By Jon Styf
LocalSportsJournal.com

The shot is one that Julie Ashbaugh had taken a thousand times.

But when the ball swung back to her in the middle of the court near the free-throw line Monday night at Montague, and Ashbaugh sunk the shot for her 1,000th career point, it created a moment the Grant High School girls’ basketball team hadn’t seen in 15 years and had only experienced three times before.

Julie Ashbaugh. Photo/Leo Valdez

“We knew as soon as it left her hand that it was going to go in,” Grant coach Josh Delamater said.

The Tigers (9-3, 6-0) called timeout and Ashbaugh was able to keep the ball to commemorate the moment after being hugged by her teammates.

“She was in a little bit of a state of shock,” Delamater said. “It’s been something she’s been thinking about it since seventh grade, and to finally get there, you could just see it on her face the relief of having finally gotten to that point.”

It was somewhat fitting the moment happened at Montague, the site of one of her least-favorite basketball moments. Last year, Ashbaugh broke her ankle during a district loss to Whitehall at Montague.

Even injured, Ashbaugh begged to go back into the game, played several minutes on the broken ankle and drew a foul that sent her to the free-throw line before she had to leave for good with the injury because she could barely stand.

“I basically had to drag her off the free-throw line,” Delamater said.

Grant fans were well in attendance supporting Ashbaugh’s 1,000th point night. Photo/Leo Valdez

After the season, Ashbaugh had to stay off the ankle, but didn’t have surgery and dedicated her offseason to improving her shooting. Her junior year, a large portion of her points came from layups and transition.

Now, she wanted to expand herself and put in hours working on jump shots and outside shooting. Hour after hour, shot after shot.

But she stepped on the ankle weird again during a weekend tournament and re-broke the ankle, this time requiring surgery on her tibia and costing her much of the rest of the offseason.

Ashbaugh, who has signed to play basketball and study nursing at Cornerstone University next year, took the rehab a little at a time.

Photo/Leo Valdez

First, it was physical therapy and upper body work in the weight room. Then, it progressed from walking to running as the ankle strengthened before getting back into shooting and having to work on conditioning.

“Just coming back from that, improving and trying to get back where I was last year (conditioning-wise), has been a big thing,” Ashbaugh said.

The Tigers run, they press, they play in transition and they depend on being in better condition than their opponents to succeed.

Ashbaugh hadn’t been able to do most of those things during the offseason, so she had to work to recover that conditioning fast.

Judging by her numbers, leading the way with 14.8 points, eight rebounds and more than two assists and steals per game, the 5-foot-8 senior shooting guard has met her goals.

Beyond her stats and academic success as one of five valedictorians at the school, Delamater said Ashbaugh’s most impressive trait is her drive. She wants to get better and do better, no matter what it is.

She holds herself and her teammates accountable, she is open and honest with them even when it’s difficult and she has goals that she’ll do whatever it takes to get there.

“This year, our team, there is little to no drama amongst us, it’s just been amazing and there’s nothing but support coming from everyone,” Ashbaugh said. “The five that are on the court are working as hard as they can, but everyone that’s even on the bench or in practice is pushing us to get to that next level.”

That mentality has allowed Ashbaugh and her teammates to make this season one they will remember.

And for Ashbaugh, that all came together as she scored her 1,000th point.

“You can’t find a kid that’s more self-motivated than her, in every aspect of life,” Delamater said.

Grant’s Julie Ashbaugh drives to the basket during a game last season. Photo/Brittlynn VanSingel