WEST CANAAN — Crossing the career 1,000-point plateau as a high school basketball player usually brings with it the deafening cheers of several hundred spectators and well-wishers. Mascoma High junior Ben Seiler’s pandemic-altered moment wasn’t quite like that.
Two junior varsity basketball teams, five cheerleaders, assorted game officials and 25 cardboard cutouts witnessed Seiler make history on Thursday night, when he became the eighth member of Mascoma boys basketball’s 1,000-point club in a 68-45 defeat of Sunapee at Edward P. Kehoe Gymnasium.
It took Seiler less than 6½ minutes on the game clock to net the 16 points he needed, getting there on his fourth 3-pointer of the opening quarter with 1:34 on the clock.
The rangy guard had 28 points by halftime and finished with 30.
He hit six of his first seven shots from the floor, sank six of his first seven 3-ball tries (all swishes) and knocked down a couple of free throws as well in as composed a performance as could be demanded in the moment.
“My coach told me to get it within the game; don’t force anything, it’ll come,” Seiler said. “Just let it come to me and try not to force too much, and I’ll get there whenever I get there.”
Mascoma’s Gabe Rock dropped 10 points, Connor Thompson had eight and eight other Royals had at least a free throw. The Royals have won six straight.
Sunapee coach Tim Puchtler expressed the level of frustration at trying to stop Seiler that many other coaches have shown through two-plus seasons. Sometimes, it just can’t be done.
“First off, you have to know where he is on the floor, plain and simple,” Puchtler said. “We just kept losing track of where he was. I don’t know why. He’s pretty much in the same spot getting off shots all night long.”
Seiler took charge from the start, scoring in transition on a Rock rebound and outlet pass for the game’s first hoop. After Harper Flint (team-high 14 points) tied the contest, Mascoma — mostly on a barrage of Seiler baskets — went on a 20-2 run to take control.
A Thompson layup broke the deadlock, then Seiler took over: two foul shots, a left-wing trifecta, a layup, a left-corner 3 and another left-corner triple for a 17-2 advantage.
After two Flint free throws and nice baseline move from Rock, Seiler stuck a 3-pointer in front of the Lakers’ bench to reach 1,000.
Athletic director Rodney Brown stopped the contest as Seiler’s teammates mobbed him; Mascoma (7-4) got back to business after a brief delay.
“I wasn’t actually sure that was the one that would get me there,” Seiler said of the decisive 3. “I kind of debated to shoot it or not, but I just pulled it and it went in. Then I saw my friend (teammate Noah Lecuyer), and I knew that was the one.”
Seiler could have easily bettered his career best of 36 points, scored at Fall Mountain on Feb. 10.
He hit his last two 3-pointers in the second stanza and spent time showing off other aspects of his game, the best coming with a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Rock to take out three defenders and complete a transition basket for a 40-14 lead with 2:04 left in the first half.
“It’s exciting to see it,” said Mascoma coach Silas Ayres, who joined the 1,000-point club as a senior in 2001. “To do it as a junior is a pretty special thing.
“I told Ben that first quarter he had was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a high school basketball game. He doesn’t get nervous. He just plays.”
The only thing missing was the usual boisterous Mascoma home crowd, unable to fill the Kehoe Gym bleachers because of pandemic restrictions.
“It’s pretty special,” Seiler said. “These are my guys, and I’ve been working with them for a long time. It’s pretty special to be able to do it with them … but we have a greater goal that we’re working toward here. That’s a good personal achievement, but we’re looking for something bigger.”
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.