It is a major accomplishment when a member of your family scores 1,000 career points for their high school basketball team.
It’s even more impressive when four attain that milestone.
Alisyn Alley registered her 1,000th career point for Stearns High School against Lee Academy last week. In doing so, she became the fourth Alley sister to break the 1,000-point mark and keep alive a family legacy of Maine basketball success.
Alisyn had 1,031 points entering a Monday night game against Penobscot Valley High School of Howland.
Sister Katherine Alley leads the foursome with 1,196 points, Emma is next with 1,092 and Raychel racked up 1,088 points. Raychel spent three years at Hermon High before transferring her senior year to Stearns, where all of her sisters went to school.
The eye-opening accomplishment can be attributed in large part to the gene pool.
Their father, Ray Alley, is the state’s leading career schoolboy scorer with 2,306 points at Vinalhaven High and he is also Husson University’s career leader with 2,657 points.
Their mother, Kristi Wildman Tapley, scored 1,181 points at Husson after a stellar career at Stearns. She did not reach 1,000 points at Stearns.
Both of their parents are in the Husson University Sports Hall of Fame and their father is also in the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It meant a lot,” said Alisyn, whose family was on hand to celebrate her 1,000-point feat. “It’s a family tradition. I’m glad I could carry on the tradition. It’s a blessing. I’m very thankful to be able to score 1,000 points and to have all of my sisters there at the game supporting me.”
The 5-foot-6 senior point guard said when she was younger “I watched my sisters score 1,000 points and I hoped I would do the same thing.”
Alisyn said when they lived in Hermon, they had a basketball hoop outside and would play together. They were competitive with each other and she learned a lot from all of her sisters.
“I picked up my jump shot from Raychel as well as her desire to take over a game. She just wanted to win,” said Alisyn, noting that her oldest sister wasn’t afraid to shoot and that is something she needs to do more of.
“Emma was a great leader who would always step up her game. And I got my moves from Katherine. She has all kinds of moves, a spin move and behind-the-back move,” Alisyn said.
Raychel Alley, now 25 years old, is a medical assistant in Millinocket, 22-year-old Emma is a fourth grade teacher in her hometown and is also assisting head coach Nick Cullen with the Stearns girls, and 20-year-old Katherine is a sophomore nursing student at Husson. She is taking a year off from basketball to focus on her studies and work at a walk-in urgent care facility in Bangor.
Emma also played basketball at Husson.
Alisyn is 18 and hasn’t decided where she will go to college next year, although she indicated Husson is one of the schools she is considering.
Cullen said to have four sisters all eclipse 1,000 points is “crazy.”
“And one of the great things is they are all good in their own particular ways,” said Cullen, who coached Emma, Katherine and Alisyn. “As great as the older three were, Alisyn is at a whole different level. She does everything well. She is, by far, the most complete player I have ever coached.”
Cullen said Alisyn’s accomplishment is even more impressive considering this season and last were both shortened by COVID-19 cancellations. There were also no tournament games last year.
Kristi Wildman Tapley, a volunteer assistant coach at Stearns, said seeing her youngest become the fourth 1,000-point scorer among her daughters was a special moment.
The proud mom also pointed out that her youngest could have scored a lot more points “but she is one of the most unselfish players I have ever seen.”
Cullen said Alisyn is averaging 18 points, nine rebounds, six steals, six assists and two blocked shots a game this season.
Alisyn said she has been happy with her season and career to date and has worked a lot on her rebounding ever since she got to high school. She knows she should shoot more but said she likes to get her teammates involved.
Now she is looking forward to the upcoming Class C North Tournament, to both help her team advance and also move up the sister ladder in scoring.