Paul Hart breaks career scoring record in St. Bede’s win over Earlville

Paul Hart took a pass at the top of the key, drove past an Earlville defender, split a pair of Red Raiders as he jumped and banked the ball into the basket.

As the St. Bede senior jogged down the floor, he was congratulated by his teammates.

The game was stopped as his coaches and teammates came off the bench to high five and hug him.

The basket lifted Hart to the top of St. Bede’s career scoring list.

“It’s always been a goal of mine,” said Hart, who finished with 30 points in the Bruins’ 76-56 nonconference victory in Peru. “I’ve worked really hard to do it. It was a lot of shooting when everybody else was sitting down. The hard work paid off.”

Hart entered the game with 1,455 points, trailing only Major League pitcher J.A. Happ, who scored 1,459 points for the Bruins before graduating in 2001.

“After he got 1,000 [points] as a sophomore, it was inevitable it was going to happen,” St. Bede coach Brian Hanson said. “We felt like the only thing that could possibly stop him from getting it was COVID-19 because he missed his whole junior year [by playing in Arkansas]. To be able to come back and take care of that record, I’m really proud of him. The kid lives and breathes basketball. He always has a ball in his car and he’s shooting baskets all the time.”

Hart missed his first shot of the game before scoring in the post to tie the game at 2.

After missing a 3-pointer, Hart grabbed a rebound and put it in to match Happ’s mark.

Hart shot a 3-pointer on his next trip down the floor, drawing a collective “Ooohh” from the crowd as it just missed.

With 4:40 left in the first quarter, Hart drove for the record-setting bucket.

“I was pumped up [coming into the game],” Hart said. “There’s been a lot of hype around the record. I wanted to get out there and get it.

“I was aware [that would be the record-breaking basket]. I was kind of overworking myself in the beginning. I missed a few shots, but I got it to go.”

Hart scored 12 points in the first quarter and scored a pair of buckets in the second before pouring in another 12 in the third quarter, capped with a two-handed dunk with 2.5 seconds left.

Hart added one more basket early in the fourth before coming out of the game.

“He’s just born to put the ball in the hoop,” Hanson said. “He can get it going shooting. He can slither his way through the lane. He’s one of the best at getting his own rebound and putting it in. He just has a knack for the bucket. That’s something you can’t teach.”

Behind Hart’s 12 points in the first quarter, the Bruins built a 19-7 lead.

Luke Story drained a pair of 3-pointers, and scored eight points in the second quarter as St. Bede led, 34-21, at halftime.

The Bruins extended their lead to 63-39 after three quarters.

Story finished with 22 points for the Bruins (10-6), while John Brady added eight points.

“I thought we were flat early,” Hanson said. “I think everybody was just waiting for Paul to get that record. We wanted to get the ball out and run down the court, and we didn’t come out running. We just looked lethargic. We got out of position, and got some guys in early foul trouble. But I like how hard we went after it late in the game. A couple of guys started getting up, and down the court. We got baskets from running the floor hard. That’s who we have to be, so I’m happy.”

Bryar Keller scored 22 points to lead the Red Raiders (5-10), Griffin Cook had 18 points, and Ryan Browder contributed 14 points.

“I thought on offense we weren’t patient enough,” Earlville coach Gerald Fruit said. “Defensively, I felt like we struggled stopping [Hart] and [Story]. They’re both good players. We needed to at least slow them down and we didn’t.”