player on the team."

Harper finally settled in, and lit up the scoreboard in the second half to the tune of 17 points. After Apprentice opened up a 20 point lead, a combination of Harper and Caprice cut the deficit to within 10 points with six minutes to go in the game. Apprentice responded with a big run, and put away the game during the remaining minutes. 

Harper finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Caprice was the only other Brandywine player to finish in double digits with 14 points. Even with an L on the Lady Lions' scoreboard, for Harper and her supportive team, this game will always be remembered as a win.

By Melissa Algeo, Sports Information Coordinator