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Jeremy Quinlan’s reaches 1,000 points in Brookfield victory
Senior makes history at 5:05 of first quarter
By Greg gulas
BROOKFIELD
Jimmy Quinlan likes to boast that he is a full 60 seconds older than his twin, Jeremy.
After all, big brothers are supposed look out for little brothers, right?
For Jeremy, who was going after his 1,000th career point for Brookfield High, he’s just thankful that his big brother has been around, not only to share in his special moment but knowing that he played such a big part in his crowning achievement.
Jeremy scored 24 points and Brookfield never trailed in a 54-39 victory over Youngstown Christian on Friday night.
“Tonight was very special and a great moment for both Jeremy and Jimmy. Both are straight ‘A’ students, three-sport players and ‘Yes, sir’ kids,” Brookfield coach Bill Kovach said. “I have never been around two kids who hate to lose as much as they do. A lot of people had a hand in this over the years. Give credit to their many coaches and teammates, because everything was in place before I even arrived.”
Quinlan needed just two points entering the game to become just the second player in school history to score 1,000 points.
It took five shots, but his bucket at the 5:05 mark of the opening quarter and a subsequent free throw capped a three-point play, giving him 1,001 points career points.
Jeremy joined former Brookfield great Paul Guin, who scored 1,112 points from 1964-67 as the only boys players in Warriors history to hit the scoring milestone.
The Quinlan brothers also have a special relationship on the court.
“We’ve been playing together since we were little so we know and anticipate one another’s every move and cut,” Jeremy said. “It’s a special feeling to play with my brother as he gets me the ball when I am open, and I in turn do my best to get him the assists.”
Brookfield raced to an early 13-9 lead behind Jeremy’s nine-point opening quarter.
His seven points in the second period and five more by Collin Harkulich then helped the Warriors (13-3) open a 29-13 halftime advantage.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to contribute to Jeremy’s scoring total,” Jimmy Quinlan said. “I love throwing him the ball because he always finishes the play. I then get to rack up the assist.”
Brookfield opened a 39-20 lead at 3:31 of the third period behind four points from Jeremy, a bucket from beyond the arc by Derrick Dickson and three points from Jimmy, but Youngstown Christian (7-8) got eight points from Nick Gonda and then scored the final eight points of the quarter to close to within 11, 39-28.
That was the closest Youngstown Christian could get, however, as six Warriors combined to outscore the Eagles, 15-11 in the final period en route to their seventh win in eight home outings.
“When you have 15 unforced turnovers and miss eight or nine layups in the first half alone, you put yourself in a big hole,” Eagles coach Dolph Carroll said. “ You just cannot do that against a good team like Brookfield and expect to win.
“Jeremy is a great kid, great scorer and a great basketball player. We gave him a lot of looks tonight and didn’t have just one player guarding him. It’s fun to watch him play and I am glad that he got his 1,000th point. That’s a very special honor.”