McDaniel scores 2,000th in victory

Each time down the floor, the gym grew a little noisier as the ball kept finding its way into Peyton McDaniel’s hands.

That’s when it started to feel inevitable. This was the night Twin Valley’s senior was going to reach 2,000 career points.

Spring Grove couldn’t stop it any more than a person can stop a wave.

The clinching shot, a 3-pointer from the top of the key, splashed perfectly through the net, and McDaniel’s teammates raced out to hug her.

“The energy in this place was wild,” McDaniel said. “It was cool to do it in front of the home crowd. People started getting louder and louder. I was like, ‘OK, maybe it’s coming.’”

Fourth-seeded Twin Valley defeated No. 5 Spring Grove 73-28 in the District 3 Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals Friday.

The Raiders advanced to face No. 1 Mechanicsburg in the semifinals Tuesday.

All that became secondary by the time the final horn sounded. This was a chance to celebrate one of the county’s all-time greats.

McDaniel is the sixth Berks player to reach 2,000. The 6-0 guard might have been the only person in the building who didn’t know exactly how far away she was from the milestone.

Her teammates were counting down on the bench. Ten points to go. Five points. Two. Then the shot.

McDaniel looked over and saw her them charging toward her and flashed a smile. That’s when she knew.

“She has been working so hard for it,” junior Ava Morrow said. “We all just wanted her to get it. We were just so happy for her. She was so selfless about this and it was amazing.”

TOM BOLAND — SPECIAL TO THE READING EAGLE

Twin Valley’s Peyton McDaniel (00) celebrates scoring her 2,000th point in the Raiders’ 73-28win over the Spring Grove in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal Friday.