MORE THAN 1,000 POINTS
By Hector Trujillo
There were several high points in what turned out to be an impressive 19-5 regular season record and a fourth seed in the CIF-San Diego Section Division I postseason for the Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) womens varsity basketball team. Add a 71-47 victory over Mission Vista High, a 54-46 win against La Costa Canyon High and a 66-62 win against Carlsbad High in the CIF-San Diego playoffs to that list. Now, Scripps Ranch is set to play Del Norte High for the Division I championship title on Feb. 25 with a 5 p.m. tip-off at Montgomery High School, 3240 Palm Ave.
One of the accomplishments of senior Amanda Kramer was among the highlights this season.
Kramer became only the third player in school history to break the 1,000 point mark since the 2016-2017 campaign when the team finished with a 26-7 record.
Her feat came in a Jan. 14 road game win against Academy of Our Lady of Peace, which was part of the team’s 11-game winning streak.
“It was near the end of the game. I didn’t even know until the end,” Kramer said. “It was just a normal layup that I hit. I thought I didn’t make it and thought I had 999 points at the end of the game, so I thought I would just get my thousandth point at the next game.”
Kramer was able to reach this feat while being the only senior on the roster this season, despite playing soccer as much as basketball, including having played both sports last season. It seemed that she was destined to be a standout on the hardwood thanks in part to the athletic history of her father, Mike Kramer, who played high school basketball – and her mother, Tania Kramer, who played high school and college basketball in Illinois.
“My dad went to Purdue, so we’re huge Purdue fans,” Kramer said. “One of the players on their team, Jayden Ivey, reminds me of myself. He’s very fast and very aggressive, so when he plays I see me running down the court.”
With a 4.5 GPA, she has so far applied to 22 schools and is currently considering finance, economics or business management as potential majors, hoping to study in her native state of Illinois or at a university somewhere in the Midwest.
“She plays four positions, and her best is the wing,” said head coach James Stewart. “She has played on defense all five positions. Her length and athletic ability allow her to defend all positions and makes for a very hard match-up for other teams.”
Kramer, who has served as team captain the last two years, had several 30-point performances this season while averaging 21.6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and hit 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Even at her young age, Kramer already shows the traits of a leader, always acknowledging the efforts of those around her.
“Even if we do lose, I know we will go out playing our hardest,” she said. “Everyone always works hard, and the teamwork is always there.”