TOLEDO, Ohio — Thirty-eight points, eleven assists and Toledo Christian's new all-time scoring leader.
Senior Kendall Braden made it all happen in a single girls basketball game earlier this week.
"Actually, in the moment, I didn't know," Braden said. "I thought we were just calling another timeout and I was honestly shocked because we just were in a timeout a couple possessions ago and then my coach gave me the game ball, and it was just really awesome. But I had no clue."
A University of Toledo commit, Braden surpassed the former scoring leader Jenny Markwood, who was also a Rocket.
"She works so hard and we not only see that in practice, but we know that she does that in her off time too," said senior teammate Myiah Welborn. "She's just so dedicated and we're excited to see her take it to the next level and even further."
Toledo Christian senior Ava Neitzke also spoke highly of Braden as a person and teammate and echoed Welborn's excitement of watching her in the future.
"It's really cool that she's staying around here so hopefully we'll all get to see her play," Neitzke said. "We got to see a UT game this year as a team and it's crazy to think she'll be out there."
Braden hopes her work ethic has made an impact on the program as she moves on to the next chapter. But others, including head coach Tim Wensink, believe her legacy was built a long time ago.
"There are a lot of girls in this school that look up to her. These girls shoot the ball and be like 'I wanna be like Kendall'," Wensink said. "A great coach back in the day talked to me about why basketball is so popular because you have those images of Michael Jordan making plays. Well, these girls have those images of Kendall Braden making plays not only for herself but for her teammates. She’s an extremely humble lady and she’s gonna just thrive at UT."
Kendall Braden is our athlete of the week.
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