Maddie Gesky doesn’t play basketball to set records, but they come her way just the same.
With 36 seconds left in the third quarter against Herscher on Jan. 15, Gesky scored on an inside move and Manteno coach Bethany Stritar called a timeout to celebrate the moment.
Gesky. a 5-11 junior, had passed Jodi Miller into first place on Manteno’s all-time scoring list. She was presented with a commemorative ball, and ran up into the stands to give it to her dad Joel. Then it was back to work in the Panthers’ 51-30 home win.
Fouled on the historic basket, Gesky hit the ensuing free throw and finished the game with 15 points. That gave her 1,042 career points — two more than Miller, who played from 1987-90. They are the only 1,000-point scorers in program history.
While Stritar had been tracking the run-up to the record, Gesky was just going about her business.
“I was surprised,” she said. “I was just like, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize it was this game. I knew I was close, but it wasn’t really what I was worried about. I was worried about winning this game.”
Gesky’s points against Herscher came, as they usually do, in the flow of the game. She shot 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 from the foul line, adding nine rebounds and five blocks in a typically productive all-around game.
Stritar has seen it many times. It never gets old for the Panthers coach, who knew Gesky was destined to do big things before she even joined the program.
“We describe her as the baddest girl on the court,” Stritar said, “She is the toughest and the strongest and we are happy that she’s a Manteno Panther.
“In eighth grade we saw her playing and we knew that she was going to be something special. So we brought her into the high school as a freshman playing varsity and she became our leading scorer that season. So we always knew that it was gonna get there. We just didn’t know how soon or how quickly.”
Now that it has happened, Gesky said, “it’s kind of surreal. I didn’t know that I would be here, especially this soon, but it’s incredible.
“I couldn’t do this without any of my teammates. I mean, they’re the ones getting me the ball and ultimately, I can’t do anything without them.”
Gesky isn’t the only talented athlete in her family. Older brothers Josh (Illinois) and Jeremy (Olivet Nazarene) both went on to play college football.
“We’re very competitive,” Maddie Gesky said. “… It’s like I always want to one-up them. So I think I used that to drive me.”
She’s also a star volleyball player for Manteno. Where is her future?
“I love basketball,” Gesky said. “Basketball always has a special place in my heart. But volleyball is where I’m hoping to continue my college career. But I’m open to either.”