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Thom scored his 16th point of the night and the 1,000th of his career with a layup at the 5:15 mark of the third quarter. Thom hit the milestone exactly with the basket.
The game stopped after the basket, and the announcer informed the crowd of Thom’s accomplishment. The Tigers faithful cheered wildly for the point guard.
Thom joined Greg Muller of the class of 2000 and Nick DiMaggio of the class of 2006 as the only members of Croton’s 1,000-point club.
“It’s awesome. It’s great. Two great players ahead of me,” Thom said. “It’s definitely great to be in that club with those two guys.”
Thom finished with 31 points for the game and now has 1,015 career points. He sank 11 2-point field goals and one 3-pointer and was six for eight from the free throw line.
Anxiousness abounded for Thom on Monday night. The absence of the referees delayed the start of the game for about an hour. The players warmed up, went into the locker room and then warmed up again.
Thom then scored 10 points in the first quarter but just two points in the second, so he had to sit in the locker room at halftime knowing he needed just four points to hit the milestone.
“I was definitely anxious to get on the floor and do it,” Thom said. “I just wanted to get this win today. We were 5-3 coming into the game. We just needed the win. Got the 1,000. It was great, but then we just had to go and fight for the win.”
Westlake battled Croton closely for the first three quarters, but Thom took over in the second half to propel the Tigers to the win.
Thom and his father, head coach Bill Thom, had the same attitude about that fact during the timeout after the 1,000th point.
“He and I were both yelling at the guys, ‘You know, we’ve got to win the game,’” Bill Thom said. “So we were both on the same page.”
The coach and father talked after the game about Westlake’s defense and the Tigers’ surprising 6-3 record, but he also mentioned his appreciation for what his son had done.
“It’s great. We’re having a lot of fun and just counting the days we’re here, because they’re going to go by quickly,” Bill Thom said.
The younger Thom, who is also the school leader in assists, has loved having his father with him every step of the way.
“It’s awesome. He’s been so great through every day of the season, pushing my behind every day,” Ian Thom said. “It’s just fantastic.”
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