Journey to 1,000: Lady Raiders’ Murray scores 22 in defeat to reach milestone
Ed Thompson
Uniontown’s Mya Murray (3) scores on a short jump shot to give her an even 1,000 points for her career during Monday night’s game at McKeesport’s Founders Hall. Murray was fouled on the play and made the free throw to bump that total to 1,001 and give her 22 points in the game, although the Lady Tigers won, 87-36.
Ed Thompson
Uniontown girls basketball coach Penny Kezmarsky (far left) and her players sport shirts and signs made for the occasion as they celebrate Mya Murray’s 1,000th career point at McKeesport’s Founders Hall on Dec. 23. Murray (back row, fifth from the right) was selected to the Pennsylvania Ăĺ±±˝űµŘ Writers All-State Team.
Ed Thompson
In a great show of sportsmanship, Uniontown’s Mya Murray and McKeesport’s Jhayla Bray got together and switched head shots of each other for a quick picture after each senior scored their 1,000th career point during Monday night’s game at McKeesport’s Founders Hall.
Mya Murray has played basketball as long as she can remember.
“I have this picture at my dad’s house where I’m walking in his driveway with a little basketball,” said the Uniontown senior. “I couldn’t be more than two years old.”
Murray has evolved into a four-year starter for the Lady Raiders who recently signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Brown University and play NCAA Division-I basketball.
She added another highlight to her sparkling career on Monday night.
The Lady Raiders fell in a non-section game at McKeesport, 87-36, but Murray scored 22 points in defeat. The last of those came on a short jumper that bounced in as she was fouled, and she hit the free throw to complete the three-point play and put her career total at 1,001.
“I was at 19 and I knew I had to get it because it was the fourth quarter and I was getting nervous,” said Murray, the daughter of Phillip Murray and Sally DiNunno. “I got a lucky bounce and it went right in.”
The magnitude of her accomplishment didn’t hit her until afterward.
“During the game I was like, well, whatever, OK, let’s keep playing,” Murray said. “But now that it’s sinking in I’m getting a little emotional about it.”
Although the milestone came away from home, Murray still had some fans in attendance.
“Some of my friends and my family were there,” Murray said.
Uniontown coach Penny Kezmarsky, who scored over 800 points in her Brownsville career, commended her versatile star, who can play virtually any position.
“She’s a very hard worker,” Kezmarsky said. “She was determined. In the three years that I’ve had the privilege of coaching her she’s improved a different part of her game every year. Getting 1,000 points shows that her scoring ability has improved tremendously.”
Uniontown’s team depends heavily on Murray as it did last year and she has accepted that extra burden.
“That’s definitely another part of her as a person that has improved over the years,” Kezmarsky said. “She’s been called upon to do a little bit of everything and she stays very positive. She motivates these younger girls to try to get them to where they need to be as well.
“But her ability to take over really helps us get through some of these tough times with our offense.”
In a unique occurrence, McKeesport senior Jhayla Bray also hit the 1,000-point mark for her career while scoring a game-high 42 points for the Lady Tigers (5-2).
“We talked to each other after the game and had a picture taken together,” Murray said. “It’s kind of relief it’s over.”
Haley Mertzler of McKeesport also hit double digits in the game with 12 points.