Austy Miller hits scoring milestone; Emma Canan breaks Bradford school assist record

BRADFORD — The party started early and never let up for the Bradford girls basketball team in a 75-26 win over Twin Valley South Thursday night in Cross County Conference action.

And the team’s win was just a small part of the story.

Early in the second quarter, junior guard Austy Miller scored her 1,000th point — and later in the game, senior guard Emma Canan broke the school record for assists.

Miller, who finished the game with 35 points, running her total to 1,022 — hit a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.

“I knew (about how many points she needed),” Miller said. “But, that really wasn’t what I was thinking about. I was thinking about the game (and winning).”

It is that attitude that has made Miller such an outstanding player for the Railroaders.

Starting from her freshman year, she has the deadly combination of quickness few players can match up with — combined with the ability to light it up from the 3-point line.

“That (the 3-point line) is where a lot of her points have come,” Bradford girls basketball coach Chris Besecker said. “Getting to that mark (1,000 points) is a very significant accomplishment. She has put in the work. It is kind of like when I coached Michelle Meyer (at Covington). She would be in the gym with her dad (Jay Meyer) shooting all the time. Austy (Miller) has worked hard and has earned it.”

Miller now has a long-range goal to look at.

Julie Cascaden has the school record for career points (1,764) and single game (55).

“It is a goal (the career scoring record),” Miller said.

Miller has benefited from the passing of Canan — a four-year starter — throughout her career.

So, she was excited to share the celebration with her.

Canan now has 421 career assists.

“It was really cool (for it to happen on the same night),” Miller said. “It was just a fun night for the whole team.”

Canan was equally excited.

“I am really proud of Austy (Miller) and what she accomplished,” Canan said. “It made it a special night for the whole team.”

Canan was also aware of of where she stood coming into the game.

“The coaches had been telling me after every game how many I needed,” Canan said. “But, I lost count of how many I had during the game. I am not sure which one was the record, but I think it might have been a pass to Izzy Hamilton. I broke the single season assist record as a sophomore, so I was hoping to get the career assist record as well.”

Besecker said it couldn’t have worked out any better.

“It was great the way everything just came together on the same night,” Besecker said. “We were really clicking. We had a lot of girls scored, so it could have been almost anyone that scored on the record assist. It was just a great night for the whole team.”

And as Bradford heads into the toughest stretch of the schedule — with Arcanum, St. Henry and Covington all in the next four days — it was a welcome chance to celebrate.