Two SHS Cards made history at the SHS Fieldhouse on Feb. 24. Juniors A.J. Dancler and Nickens Lemba put up significant numbers against Lawrence Central, which pushed both of them past career milestones.
Dancler scored 41 points and hit the 1,000 points scored career milestone in the game against Lawrence Central, placing him at 10th all-time on the SHS scoring list. Hitting 1000 points in high school is a feat not many accomplish, but doing it as a junior is even more uncommon.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Dancler said, “So just keep going senior year and hopefully get some more.”
Lemba shared the spotlight with Dancler on Thursday when he broke the single season block record at SHS during the same game. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, he has tallied 58 blocks so far this season, passing alumnus Dut Mabok’s record of 51.
“It’s just the beginning,” Lemba said. “This year I gave all I have, I put in work and got better every time.”
Head coach Eric Brand has helped both of these players get to where they are today, especially with Lemba. Brand was the head coach when Lemba transferred to SHS and helped him with the game of basketball, according to Lemba.
“I am told all the time by other people just how much (Lemba) has improved,” Brand said. “I see the little things, and I have high, high expectations for Lemba. I am very proud of where he is, I know that he still can be so much better.”