Harwood’s Eloise Lilley joins the 1,000-point club
January 29, 2025 | By Camryn Brauns | Correspondent
Harwood guard Eloise Lilley lands her 1,000th career point from the foul line on Jan. 21 against Lake REgion. Photo by Gordon Miller
In front of a cheering home-court crowd at a game against Lake Region, Harwood senior guard Eloise Lilley reached her 1,000th basketball career point, becoming the school’s eighth and third-ever female athlete to hit this record.
The Jan. 21 milestone moment was particularly sweet for the Waterbury 17-year-old as it came while playing on a torn ACL and meniscus.
Wearing a leg brace to guard her injured knee, Eloise Lilley takes the shot. Photo by Gordon Miller
Headed into the Lake Region game, Harwood Girls Basketball Coach Tom Young was carefully tracking Lilley’s stats on top of data from the past three seasons. Her point total stood at 973. In the seven games so far this season, she had scored more than 23 points only once, and that was the season opener against Montpelier where she landed a career-high of 33 points.
Fortunately, Young pointed out at the start of the week, the Highlanders’ next two games were at home, so the record was very likely to happen in the Harwood gym.
At tip-off, the bleachers were packed and each time Lilley connected, the cheers got louder.
By halftime, Harwood was up and Lilley had just 5 points to go. In the third quarter, she was at 999 when she drew a foul from the Rangers. The history-making shot came on a free throw with all eyes in the gym fixed on the hoop.
Harwood counted the Lake Region win 53-46 as its sixth win of the season. Lilley finished with 30 points – her third-highest in a single game in her high school career. She tallied the most in the Montpelier game in December, followed by 31 points scored against Missisquoi in her junior year.
Last year, Lilley racked up nearly half of her 1,000 points, finishing the 2023-24 season with 477 points, more than her sophomore (200) and freshman (156) seasons combined.
An obstacle becomes a challenge
Typically an injury like Lilley’s results in nine months off from contact sports, 12 to fully recover. But Lilley’s passion for basketball would not allow her to sit out her final season.
Lilley first suffered from a partially torn ACL in late August, when she said she planted her foot wrong during the first scrimmage of her senior soccer season.
Her absence on the field was made up for on the bench, where she continued to sport her jersey and cheer on her teammates. Seeing dedication like Eloise’s is what Harwood Girls Soccer Coach Lynn Sobzyk says makes her job rewarding.
“Even though she couldn't physically contribute on the field, her support from the sidelines was invaluable,” Sobzyk said, “lifting the team's spirits and reminding everyone of our shared commitment and the importance of every chance to play.”
Lilley attended weekly physical therapy sessions, helping to regain strength in her knee and relearning her body’s limits. Part of that recovery included a physical test, putting the student-athlete through a set of drills and exercises to assess her condition. On the second try, just a week out from the start of the season, she passed.
“I knew [the record] was there, I knew it was a possibility, but I also knew my leg could have given out,” she recounted. “It was more about just getting to play with the players again and having a senior season and being able to do something senior year.”
But tragedy struck again in early January during a game against Missisquoi Valley when Lilley fully tore her ACL and meniscus. Determined to finish out the season, Lilley got the green light from her doctors to go for the record. Proper recovery would have to wait.
“It’s amazing to believe that I was still able to step on the court and be here. I don’t really think about the points, I think about playing with my team and getting out there and having another chance on the court,” Lilley said. “The points will come, but really it's just [about] playing with my team again. They make it worth it.”
Harwood Girls Youth Basketball players celebrate Eloise Lilley’s milestone from the stands. Photo by Gordon Miller
Coach Young said Lilley is just being modest.
“Everything goes back to the fact that she is the hardest working kid that I have ever coached, and she tries not to do it in front of people. The stuff she does is behind the scenes and she’s never trying to show up her teammate,” Young said. “I use the word refreshing a lot because it is, I think it's refreshing to see kids set goals.”
Young also admires his players for their noticeable impact on the youth athletes of the Harwood community. According to Lilley and her teammates, it’s not uncommon to be recognized in the grocery store by an elementary or middle school player and get asked for an autograph.
The Lake Region game was a good example of how the high school program nurtures the younger players moving up in the ranks. During the halftime break, girls grade 3-4 youth basketball players took to the court in uniform for a quick scrimmage with fans staying in the stands to cheer them on.
“It’s not just basketball. It’s nice seeing young women leading and inspiring younger kids. I think that’s awesome,” Young said.
Lilley knows what it is like to fill those shoes.
“I remember being young and sitting with my dad in the bleachers watching the girls on varsity and wishing I could be on varsity one day, then walking onto the court freshman year and Tom telling me I could be on varsity the next day,” Lilley said. “ I screamed… all that hard work pays off and you never think you’re going to get there until you do and it's a big wow moment.”
Click on the images below to enlarge and see captions.
Coming full circle
Prior to reaching the Harwood record, Eloise knew she wanted to share this victory with her biggest supporter: her dad.
Brent Lilley has been Eloise’s coach since she first picked up the sport as a child. Driving her to tournaments, building a basketball court at their house, and being her rock through every physical therapy appointment are just a few things that Eloise says make him her biggest supporter. “We’re best friends, we're so close and the amount of time and work he's put into me playing, I could never thank him enough for that,” she said.
Words may not have been enough for Eloise to express her gratitude, but she knew exactly where to go once she made her 1000th point.
“He was definitely the first person I wanted to go see, I could tell he would be proud of me because he always is,” Lilley said, “I just wanted to go see my dad, it means a lot because he’s always been there for me.”
Harwood 2024 graduate Tobey Bellows (left) and Athletic Director Ian Fraunfelder hoist the 1,000-point banner in the school gym. Bellows sank his record shot Feb. 9, 2024. Eloise Lilley will be added after this season. Courtesy photo
After Tuesday’s victory, Young awarded Lilley with a plaque highlighting her accomplishments. Her name will be displayed on a banner in the school gymnasium, along with the rest of Harwood’s basketball scoring record-setters, the most recent being Tobey Bellows who landed his 1000th point in 2024. Only two other girls basketball players are on the list, the most recent being Jessica Johannesen in 2005.
Now, Lilley awaits surgery and proper recovery. After graduation in June, she’s looking forward to attending and playing basketball at Ithaca College.
Harwood Girls Basketball’s season record now stands at 8-2, having logged wins over U-32 and Thetford Academy in the past week. The Highlanders take on Randolph at home Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m.