Thirteen players are listed on the Oconto Falls boys basketball roster, but this night belonged to Jameson Beaman.
Not only did the senior score a game-high 27 points Feb. 12 to help lead the Panthers to a 93-32 win over Coleman on their home court, he also became the Oconto Falls basketball program’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a record that had stood for more than three decades.
It was the second major milestone for Beaman this season: He scored his 1,000th point in December during a win over Green Bay Southwest.
“We knew he was going to get them; it was just a matter of when,” said coach Ross Kraszewski. “I was a little worried when he went down (early in the Coleman game) with a bum ankle, but it was good for him to get it at home. He broke 1,000 (points) at home, and that was really cool. I appreciate Coleman and the referees letting us take the long timeout to celebrate as a team and celebrate his accomplishments.”
Beaman broke Russ Scott’s previous record of 1,209 points set in 1988. He came into the Coleman game needing eight points and picked up three of them with 10:25 remaining in the first half after knocking down one of his seven 3-pointers in the game that gave the Panthers a 22-8 lead.
“It was a good feeling,” he said of the record-breaking basket. “As soon as I stepped back, I had the space, and it was perfect. I said my freshman year that that’s what I wanted to do. Being finally able to do that, it means a lot to me.”
Beaman said he wanted to break the record on his team’s home court.
“We knew it was going to be a big game,” he said. “I’m very glad and very fortunate that I could do it at home.”
The win over Coleman came less than the week after the Panthers dropped a 100-53 game to Freedom.
“That Freedom game was not how we play,” Beaman said. “Tonight, we were on full display.”
Beaman’s 22 first-half points – including six 3-pointers – helped the Panthers take a 54-13 lead into the locker room at halftime, but he said he’s had halves like that before.
“Just another day,” he said. “This game tonight was really a builder for the games we have next week.”
The Panthers closed out the regular season with North Eastern Conference games at home against Luxemburg-Casco Feb. 20 and Clintonville Feb. 26 and a nonconference game Feb. 23 at Green Bay West.
The win over Coleman gave the Panthers a 14-6 overall record.
“We were a little rough at the start, but we found our way,” Beaman said. “We had a lot of new up-and-coming guys from the sophomore class. We’re just trying to mesh it together, and I feel like we really did tonight.”
Beaman’s basketball career will end with his final high school game, as he has no plans to take his game to the college level.
“I’m actually going to be a pilot,” he said. “It’s sad, but it’s the next step. I would say it’s given me hope and identity. It’s given me something to do in my free time, and it’s one of the most important things to me in my life.”
“There is nobody in this gym that has shot more times than him in the offseason,” Kraszewski said. “He’s absolutely earned every point he has scored over his career. I’m proud of him. We have a ways to go yet, and hopefully, he can push that record a little higher.”
The record might not last very long, as junior JJ Pytleski still has his senior season ahead of him.
“He’ll probably get close or beat it,” Beaman said. “He’s my teammate, so I have to wish the best for him.”
