Morten joins the 1,000 Point Club

HARTINGTON — The Lady Wildcats’ Abbe Morten was already memorable as a Lady Wildcat athlete.

Now? Well, she is immortal.

That’s because Morten reached the 1,000-point plateau for the program in last week’s 50-31 win over Plainview.

Her head coach, and father, Josh Morten, said Abbe is now the lead scorer in the history of the program since Hartington-Newcastle was formed.

“This is a very big accomplishment for her,” Josh said. “It’s something you don’t really think about until you realize it’s something she could possibly do. Abbe has worked her butt off since she was in grade school shooting and working on her skills throughout the summer.”

Her work ethic and love of the game are obvious, he said.

“We did a 10,000-shot club a few years back and she had done that for I believe five summers.”

Taking 10,000 shots a summer since junior high has really paid off.

“It’s a good feeling. I worked really hard for it and I know a few other girls who have gotten it, too,” Abbe said. “I know how hard they worked and it’s cool to get there after putting the work in and the time.”

Abbe said she has always had a special place in her heart for basketball.

“I’ve always been around basketball and I have always loved it,” she said.

She put in the extra work with summer travel teams and acquiring the assistance of a private coach who also helped tweak her game to get to a higher level.

“It wasn’t a challenge for me to score consistently with the different coaches that I’ve had,” she said. “They knew what they were doing and knew how to use the weapons that they had.”

It was a lot of work, but it was seamless for her.

“Reaching 1,000 points isn’t just about shooting and scoring, it’s about all the other things she has gotten great at,” Josh Morten said. “She is a student of the game with a very high IQ. She has been a part of a team that has been very good the last three seasons and just not getting wins at important times. This year she has been the leader for our team. We lost eight seniors and she is the only senior this year. She has really stepped up and become a leader. She is the coach on the court.”

Yet, she cleared the milestone with the aid of her youthful teammates.

“Coming into the year I am sure it was kind of scary with only two returning varsity players,” Abbe said. “There was a lot on me to lead them, but they weren’t afraid. I would not have scored 1,000 points without the teammates I have.”

Abbe still wants to become better strength-wise and improve her rebounding and her assist totals if her career were to continue.

She hopes to continue her playing career in college – eyeballing Morningside College’s program – but is waiting it out for now and for the best potential offer that could help her family financially.

“Morningside is a successful program I would definitely like to be a part of it,” she said.