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Sports

Tappan Zee's Peterson Scores 1,000th Career Point [VIDEO]

The senior hit a three early in Tappan Zee's Pearl River Holiday Tournament championship victory over Albertus Magnus Wednesday night

Tappan Zee’s Patrick Peterson received a pass in the left corner from Joe Letizia, and paused for a brief second.

A few plays earlier, Peterson got the ball in three-point range and shot only to have the ball slammed back at him by Albertus Magnus’ Jack Sullivan. And so this time, he hesitated for a second, if that.

But then he shot, needing to get some air under the ball this time because the taller Tyler Sayre was racing toward him to try and block the shot. He didn’t. The shot went in, the fans went crazy and the Dutchmen raced over from on the court and the bench to hug Peterson.

The score was 14-10 in favor of Tappan Zee late in the first quarter of the Pearl River Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament.

But the actual reason for the theatrics was because the bucket gave Peterson 1,000 career points. The senior came into the tournament 13 points away, and in the first round against Pearl River came close, scoring 11.

The fans were anxious yelling out how many points away Peterson was after every basket in the game against Pearl River. Before Wednesday’s game, fans chanted “Two more points” right before tip-off. Peterson was happy to get the milestone in the first quarter.

“It felt like I got a weight off my shoulders,” he said. “It was definitely good to get it out of the way early.”

After that, he and the rest of the Dutchmen went out and beat Albertus, 59-50, to win the tournament and remain unbeaten early into the season. Peterson led Tappan Zee in the championship game with 19 points.

Even though he’s scored 1,000 points (1,017 and counting to be exact), after the game those that have coached and played with him said he’s as more than a scorer.

“More than the scoring that everybody talks about, he’s made everybody around him unselfish because he’s unselfish,” said Tappan Zee coach George Gaine. “He’s modest, he puts the team before himself and he’s really carried along this tradition that this is a family-type atmosphere and we look out for each other.”

Ryan O’Rourke graduated from Tappan Zee after last season, but played with Peterson for three years. He was in attendance at Wednesday night’s game.

“He’s one of the best players I ever played with,” O'Rourke said. “He’s the most unselfish thousand point scorer I’ve ever seen. He’s team-first all the time.”

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