Checking off boxes
JEFFERSON TWP — Madilyn Boyer’s four-year basketball career at Knoch has been well-timed — for herself and the Knights.
“When Maddy was in eighth grade and Nina Shaw was in seventh, we knew we had two good point guards coming,” Knoch coach Chris Andreassi said. “We knew what style of basketball we wanted to play and began structuring things that way.”
Boyer started as a freshman for the Knights, who finished below .500 that year. Since then, Knoch girls basketball has been on cruise control and Boyer has been one of the leaders steering the ship.
Knoch won its first WPIAL playoff game in 11 years during her sophomore season. The Knights went unbeaten in section play her junior season, though the team only played 12 games that year. As a senior, Boyer has been a leader on a Knoch team that won a section championship for the first time in 50 years, reached the WPIAL finals for the first time in program history, played the first PIAA tourney game in program history, played it at home and won it.
Oh, yeah, Boyer scored her 1,000th career point in that 65-35 victory.
Her favorite moment of this milestone season?
“I have to say going to the Pete (University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center),” Boyer said. “That was an experience our whole team will never forget.”
Boyer chose that game over the night she became only the second 1,000-point scorer in Knoch girls basketball history. The first — Knoch Athletic Hall of Famer Joyce Fennell — did so in 1974 and scored 1,248 points in her career.
“I’m not surprised by that choice,” Andreassi said. “Maddy is an unselfish person and an unselfish player. She would have scored 1,000 points a long time ago ... I can’t tell you how many games I used to tell her to shoot the ball more, to stop passing up open shots.
“She’s done a lot of things for us. She’s been our most consistent rebounder over the last three years.”
Boyer first joined the Knights as point guard. She still plays that position at times, but not as often with Nina Shaw handling that role. She also plays inside, shoots 3-pointers and gets her share of steals.
During Knoch’s home state tournament win, Boyer scored 22 points, sank four treys, had five assists, five rebounds and four steals. She is averaging 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game this year.
“I started playing basketball in third grade,” Boyer said. “My dad got me started. He thought it was something I should try. I haven’t stopped playing since.”
She also played soccer through 10th grade, softball up until eighth grade. For the past two years, basketball has been her only game. Boyer plans to continue her hoop career at Penn State Behrend, where she will major in biology.
Boyer is carrying a 4.1 grade point average at Knoch.
She went into this weekend’s scheduled PIAA playoff game against Delone Catholic in Altoona with 1,018 career points.
“When I was a freshman, I never thought about eventually scoring 1,000 points, nothing like that,” Boyer said. “I knew we’d have to have a deep playoff run for me to have a chance. All I worry about is helping us win games.
“With Nevaeh (2021 Knoch graduate Ewing) gone, I figured I’d have to pick up more of the scoring load. But we have a lot of girls on this team who can shoot the ball.”
Ewing ended her high school career with well over 900 points. She lost half of her senior season to the abbreviated schedule.
“With a full schedule, Nevaeh would have certainly gotten there,” Andreassi said of the 1,000-point plateau. “Maddy lost all of those games her junior year, too. She’s had a big year and deserves that distinction.”
Boyer’s enjoyed a lot of Knoch “firsts” from a team standpoint along the way.
“It’s a lot to take in right now and we’re still going,” she said. “I know I’m going to appreciate looking back on all of this.”
