Naomi Venesky hits 1,000 career points to power Karns City girls basketball past Brookville

February 06, 2026 Last Updated: February 06, 2026 10:26 PM Sports

Karns City’s Naomi Venesky (1) celebrates with her teammates after scoring her 1,000th point in a girls basketball game against Brookville on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

KARNS CITY — Naomi Venesky’s 1,000th and 1,001st career points were tallied with a touch of irony.

The Karns City girls basketball senior sank a jumper from the post with 1:44 to go in the first quarter of Friday night’s 43-25 win over Brookville, reaching a milestone that hadn’t broken the team’s focus in the lead-up.

As the Gremlins’ crowd erupted and fellow senior Hanna Dailey embraced Venesky, Karns City (19-2) coach Steve Andreassi windmilled his arm, urging his players to hurry to the other end of the court.

“Everyone started running towards me, and then I look to the side and I see coach going, ‘Go! Go! Go!’” Venesky said postgame, taking a brief pause from receiving gift bags and taking celebratory photos. “Brookville, I don’t think they even knew that (everyone was) still playing. We still got back on defense. I don’t really remember what happened afterwards.”

After the Raiders (13-7) missed a shot and sophomore Alivia Farren secured the board, Venesky finally got her stoppage, 25 seconds after becoming the 11th Gremlins girls player to surpass 1,000 points.

“Nay-Oh-Me! Nay-Oh-Me! Nay-Oh-Me!” Karns City’s boisterous student section chanted as it unfurled a banner to commemorate the accomplishment.

It was exactly the kind of reception Andreassi had hoped for.

Karns City’s Naomi Venesky poses with her team in front of a banner showing her record-breaking game in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

“It probably goes back to Wednesday night when we played A-C Valley. She was on fire the first quarter, (scored) 12 points. And then she scored five more right off the bat. We were like, ‘We don’t want her to break the (mark at A-C Valley). We wanted to do it here.

“So when we got here, that anticipation, we’ve been through that as coaches before. Sometimes it’s distracting, and our girls did not let it be distracting tonight.”

Well, except for right after it happened. Andreassi took the blame for that.

“I don’t think I told them the plan was the next dead ball,” Andreassi said, then thought for a moment. “No, I didn’t tell them that. It was a cool moment. I loved the way they went and celebrated with each other. But it was my fault because I forgot to tell them that we weren’t stopping play.”

Venesky had entered the night needing just three points to get there. About three minutes earlier, she’d swished a jumper from the baseline. Farren’s basket with just under 3:10 to play in the opening frame permanently handed the Gremlins the lead, which peaked at 18 points on Hannah Summerville’s pair of free-throw makes with 1:22 to play.

“I wanted it to be here because just everyone here, they always come to support,” Venesky said. “This is our home here, so why not get it here?”

Karns City’s Hannah Summerville (3) shoots a 3-pointer in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Venesky finished with a game-high 14 points in the victory, which locked up a regular-season KSAC title for Karns City.

“She got it the way she always gets it,” Andreassi said. “She’s a workhorse. She just works, and you see it even to close the game out. She wanted the basketball. She wanted to have it at clutch time and (used) shot fakes and rip-throughs and get to the hole and ball fakes, and she gets to the foul line and was very efficient from the foul line.”

BROOKVILLE 25

Samantha Whitling 3 5-6 12, Emma Northey 2 2-2 6, Kaida Yoder 1 1-2 3, Whitney Guth 1 1-4 3, Lily Plyler 0 1-2 1. Totals: 7 10-16 25.

KARNS CITY 43

Naomi Venesky 4 5-6 14, Taylor Ritzert 4 1-2 10, Hannah Summerville 2 4-4 9, Alivia Farren 4 0-0 9, Hanna Dailey 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 11-14 43.

Brookville 11 5 7 2 — 25

Karns City 13 11 8 11 — 43

3-point goals: Karns City 4 (Venesky, Summerville, Farren, Ritzert); Brookville 1 (Whitling)

Rob McGraw

Karns City’s Naomi Venesky (1) shoots the ball in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Karns City’s Taylor Ritzert (21) shoots the ball in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Karns City’s Naomi Venesky (1) dribbles the ball past Brookville in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Karns City’s student section celebrates after Naomi Venesky (1) scores her 1001 point in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Karns City’s Taylor Ritzert (21) shoots the ball in a girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Karns City High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw