LYNN — Three weeks ago, the St. Mary’s girls basketball team saw senior forward Olivia Nazaire score her 1,000th career point in a big win over Cardinal Spellman. Now it’s junior shooting guard Pamela Gonzalez’s turn to join the club.
Gonzalez, a Revere native who grew up in Chelsea, needs 43 points to crack 1,000 for her high school career. The Spartans have two games this weekend, Friday at Cardinal Spellman and Saturday against Bishop Feehan at Emmanuel College. St. Mary’s visits Cathedral next Monday.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was younger,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a big accomplishment and I take basketball very seriously. It’s not something I just do for fun. I have goals to play basketball at the college level. I’m fortunate enough to have been on some great teams at Revere and St. Mary’s. Coach Newhall has done a great job helping me gain confidence this season.”
As she closes in on the milestone, Gonzalez hopes to take a normal game-by-game approach over the new few contests. She admitted that getting to 1,000 points looms on the back of her mind, but the bigger goal is to help St. Mary’s get wins.
“I think I’m just taking things game by game,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to be nervous. It’s not all about me, it’s more about the team. As long as we win that’s all that matters. I’d like to get it done but I know it’ll happen eventually.”
She was able to see her teammate, Nazaire, get it done a few weeks ago and has sought her advice as she gets closer to hitting the mark.
“When Olivia did it, I could see the emotion and I could tell she was very happy,” Gonzalez said. “That’s an emotion that I also want to feel. She’s talked to me about about it and she’s helped me build my confidence.”
Over the past two weeks, Gonzalez has been on an offensive surge that’s propelled St. Mary’s to a string of victories. She’s averaging 23.7 points per game over the past six contests, and 17.4 points per game for the season.
“Pam has turned into a high-level, consistent scorer for us, which is what we need,” St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall said. “As is the case with any other team, it takes a while to get to that pace you want to play at. As things get settled in, the team improves and players sort of evolve. Pam’s a leader on and off the court for us. She’s only been with us for 14 games but it’s been great thus far.
“She has great size for a guard,” Newhall added. “It’s hard to find a player, boy or girl, that can shoot the way she does and take it to the hoop. She’s shooting 47 percent from the field and that’s an astronomical number considering what NBA players shoot. She’s making quality shots and taking quality shots.”
Gonzalez credits her recent surge to gaining comfort with her teammates through practice.
“I feel practice has helped a lot,” Gonzalez said. “We do a lot of shooting and we run our offense. We’re building chemistry on our team. There’s a bunch of new girls that I didn’t know personally. As we’re getting to know one another, it becomes easier for me to fit in.”
This wouldn’t be the first time the St. Mary’s girls program has seen two players eclipse the 1,000-point mark in the same season. Back in 2014, Lynn native Brianna Rudolph and North Reading’s Jennie Mucciarone, both seniors at the time, reached the milestone. Rudolph’s currently on the women’s basketball team at UMass Lowell while Mucciarone plays at Tufts.
“The last time we had a girl do it was in 2014 and we had two players do it that year as well,” Newhall said. “I said it when Olivia got it done a few weeks ago, ‘It doesn’t matter who it is, you have to be a good player right off the bat, you have to have a little luck and you have to stay healthy.’ Pam’s scoring and playing at a high level against tough competition. That’s really where she deserves her credit.”
Gonzalez acknowledged that she wouldn’t be on the cusp of 1,000 without the help of her teammates.
“I’m just really proud of my team,” Gonzalez said. “I’m thankful that they’ve helped me get to this point. I’m excited.”
