The packed crowd fell silent when Eichelberger stepped up to the free-throw line in the third quarter to make what would be his 999th and 1,000th points. Everyone knew that Eichelberger would be reaching a huge milestone in his basketball career, and they all wanted to celebrate that moment with him.

1,000 is a big number. Most high school athletes, whether their sport is basketball, baseball, football or any other sport, don’t expect to ever reach 1,000 of any stat. On Thursday Jan. 29, varsity basketball’s senior night, Kobe Eichelberger scored his 1,000th career point, which also came on his senior night. To say the least, the night was momentous for Eichelberger.

“I got pretty nervous, but it was the greatest feeling in the world when the basketball went in,” Eichelberger said. “In my head I was just saying ‘Don’t miss, don’t miss, please don’t miss.’”

All at once, the crowd erupted in cheers. The rest of the basketball team swarmed the court to congratulate Eichelberger. He was awarded the game ball, and play resumed shortly after. The Saints went on to win the game, but Eichelberger won in more way than one way that night.

1,000 points takes a long time to achieve, but Eichelberger has worked toward this goal since freshman year.  The last person to reach 1,000 points was Nick Pastis in 1986-1989.

“When I was a freshman, I thought someone that scores 1,000 points would have to be a ball hog, but I learned otherwise,” Eichelberger said.

He has learned to trust his teammates and coaches because, he says, if his teammates trust him, they will find a way to get him the ball. Eichelberger credits his teammates for helping him reach this achievement.

“My teammates have really trusted me this year, and I want to thank them for that,” Eichelberger said.

Eichelberger hopes to continue playing basketball next season at the collegiate level. He has narrowed down his list of schools and hopes to make a decision in the near future.

Eichelberger has worked tirelessly to reach this moment, and now all of his work has finally paid off. His 1,000th point was the cherry on the top to a great high school career.