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Blagec becomes 3rd Badger to score 1,000 points

Niagara's Ethan Blagec drives to the basket in the second half to register his 1,000th career point. The Badgers senior drew a foul on the play and sank the free throw for his 1,001st point. (Burt Angeli/The Daily News)

NIAGARA, Wis. —  Niagara’s Ethan Blagec reached a basketball milestone Tuesday.

The senior point guard registered his 1,000th career point in the Badgers’ M&O Conference loss to Coleman.

Blagec entered the game needing 10 points for 1,000. He had five at halftime, with youngsters conducting a countdown by tearing numbers off the gym wall.

“I was thinking at halftime, ‘Five points, right on track for a perfect 10,'” Blagec said. “But I was lucky enough to get 17 in the end.”

He finished with 17 points in the game and a new career total of 1,007.

The three-year varsity starter recalls shaking like a leaf for his first varsity games.

“I came up as a freshman for the last couple (varsity) games,” Blagec said. “I was really scared and intimidated. I kind of flicked it up, got lucky and it went in.”

He believes those first career points came against Gillett. Blagec showed no signs of nerves in hitting 1,000 points Tuesday, powering in for a lay-up, drawing the foul and converting the free throw for point No. 1,001 in the second half.

“p1″>”It’s kind of a surreal moment for me because there’s only two other  people in the history of the Niagara boys to score 1,000 points,” Blagec said. “It’s something special to me.”

Rob Olson is Niagara boys basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 1,217 points, according to Niagara historian Kerry Grippen. The other is Larry Bousley with 1,181 points.

Blagec, when checking the Wisconsin Sports Network recently, found his name associated with 880 points. He passed that on to Niagara coach Jim Hoogland who went over the team scorebooks for the past four years.

Hoogland had a different total when he called Blagec on Saturday.

“He said, ‘You’re at 990,'” Blagec recalled. “I said ‘Get out of here. Are you kidding.'”

Hoogland couldn’t be prouder of the two-time All-M&O Conference performer.

“Ethan has been an absolute joy to coach,” said Hoogland, a longtime boys and girls basketball coach with the Badgers. “He’s in the gym after every practice shooting, shooting, shooting. He understands the game. He’s one of the best jump shooters I’ve ever coached.”

Hoogland and the Badgers rely on Blagec considerably. “I probably play him too many minutes but he’s so valuable to us,” Hoogland said. “He’s no doubt been our leader. He’s doing more double duty by handling the ball but he’s still finding ways to score.”

Noted Blagec, “I put in a lot of work and it’s really nice to see it pay off.

The scoring mark was bittersweet with the Badgers falling to the Cougars.

“I would have loved to win, but what are you going to do,” Blagec said.

He plans to attend UW-Stevens Point, major in elementary education and, one day, score some points for the Pointers basketball program.

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