DERRY, N.H. — The historic moment arrived when Jackson Marshall took a pass in front of his Pinkerton bench, and with his teammates jumping to their feet inches away, smoothy drained a 3-pointer.
The whistle blew, play was stopped, and the record-setting Astros big man was mobbed by his teammates.
Marshall had reached and surpassed 2,000 career points in his brilliant varsity career, becoming just the third athlete in Eagle-Tribune area history to hit the miraculous mark.
“I knew when I took the shot that it was going in and that would be it,” said Marshall with a smile. “My coach (Mike Dunham) looked at me before I went back out onto the court, and my dad held up an eight after I made a shot, so I knew I was getting close. I took the 3-pointer, everyone started going crazy, and I was so happy to do it in my last game on my home court.”
Needing 38 points to make history, Marshall erupted for 41 points in Pinkerton’s 101-83 Division I quarterfinal win over Nashua South on Saturday.
He reached the mark with the trey, and added a massive slam dunk a moment later, giving him 2,003 points heading into Wednesday’ Division I semifinal clash with Trinity.
“It’s really an honor to reach 2,000 points,” said Marshall. “Not many people have scored 2,000 points, and I’m really humbled to be a part of that group.”
The 2,000 point club is a truly exclusive one.
Marshall becomes just the second boy in Eagle-Tribune area history to reach the mark, joining Andover High Hall of Famer Chris Vetrano (2,090 points), way back in 2004.
The only other member of the club to do it in our region is Andover High girls hoops Hall of Famer Nicole Boudreau, who became the area’s all-time leading scorer (2,200 career points) as a senior in 2012.
Methuen’s Georges Niang — — currently of the Cleveland Cavaliers — scored 2,372 points in high school, but he did so at prep power Tilton Academy, where he played five high school seasons.
Marshall is also believed to be just the second player in New Hampshire Division I boys hoops history to reach the 2,000 mark. The only other is Concord High (class of 1999) legend Matt Bonner (2,459 career points), who went on to play 12 NBA seasons (2004-16), winning two NBA titles as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
In all, 13 New Hampshire boys have scored 2,000 points. Profile’s Josh Robie became the first Granite State boy to reach the mark in 25 years last week.
“It’s really an unbelievable accomplishment,” said Dunham, a former Astros standout. “I’ve been around New Hampshire basketball for a long time now, and to to be just the second from New Hampshire to do it in Division 1 after Matt Bonner is pretty amazing. That’s such a huge accomplishment for him.
“And (Jackson’s) going to play baseball in college (at Southern New Hampshire University), which is still beyond me! I think he’s an amazing basketball player. I tell him he should be playing college basketball every single day.”
Marshall has now far surpassed the point total of his father, former Amesbury great Dan Marshall (1,858 points.)
“He’s officially the GOAT (greatest of all-time) of the house now,” said Dan after Saturday’s win.
The celebration for 2,000 was a modest one for Marshall. The game was stopped briefly, an announcement was made and he was hugged by teammates and coaches.
After the game, Marshall signed autographs for young fans and posed for pictures with many in attendance, including his father and mother Nicole, holding a home-made “Jackson Marshall, 2,000 points” poster.
“I had no idea he was so close to 2,000 points!” said teammate Drew Brander. “We’re proud of him. It’s an amazing accomplishment.”
Now, Marshall’s focus is fully set on leading the Astros to a Division state title.
“We want more than anything to get back after last year’s (title game) loss,” said Marshall. “That’s always been the goal the whole season. We want to get back to (title game host) UNH, and no one wants to ride the bus from UNH home after a loss.”
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