Article Text
Catherine Letendre entered Potomac School’s Jan. 13 home game needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for her basketball career. The senior wasted little time getting there.
Letendre scored 16 points in the first quarter, surpassing the milestone with a 17-foot jumper from the left wing with 2:56 remaining in the period. The basket gave her 1,001 career points and made her the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000.
She finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals as the Panthers overwhelmed Georgetown Day 77-33.
“My goal since my freshman year in high-school basketball was to score 1,000,” Letendre said. “My teammates have all helped me so much to do this.”
Her parents and two older sisters attended the game. Letendre said having her sisters there was especially meaningful because they usually are not able to watch her play.
A versatile player and three-year captain, Letendre has received offers to play Division I college basketball. She instead plans to attend Duke University on a scholarship to play lacrosse.
“Catherine could definitely play Division I basketball,” Potomac School coach Krystal Ferguson said. “She is a very good player, is our three-year captain, is a very positive person and is great with her teammates.”
Letendre scored 233 points as a freshman, 230 as a sophomore and 385 last season, when she earned Division I all-state recognition. She had added 161 points through the Georgetown Day game despite missing multiple contests with an injury during her sophomore season.
The victory lifted Potomac School’s record to 9-6. Ferguson noted that each of the Panthers’ six losses came against a team ranked in at least one poll.
“We have been playing well,” Ferguson said.
Sophomore guard Sabrina Anderson led the Panthers with 27 points against Georgetown Day, making seven three-pointers and collecting five rebounds. Anderson, who scored 545 points as a freshman, had 825 career points through 15 games and could reach 1,000 later in the season.
Ava Sewall contributed nine points, six assists and four steals. Sabrina Eldredge added seven points and two steals, while Julia Jackson recorded three points and two assists.
Senior Zora Burrell supplied one point, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. The three-sport athlete, who also plays volleyball and softball, will continue her basketball career at Division III University of Chicago.
Burrell has a chance to finish as Potomac School’s career leader in rebounds and assists. She had 567 rebounds through Jan. 13, chasing a record of 731, and 222 assists, closing in on the program mark of 269. She also had 702 career points and ranked among the school’s career leaders in steals. Her brother plays college baseball at Williams College in Massachusetts.
Another senior, Margit Crittenberger, had not yet played during the season while recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the fall soccer campaign. She could return soon and is committed to play Division I lacrosse at Davidson College.