The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Nightengale surpasses 1,000 career points, tallies 23 on the night to lead Miners past Rams, 50-47
* Milestone reached midway through third period

By Kevin Spradlin
The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
FROSTBURG, Feb. 4 -- Mountain Ridge senior Madi Nightengale had a special night on Friday.

She got her cake. And she got to eat it, too.

The Miners point guard and aspiring Allegany College of Maryland nursing student scored 23 points to lead host Mountain Ridge past a stubborn Southern Garrett, 50-47, in an Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference contest in Frostburg.

Nightengale confirmed the night's point total meant more than anything, as it helped the Miners beat the Rams for the first time in her four-year career.

"The refs stopped the game," Nightengale said when she reached 16 points to hit the 1,000-point career milestone. "It's been a dream of mine since I was probably in seventh or eighth grade. It means a lot to me since I accomplished it."

Coach Valery Broadwater presented Nightengale with a basketball emblazed with the player's name, jersey number and "1,000 points" and her parents, Tim and Beth Nightengale, had handmade signs displayed in the bleachers and the Miners bench had signs that said "1,000 points."

"They stood up and celebrated," Nightengale said of the delay in game that lasted about four minutes. "It was just a good feeling. After I scored it, it was just relieving."

After the game, teammates, family, friends and "everybody who wanted to come" joined Nightengale in the school's auxiliary gymnasium for cake.