Bulldog Garrett Mertens Sinks 1000th Point

Garrett Mertens, along with his hometown fans and visitors, watched as the 1000th point of his high school career rolled in the bucket. Garrett accomplished the milestone in the final minutes, of the final quarter, of the final basketball game he played as a senior Bulldog in the Milbank Armory. The achievement has only been experienced by two other MHS alumni. 

Garrett has been a member of the Milbank varsity basketball team since he was a freshman. That season, he put up 92 points wearing the No. 14 jersey. He became a starter his sophomore year and added 259 points to his total wearing the No. 5 jersey.  In his junior year he amassed 282 points. This season, still sporting No. 5, he added his 367th point in the Bulldogs’ game against Tiospa Zina on March 1.  

Garrett’s first memory of playing hoops goes back to when he was a second-grader, and he was drafted for the third-grade team. He loved the game and was good at it, and he never looked back –  except to keep track of his nearest competitor as he went in for a layup. Over those 11 years, he mastered the basics and learned to focus on the important things. In the minutes before he hit his big shot, he said, “I was aware I might hit the 1000th point, but I was more worried about winning the game. I just knew we needed the points to help win the game.”

Later, he recalled his thoughts when the basket went in. “I felt blessed for all the opportunities and grateful for all my teammates, coaches, and family. Getting 1000 points was a goal for me this year, but I didn’t try to force it to happen.”

He said it feels “amazing” to make it into the 1000-point club at MHS. ”I’m very honored to be in that group. He joins the Bulldogs’ top scorer of all time, Mike Paulson. Paulson, a graduate of the MHS Class of 2004, recorded 1,096 career points. Bennett Schwenn, a graduate of the MHS Class of 2022, accrued 1,086 points during his high school career. 

Garrett says his favorite basketball player of all time is Stephen Curry. This year, he plans to ink U Conn into the finals of his March Madness bracket. ”I believe they have a good chance to repeat,” he said. But he’s rooting for Kansas, one of his favorite teams. Right behind the Milbank Bulldogs, of course.

Top Photo: Garrett & Coach Logan Diede