A grand night in Perry: Santo hits 1,000 in win
By jose negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
Luke Santo became the 14th member of Frazier’s 1,000-point club in the Commodores’ 63-35 victory over visiting Geibel Catholic in nonsection play Monday.
Needing 21 points to reach the historic plateau, Santo poured in a game-high 22 points against the Gators (4-6). He picked up points No. 1,000 and 1,001 on a fastbreak layup with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter.
“With everything going on, I’m happy we got to have fans and everybody in here,” said Santo, who brought the limited capacity crowd to their feet with every shot he took in the victory.
“The past two years, we haven’t been so good, so to have everybody still come out and support us and cheer us on, it’s really amazing.”
Santo, who entered the game averaging just over 17 points per game this season, played a big role in the second half. He scored 13 of his points as Frazier (10-3) outscored Geibel by a 34-14 margin.
The Commodores, who held a 29-21 lead at halftime, maintained an 11-point edge within the first five minutes of the third quarter before Santo scored five points during an 11-1 run in the final 2:50.
Santo once again put Frazier on his back in the fourth as he scored six points during a 12-2 run that pushed the home team’s advantage to 61-30 with just over four minutes left.
“It was always on my mind, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from playing our brand of basketball,” Santo said. “I just wanted to get a win.”
For Frazier head coach Zach Keefer, seeing Santo reach the 1,000-point milestone was special considering he’s a part of a senior group that joined the high school ranks during Keefer’s first year at the helm.
“It’s a product of his hard work and his work ethic,” Keefer said. “I couldn’t be more proud of Luke. He’s a special kid to me and this team.”
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