Booth

RIMERSBURG — Union's Scott Booth always has been close to Kyle Hilliard.

In one regard, he's now surpassed him.

Booth, a senior guard-forward, used a career-high 39-point effort in Monday's 87-57 victory over Redbank Valley to move past Hilliard as the school's boys basketball career scoring leader.

With 23 points in the Golden Knights' 43-40 victory over Cranberry Wednesday, Booth now has 1,349 points. Hilliard, who graduated in 2006, had scored 1,299 points.

"I really didn't think about the record too much," said Booth. "If it comes, it comes. It was nothing to be concerned with just as long as we were winning basketball games.

"It didn't bother me before, but there were a lot of people asking me, 'How close are you, how close are you?' I didn't know until before the Redbank game. It's kind of a relief not to get that question anymore," Booth added.

"Kyle played (varsity) for three years," said head coach Karen Davis. "Scott still has the rest of the season and there's no telling what he could do. It may take a while before someone breaks his record."

Booth was in eighth grade when Hilliard was a senior. The two never played together, but they do have a history.

Hilliard, who averaged 20.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in that senior season, has been serving as an assistant coach under Davis, who also is Booth's aunt.

"I really appreciate him. He's been such a mentor," said Booth. "He brought it up last year after I had my 1,000th point. We had a party and he told me we'd do it again next year."

When Booth was 10, Hilliard was his neighbor in Sligo.

"He used to come down and play all the time," Booth said. "His house burned down on Easter morning and then they relocated to Rimersburg.

"I traveled with the team since the seventh grade and kept the stats. I was one of his biggest fans," Booth added.

As a freshman, Booth played in 22 of the team's 24 games, averaging 6.9 points. The following year, his average ballooned to 18.9 points with 26 3-pointers.

As a junior, Booth led the Butler County area with 21.3 points per contest, including 25 3-pointers. He had 13 games in which he scored 20 points or more, including three games of 30 or more.

Through eight games this season, Booth, who won a national championship with the Rising Stars AAU team based in Clarion last summer, is averaging 26.6 points and 13 treys thus far, although he's spending more time at forward.

"Scott has really matured this year," Davis said. "He's learned to take that jump shot and not just pound it in. He's a great passer. He sees the floor really well."

Last year's team suffered a tough overtime loss to top-ranked Keystone in the District 9 Class A playoffs, but Booth is hopeful this year's team can do just as well.

"I think we can get right back to the same spot," he said.