Allie Shenloogian became Park Ridge's first-ever 2,000 point scorer in a 58-35 win over Cresskill on Tuesday afternoon.

PARK RIDGE – Going into her freshman year of high school, Park Ridge point guard Allie Shenloogian set what she felt were attainable goals; to be an impact player on competitive teams and to possibly score 1,000 points for her career. But when she crossed that barrier in the first game of her junior year, she wondered if it was possible to shoot for 2,000.

Whatever Shenloogian has set her mind to throughout her illustrious time in a Park Ridge uniform she has achieved.

1,000 points. Check.
Section Champs. Check.
2,000 points. You can check that off too.

Against archrival Cresskill, Shenloogian got off to hot start and then hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter for her 2,000th career point. She finished with a game-high 34 as Park Ridge clinched a share of the NJIC-Patriot Division title with a 58-35 victory on Tuesday afternoon at Park Ridge High School.

“The girls knew that (Shenloogian) was close to 2,000, and our defense helped Allie get there within the flow of the game,” said Park Ridge head coach Ryan Dennis. “She got off to a great start and that momentum carried us through the rest of the game. We all really wanted this for Allie and it took a total team effort to make it happen.”

Zoe Catran had 10 points for Cresskill, which is now 10-6 on the season.

Cresskill played the Lady Owls tough the first time around. On this day with a big crowd in attendance to see if she can get to 2,000, Shenloogian came out like a player on a mission. Drives to the basket, pull up jumpers, a 3-pointer…Shenloogian had it all working scoring 14 points in the first quarter.

Rilie Fazio’s backdoor layup gave Park Ridge a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Cresskill got it back to single-digits on a three-pointer by Aya Catran. Kate Broderick responded with five straight points and a monster block to put the Lady Owls back in control by halftime, 33-18.

Shenloogian scored a bucket and hit two free-throws in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter to move one point away from her 2,000th. As the crowd got louder in anticipation of seeing the historic milestone, Shenloogian started to press. She went cold from the field until the final seconds ticked down. With a defender draped all over her on the wing, she took a hard dribble towards the basket before stepping back behind the 3-point line and knocking down the shot as the buzzer sounded to send the crowd into a frenzy and her teammates spilling onto the court to congratulate her.

“As the crowd got louder and there were cameras all around, that’s when I realized that I must have been close,” said Shenloogian. “I tried to stay calm, and I knew it was going to happen at some point. Once I got to 1,000, I started thinking about how amazing it would be to get to 2,000. Really though it was about getting the win today. After a tough loss against Westwood, our whole team into this game locked in.”

Lori Graham finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists..

Shenloogian led all players with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists for Park Ridge (10-3). Broderick had one of her best games of the season with nine points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Allie Graham added six points and Lori Graham finished with five points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Aya Catran and Zoe Catran combined for 23 points for Cresskill (10-6).

With the milestone out of the way, Shenloogian will shift her focus onto the Bergen County Tournament, where the Owls hope to make a run before a defense of their North 1 Group 1 section title later this season.

“I’m honored to be the first player in school history to do this,” said Shenloogian. “I put blood, sweat, and tears into reaching this goal. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my parents, coaches, everyone who has helped me along the way. Putting all my effort into this and achieving that goal feels amazing.”

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