Cuyahoga Heights used a big fourth quarter to down visiting Independence on Friday, but it wasn’t all bad news for the Blue Devils.
Senior Landon Jatsek scored the 1,000th point of his career early in the setback to the Red Wolves.
“Hitting 1,000 points is a huge accomplishment but it doesn’t happen without the help from rest of teammates and coaches,” Jatsek said. “I am grateful to have done it with the boys from Independence.”
Jatsek nearly hit the mark in Tuesday’s game at Elyria Catholic when he dropped 32 points in an 84-75 setback to the Panthers.
He needed just two points against the Red Wolves to join the 1,000-point club.
“I knew I was close to getting it,” Jatsek said. “It was in the back of my head, but I was more worried about the game. I knew it would eventually come, I just needed to stay engaged in the game.”
With the milestone scoring mark behind him, Jatsek now is focused on leading the Blue Devils to a strong finish in their final two regular-season games and the upcoming postseason.
“We have a few more regular season games, which give us the opportunity to compete and prepare for playoffs,” he said. “I am going to do my best to help my team make a deep playoff run. Our experience we have acquired throughout this year will be beneficial in playoffs.”
As his high school career nears its end, Jatsek hopes his younger teammates learned from him what he learned from the older guys he played with as an underclassman.
“The younger guys need to know that every game is a battle,” he said. “They need to prepare themselves to be mentally engaged in each and every game. Taking care of your body is also important. You need to be healthy in order to compete to the best of your ability. Finally, you are a team, and you must play that way. When the team aspect is missing you will not succeed.”
