KINGSTON, N.Y. — The first time Ke’Montae Thawe saw the list of Kingston High 1,000-point scorers in the Kate Walton Field House he dreamed about getting his name on the huge maroon and white placard before he finished playing varsity basketball for the Tigers.
Thawe realized that lifelong dream when he scored on a driving layup for his 1,000th career point with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter of a resounding 70-52 win over Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division 1 rival Monroe-Woodbury in front of a boisterous crowd Monday night at the Kate Walton Field House.
The game was stopped shortly after Thawe hit the mark with his 26th and 27th points on the breakaway layup. Kingston coach Ron Kelder presented the Tigers star with a ceremonial ball near the bench. Thawe was mobbed by his teammates after the pivotal bucket and the Kingston fans roared their approval as they watched the team celebrate in front of the student section.
Thawe, who finished with 29 points, passed 1983 graduate Clark Chaffin, who finished his career with 1,001 points. Thawe (1,002) is the 10th Kingston player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. Next on the list is 1986 graduate Anders Vestergaard, who finished his career with 1,042 points.
Artavius “Tay” Fisher, a 2004 Kingston grad who went on to star at Siena College and play for the Harlem Globetrotters, is Kingston’s all-time leader with 2,119 career points.
Following the game, Thawe said he was more focused on beating OCIAA rival Monroe-Woodbury than thinking about eclipsing the 1,000-point mark. He said he was made aware of how close he was to the standard by assistant coach Guy Leonard the day before at practice.
“I just wanted to get the win tonight,” Thawe said. “But I’ve been dreaming about it (scoring 1,000 points) since eighth grade. I wanted my name on the bottom of that list. It came today and I’m looking to achieve more.”
With the win, the Tigers (3-1 OCIAA Division 1, 11-3 overall) moved ahead of the visiting Crusaders (3-2, 12-2) in the league standings. Thawe said he doesn’t look at the standings, though.
“We don’t really care about the records,” Thawe said. “We know we’re the best team in the section. We just have to keep playing like the best team in the section. One game at a time. The next game is the most important game.”
Thawe hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Tigers forge a 17-10 lead at the end of the quarter. Thawe added two buckets in the second quarter as Kingston held a 29-21 lead at the half.
Thawe started to heat up in the third quarter, adding nine more points to give him 19 for the game as the Tigers pulled away to a more comfortable 50-37 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Needing just eight points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, Thawe scored four quick points and then delighted the crowd with a dunk to give the Tigers a 61-41 lead with 5:12 left in the game.
With Thawe needing just two points for 1,000, Kelder called a play for Thawe but his star guard ended up passing the ball to a teammate.
No matter, Thawe converted the historic layup on the next possession to set off a wild celebration by the Tigers.
“It was an emotional night,” Kelder said of Thawe’s accomplishment. “I got the (ceremonial) ball just in case for tonight, but I didn’t think it was going to happen tonight. I thought it was going to be anticlimactic when we play at Pine Bush (on Friday) and he’d need eight or nine points. But it was special he got it here at home. And once I knew he was that close, he wasn’t going to come out until he got it.”
Thawe had an exceptional night, shooting 12-for-16 from the field and adding 10 steals as the Tigers’ pressing defense created havoc all night.
Junior guard Marcus Steele scored 15 points for the Tigers and had five rebounds. Senior guard Wilson Speller dished out six assists, senior forward Brady Gardner pulled down six rebounds and senior guard Eli Abrams had four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Senior guard Jankarlos Mendoza led Monroe-Woodbury with 14 points.
Once the ball is inscribed with his name and the date of the game, Thawe already has plans for it.
“I’m going to get it framed and my kids will see this,” he said.
Photos: Kingston vs Monroe-Woodbury boys basketball