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Brittany ‘Spears’ Her 1,000th Career Point
Shields hits milestone in Haldane’s season-opening win
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Brittany Shields does it again, but she’s not saying “oops” this time! |
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Time will tell if Haldane forward Brittany Shields measures up as the greatest girl’s basketball player in Blue Devil history, but time cannot measure the greatness of a teammate… only those that share the same Cold Spring-based foxhole can verify that.
As awesome a player as Shields has become during her first two varsity campaigns, the unselfish 5’9" junior is a better teammate… an accomplished playmaker, a solid rebounder and a proven finisher. En route to the 1,000th point of her charmed career in last Wednesday’s 63-45 win over visiting Dobbs Ferry, the twotime Section 1 Class C tournament MVP flashed every element of her game, scoring 25 points, grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing four assists. She finished the night on pace for several more milestones, including a strong shot for 2,000 points, which would put her in rarified air in this neck of the woods.
An All-NYS selection after her sophomore season, Shields is already on pace to shatter the school record of 1,776 career points set by 1994 graduate Jen Moran. Should she eclipse 2,000 points, Shields would join such Section 1 stars as Karen O’Connor (FDR, 1983-89, 2,662 points), Sheila Wagner (Peekskill, 1981-86, 2,476 points) and Cusena Newton (Hamilton, 1982-87, 2,384 points).
The fact that Shields is even mentioned in the same breath as those elite eight should tell you all you need to know about the player, but here’s evidence that the best is yet come (as if you need it!).
“She has yet to become what she can become,” said Haldane Coach Rich Desiderio. “She has accomplished all of this without much of an outside game, which she can do but hasn’t had to. Even great players can keep improving, and I hope I can help her develop that part of her game. What I didn’t realize until I started coaching her with Empires and now at Haldane is what a great passer she is. She sees the court as well as anyone I have ever been around and that’s what makes her such a great teammate.”
In her first two seasons, Shields has often been viewed as “unselfish” to a fault; a solid trait for a point guard, but not the mentality you want from your big gun.
“I am trying to teach her when to be selfish and when to give it up,” Desiderio admits. “We have put an emphasis on other people handling the ball and letting her do it when it presents itself, or when we run our plays that are designed specifically for her. She’s is impossible to stop, especially when we get her out in transition.”
If there has been one knock to her game, it’s that her defense has been labeled by some as suspect, but her awareness of the notion has led her to work that much harder on it, according to the coach.
“She’s actually very easy to coach,” Desiderio said. “She knows she is not a great defender and she is trying hard to get better. She doesn’t question anything but she asks good questions.”
And she has good moves, whether slashing to the rack or posting up, sealing the deal has never been a problem for the 16-year-old, who spent the majority of her youth admiring former Haldane greats like Brittany King and the Nastasi sisters.
“We grow up watching those girls and think to ourselves, ‘one day, that’s going to be me’ and when it finally happens it’s like a dream come true,” said Shields, who was all smiles last Wednesday night during a thirdquarter presentation; side by side with her dad, who witnessed Shields’ milestone moment. It was vintage Shields for sure. After picking off a pass, she sprinted up court, went behind her back in the lane and powered her way for a layup over a defender for the bucket, which pushed Shields over the 1,000-point mark for her already brilliant career.
Shields scored 16 of 14-time defending champion Haldane’s 28 first-half points. Senior forward Kylie McConville scored 12 points and junior point guard Scotti King had 11 points, five boards and four assists in a rematch of last year’s Class C sectional title game. McConville and King dropped three-straight 3s to give Haldane a commanding 23- point lead with 1:10 remaining, but the night belonged to Shields, who downplayed the personal accomplishments and focused on the win. The next afternoon in practice, it was business as usual; Shields making like it was just any other day. On Monday, McConville hit for a dozen against visiting Horace Greeley in a 51-43 Blue Devil win, and teammate Brittany Fleming knocked down eight. What about Shields, you may wonder? Well, she went off for another 25 points on the Class AA Quakers… now she’s just 972 shy of 2,000 just two games in to her junior year.
That, right there, is also a big part of what makes her a special teammate… almost standard bearing.
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