By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

SPRINGFIELD – It took Kyjana Jordan just one game this season to reach a milestone in her high school basketball career.

But the Effingham County senior said she hasn’t been focusing on statistics. She wants to elevate her game and, in the process, elevate her team.

She enjoyed the celebration for scoring her 1,000th career point in quiet happiness before ECHS’ game against New Hampstead on Friday night.

At halfcourt, Jordan was presented the ball, already encased in glass for display, signifying her achievement. She posed for pictures with her family.

Then it was time to elevate.

“1,000 points wasn’t a goal for the season,” Jordan said. “I want to keep improving.”

Her scoring has been like a rising elevator ride through three floors of varsity play. She averaged 7.3 points as a freshman, 13.8 as a sophomore, 18.5 as a junior.

She arrived at level four with high expectations and posted 27 points in the season opener against Savannah Country Day to reach the 1,000-point mark on the nose.

“We want Kyjana to be a whole player and she’s being just that,” ECHS coach Danetia Jefferson-Howard said. “She’s learning how to trust her teammates and they trust in her. IQ is what we’ve been working on because she has the natural ability.”

Jordan’s game is still raw, but the 5-foot-6 guard plays with speed and energy in the open court rarely equaled by her foes. Defenders can’t, or are unwilling, to get in front of her and she feasts on layup attempts and free-throw opportunities.

Against New Hampstead, she scored her team’s first eight points on four layups less than four minutes into the game.

“In practice, that’s what we work on, getting the ball and taking off and that’s what I did,” Jordan said.

But early in the second quarter, she picked up a third foul on an overly aggressive defensive play on the basketball.

“It was disappointing because I had to sit out. I have to learn to move my feet (on defense),” Jordan said.

“We sat her down just to get her settled,” said Jefferson-Howard about managing Jordan’s foul trouble. “I think she did a wonderful job gathering herself and leading.”

Teammate Nakera Hawkins stepped up to score a game-high 19 points, several baskets on dishes from Jordan.

But with Jordan adding caution to her game, the Phoenix whittled down ECHS’ 17-point lead (22-5 in the second quarter) to three (39-36 with 3:42 left).

And when crunch time surfaced in the fourth quarter, Jordan drained a 3-pointer to begin a seven-point surge to boost the lead back to 10, 46-36.

Effingham County went on to win 51-40.

“We want Kyjana and Nakera (Hawkins) to play off of one another,” Jefferson-Howard said. “Kyjana’s doing a great job utilizing her teammates and knowing what to do and when to do it.”

Jordan finished with 16 points.

“Now I have 1,016 points,” she said matter-of-factly.