Basketball: Downers Grove North’s Thulin scores 1,000th point in crosstown win

Campbell Thulin did not know she was on the precipice of an historic achievement on Saturday.

The Downers Grove North junior guard sank a free throw and was perplexed when play didn’t immediately resume. Then the school’s public address announcer informed the crowd that Thulin had just scored her 1,000th career point.

“I was really confused,” Thulin said. “I just heard [Downers Grove North] coach [Stephan] Bolt say that I had 1,000 points.

“It was really fun. My teammates were really excited for me, but then we just talked about what we had to do next on the floor.”

Thulin’s milestone, which came with 2:18 left in the third quarter, gave the host Trojans an 18-point lead over crosstown rival Downers Grove South. She finished with a game-high 25 points to go with six rebounds, four steals and three assists in Downers North’s 58-38 victory.

“It’s pretty cool,” Bolt said. “She had no idea, which is even cooler.

“We didn’t even tell her ahead of time, so she could just play. She shot the ball well, she was aggressive and I think just a great competitor who works as hard as any player that I’ve ever had. It’s quite an accomplishment. I’m proud of her.”

Thulin is just the third girl in program history to reach 1,000 career points, joining Casey Leonhardt and Jaida Green.

Leonhardt, who played at Illinois and Nebraska, is the school record-holder with 2,001 points. Green scored 1,597 points and went on to become a three-year starter at Penn State.

Making Thulin’s day extra special was the fact that Green, who graduated in 2016, was in attendance and was inducted into the Downers North Athletic Hall of Fame during a postgame ceremony.

“It’s awesome,” said Green, who now lives in Arkansas. “It’s always so great to see other people succeeding at your alma mater.

“I’ve been keeping up behind the scenes on how everyone has been doing, and Campbell has been killing it. So I’m really happy, really excited that she could follow in the same footsteps and I’m wishing her all the best as she continues her basketball career.”

Thulin began the game by making a steal and going coast-to-coast for a layup. She had 17 points by halftime and finished 9 of 16, including four 3-pointers and now has 1,003 career points.

“It’s fun,” Thulin said of the milestone. “My teammates are a huge part of everything.

“They got me where I am today. They keep my energy up, they’re pushing me in every way to do my best. All credit goes to them.”

Thulin then recounted their contributions. Senior Ady Fanta had 14 points and two steals, sophomore Caitlin Sandridge added nine points and four rebounds, senior Liz Murphy chipped in six points, four boards, two assists and two steals and freshman Eva Yerkovich finished with five points, three rebounds and two blocks.

The Mustangs (5-6) came in riding a five-game winning streak but couldn’t match the Trojans’ balance. Senior Megan Ganschow, a Wright State commit, was a force, as usual, finishing with a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds.

But freshman Abby Gray, who had 12 points, was the only other South player who had more than two points. Ganschow was held to seven points in the second half as North slowly pulled away.

“Our team played really well,” Thulin said. “We moved the ball well, and coming off last night’s win against (Hinsdale) Central, I think we some pretty good energy.

“We had to lock in and focus for this one and I think for the first half we were a little iffy defending Megan, who is an outstanding player. Lizzy is doing an amazing job, but we kind of realized in the second half that our team had to help her more.”

Bolt was pleased with how the Trojans helped each other.

“I thought we competed hard,” Bolt said. “I thought (the Mustangs) did a nice job and made it a little tough defensively on us, getting some looks for Ganschow early.

“The kids did a pretty nice job adjusting. Livvy did a pretty nice job on Ganschow, making it tough. She had to earn her baskets.”