DYER BROOK, Maine — Southern Aroostook junior Jackson Mathers joined the exclusive 1,000-point club Thursday evening thanks to a stellar 28-point effort in a game against Central Aroostook.
The sharp-shooting guard tallied his historic point on a free throw with 16 seconds remaining in the game. The Warriors went on to win that contest in convincing fashion, 82-48. Mathers said he knew coming into the game exactly how many points he needed to reach the scoring plateau because the team’s managers had been keeping track of the statistic all season.
SACS coach Bill McAvoy has described Mathers as “the complete player” who is capable of controlling both ends of the floor through his explosive offensive skills and smothering defensive capabilities.
“He’s smart, sees the floor well and is a tremendous shooter,” McAvoy said during a preseason interview.
Mathers comes from a rich basketball family with a tradition of excellence. His father Bill and mother Shannon were both exceptional basketball players in their younger days. Bill played for Southern Aroostook from 1988-91 and his team won a gold ball in 1991.
His sister Kassidy, a freshman, is having a strong first year as well with the SACS girls’ squad.
Jackson and his father are the only father-son duo in school history to reach 1,000 points as Bill finished his career with about 1,100 points. His mother played for Katahdin from 1989-92 and was 40 points shy of reaching 1,000 points as well.
Jackson said his aunt Jill Mathers was a scoring phenom as well as she tallied 1,300 points and is believed to hold the school’s record for most career points.
“I am in competition with them,” he joked. “They tease me a lot about it. It is really cool to have a father-son combination and something we will all remember. I will be proud to have my name added to the list of great ballplayers on the gym wall.”
Reaching the milestone in front of the hometown fans was extra special, he said.
“It was really good to do it in front of our fans,” Jackson said. “Everyone was so excited and I have received a lot of support and congratulations from everyone in the community. Having it achieved at SACS was special too because my dad could see it at his old high school.”
Bill missed many of Jackson’s games last season as he was being treated for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
“My dad has been able to come to the games this year after his bone marrow transplant and he was proud of me,” Jackson said. “We have all been extremely thankful to have him with us and every game he gets to see my sister and I play is a blessing.”
As nice as it is to reach the historic scoring plateau, Jackson said he is more interested in helping his team win a gold ball.”
“I was happy and excited to get a 1,000 points, but I want the gold ball more than any personal accomplishment,” he said. “I love competition. I love the challenge every night. I have played since I was a little boy and watch tons of ball. It is part of our family history and something we all do together. I love playing with my team and want to bring home a gold ball for our community.”
