'The ultimate competitor': Duxbury boys basketball adds another member to 1,000-point club

‘The ultimate competitor’: Duxbury boys basketball adds another member to 1,000-point club

Posted by author January 25, 2025 Basketball

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DUXBURY — No, there wasn’t a massive college basketball upset inside the gym at Duxbury High. It certainly looked and felt like there was, though.

Trevor Jones’ big day drummed up plenty of buzz.

The senior guard’s 3-pointer in transition nestled through the rim early in the second quarter vs. Silver Lake on Friday, cementing him as the 15th player, and 10th male, in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Jones scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Dragons to a 71-55 win.

A pack of his classmates stormed the court in celebration after the milestone basket, mobbing Jones near the Duxbury bench on the opposite end of the floor before he embraced with coaches Richard Henninger and Gordon Cushing, and family, at center court.

“It was a little scary, honestly. I had to peel some (kids) off. I was worried they were going to take him down,” said Henninger, who is in his first year as head coach. “It’s good to see Duxbury fans getting enthusiastic about basketball again, and Trev’s been a huge part of that.”

“It was probably one of the loudest arenas I’ve been in during Duxbury basketball,” Jones said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for coming, parents included. I’m just thankful for everyone.”

Jones entered the game 13 points shy of the milestone. After scoring seven points in the first quarter, he converted an and-one layup to reach 10 early in the second. Then came the history-maker at the 6:51 mark to give Duxbury a 22-21 edge.

Henninger had his arms raised behind the play, anticipating the make, as Jones received the pass from teammate Lochlan Kirk-Elliot, deked an over-aggressive Silver Lake defender with a shot fake and let it fly from deep.

“I knew it was in, so I started running away,” said Jones, who hit two 3-pointers in the win.

“I was talking to him the other day about wanting to get the assist,” Kirk-Elliot said. “I got him the pass and I knew he was going to make it, too. He was on fire tonight. He shoots like this almost every night.”

Jones is the first Duxbury player since 2017 to join the 1,000-point club. He’s at 14.4 points per game this season, which is right around his career average.

“He worked so hard for the past four years,” Henninger said. “To see him finally get there, it’s awesome. He would’ve been happy not scoring 1,000 points and winning. He’s that kind of competitor. He means everything to our team. He’s got a lot of heart and really brings it for our team.”

Jones doubled as a quarterback/defensive back hybrid for the Duxbury High football team in the fall. The Dragons reached the Division 4 Super Bowl in both of Jones’ years as the starter under center, and won it all in 2023. An All-Scholastic pick, Jones accounted for 19 touchdowns (11 passing, 8 rushing) this season.

Is he a better football or basketball player?

“He’s athletic in general,” Kirk-Elliot answered with a laugh. “He’s great at both.”

Duxbury (6-6, No. 22 in the Division 4 power rankings) is now a winner of its last three games. Jones scored 23 points in the Dragons’ recent outing vs. Quincy, a 65-64 road win, on Tuesday. It served as a seamless lead in to Friday’s bid for the record book.

“The plan was to let it come naturally and not force anything,” Henninger said. “You could tell today he was a little anxious and nervous about it. You could see the adrenaline kick in. For him to do it that early, it was really impressive.”

“It means a lot. There’s a lot of legends up there,” Jones said with a glance at the banner of past 1,000-point scorers. “Bill Curley (a former NBA player in the 90s) is up there. Being on the same poster as him, it just shows how all the hard work has paid off but we’re not done yet.

“I want to give credit to my teammates the last four years for pushing me to get to this point in basketball.”

THEY SAID IT

Kirk-Elliot on having Jones as a teammate: “Trev’s awesome. He’s always going to make the right play,. If there’s a shot, he’s going to take it but he’ll always pass to make the better play if it’s there. I really love playing with him.”

Henninger on how he’ll remember Jones’ career after graduation: “The ultimate competitor, someone who would do anything he could to win. Take a charge, hit threes, whatever he can do to help our team, he’s always wanted to do it. Great teammate. Great kid.”