PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: GERMANTOWN'S TAYLOR RACE REACHES 1,000
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports
01-04-10 - 12:17 P.M. - On December 21, Germantown senior girls' basketball player Taylor Race gave herself an early Christmas gift as she scored 26 points in a convincing 65-24 win over Central Hudson Valley League foe Berlin. The 26 points put Race into rare company. She became only the second Lady Clipper to ever amass 1,000 career points on varsity.
ccSCOOP recently talked with Race about this accomplishment and about her team, which looks to capture the CHVL title and repeat as the Section II Class D champions.
When Race began playing varsity basketball, 1,000 points wasn’t even in her thoughts. “Only one other girl has done it for Germantown, so it isn’t really a common thing. It wasn’t until my junior year that I actually thought it was possible.”
Coming into her final season with 1,000 within reach, there were a number of emotions for Race. “I was looking forward to it, but I was also very nervous,” Race said. “My coaches and parents wanted me to do it at a home game. I needed 20 points a game to do it at a home game, which was very stressful.”
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In front of her home fans and family Race was finally able to reach her goal against Berlin and enjoy the success. “I was very excited,” said Race. “More than that though, I was happy and relieved because I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. . . . Finally reaching 1,000 eliminates huge pressure, and I can finally just play my game now.”
Although Race may be the star of this Clippers team, she still knows she owes a lot to her coaches, teammates, family, and fans. “Knowing people look up to me and come watch me play is a great feeling,” said Race. “I coach fifth and sixth grade traveling team at my school, and the girls look up to me, and knowing I am such a positive role model to them is wonderful.”
Race scores a lot of points, but she says that’s just her job and her teammates are equally as important to the team's success. “I know that I am the scorer on our team, but I also know that every person on my team is capable of scoring. If I am struggling with my scoring, I create for other people [and] during big games the pressure is definitely on.” Race added, "Even though I lead the team in scoring, we wouldn’t be nearly as great if it wasn’t for the assets everyone else brings to the team.”
Thanks in large part to Race, who was then just a junior, the Clippers set new standards for Germantown basketball last season when they won the section before falling in state play, and the team has high hopes again this year. “We wanted to go further than last year and knew we could easily be the top team in our league” said Race. “Once the season started, however, one of our very important players, Victoria Fuchs, sprained her ankle and is out six weeks, and that caused us to lose a game early on. We now have two injuries, but they should both be back by sectionals, so our goals this year should still be able to happen.”
With her high school career winding down, Race hopes to be remembered for her accomplishments on the court. “I am one of very few players to score 1,000 points, so I hope that will stay in Germantown for quite some time,” said Race. “I would rather my legacy be carried out in Section II, because a CHVL team hasn’t won a sectional title in a very long time, and Germantown finally did it last year and I won M.V.P. Knowing that someone from the CHVL finally received this award will hopefully be remembered for a while.”
With college on the horizon, Race is keeping an eye toward next year. “I am thinking about playing basketball in college, but I am sticking to smaller schools. I’m not interested in huge universities because I am used to a small atmosphere like Germantown.” Among the schools Race is considering are Castleton State College, Elmhurst College, North Carolina Wesleyan, and Emmanuel College.
So far this season Race has scored in double digits in every game but one, while leading Germantown to an 8-1 record. She is averaging just under 18 points a game as the Clippers sit in second place in the Central Hudson Valley League.
