1,000 POINTS
Mt. Pleasant’s Mackenzie Egger shines
There are stars and then there are superstars.
One shines bright while the other brighter.
Over the course of the last four years Mackenzie Egger has been the shining star on Mt. Pleasant’s girls basketball team, the go-to player for the Oilers night-in and night-out.
She’s been the Oilers’ top-scorer, averaging between 15 to 20 points nightly dating back years. She also quarterbacks the Mt. Pleasant offense at guard while drawing the toughest defensive assignment nightly. Be it offense or defense she’s gotten the job done exceptionally well, so much so that she’s earned numerous all-conference and Allstate accolades.
On Friday evening one Mackenzie Egger went from star to superstar as she became the fourth Oiler in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She joins Kelly Robbins (1987), Vicki Krapohl (1999) and Megan Starnes (2005).
“It’s a really good accomplishment, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my teammates, coaches and parents,” said a teary-eyed Egger, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in Friday’s 39-30 home win over Bay City Central. “It’s really rewarding because I have put in a lot of hard work and it’s paid off.”
Coming into Friday’s game Egger needed six points to reach 1,000 for her career. She reached it via a lay-up with 6:28 left in the second quarter to much applause.
“It’s significant and a huge credit to her,” said Oiler head coach Rachel Jaksa. “She’s put in the work. She lives and breathes in the gym and has gotten better every year because of it. A lot of people have come through this program and she’s one of four to reach 1,000 (points). That’s huge.”
Moreover, Egger is also an excellent student as she sports a 4.21 GPA. She will play basketball at Yale starting this fall and plans on studying Pre-med.
It should also be duly-noted that Egger played a key role on Mt. Pleasant’s recent run in volleyball, heading a charge that led to a couple district titles and the program’s first-ever quarterfinal appearance. She’s also a gifted runner on the track team.
As for the company she’s joined, it’s spectacular. Robbins went on to have a brilliant professional golfing career in the LPGA, winning 12 titles and one major championship.
Krapohl was named ‘Miss Basketball’ in the state of Michigan in 1999 and went on to play at Duke. She played in a couple Final Fours.
Starnes led Mt. Pleasant to three district titles in basketball starting in 2002, ending a 19-year hiatus. She went on to become one of the best basketball players in Northwood history and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2016.
And now Egger has joined this stellar constellation, shining.