In the end, it was a race to see whether Jeanette Anderson would a) score her 1,000th career point, or b) foul out before she could score her 1,000th point.Not to worry. Anderson got her 1,000th on a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, and her English girls basketball team swarmed all over Salem, 49-22, to take a commanding lead in the race for the Northeastern Conference/North title. One more win and the Bulldogs will have a share of it.The story last night at the Cavanagh Fieldhouse was Anderson, who needed 21 points to reach the millennium mark. She got her team’s first three points (on a layup to open the game, and a foul shot) and fought through a tenacious double-team defense by the Witches’ Jasmine Bryant and Amanda Wilkins to come away with 12 first-half points. Particularly effective was her leaner, as she got up high and just charged to the basket for several of her points.But as the second half progressed, the fouls started to pile up. As the PA announcer counted down, she scored eight points in the third quarter – none of them more spectacular than points No. 997 and 998. She went up for a layup, but missed. However, coming across the key, she grabbed the rebound and, in one motion, went back up for the reverse layup.That was it for the third quarter. No. 999 came on a free throw, and, as the gym began to buzz with excitement, Anderson picked up her fourth foul – leaving all who were there to wonder what the reaction would be if she picked up No. 5 before she could score one more point.”I was worried I was going to foul out,” Anderson said.Two of those fouls came via charging calls, so Anderson – wary of drawing another offensive violation – began hauling them up from beyond the arc. By this time, the game was long past doubt, and her teammates made a conscious effort to find her on every trip down the floor.Finally, after missing two threes, Anderson, who was wide open, threw one up and it swished in. The game was stopped, a brief ceremony ensued, and Anderson went to the bench for the night as the reserves played out the fourth quarter.This is the second milestone this season for the senior center. Earlier, she hauled down her 1,000th rebound – an accomplishment she actually says means more to her than the 1,000th point.”It’s more of a team thing,” she said. “It’s kind of a measure of unselfishness.”English coach Fred Hogan says Anderson has come a long way since her freshman year.”Her leadership on the court is quite apparent,” he said. “And that’s the good thing about tonight. We knew she needed 21 to reach 1,000, but we have team goals too. And they come first. We went to win that league title. Once we got up by as many points as we did, of course, we worked to get her the ball.”I really hoped I’d get it tonight (in front of her home fans),” said Anderson, who has put college on the back burner until the season is over (she is an A-B student, and has several good offers to consider, according to her mother, Betty).As for the game, everyone except Anderson was extremely tight in the first half, as defense ruled the day. The Witches made sure Anderson didn’t have an easy time of it, and the rest of the Bulldogs started out cold (only one other player, Jenicia Duggins (15) scored in double figures.With Anderson heading up to pour in 12, English took a 20-10 lead at the break. And when it looked as if the Witches would creep back in, they went on a devastating defensive surge that paid dividends on the other end, going on a 17-2 spurt to close the quarter and increase their lead to 20 (38-18).After Anderson hit the three-pointer that put her over the 1,000-mark, the game belonged to the benches.