GLOUCESTER CITY (N.J.) - The countdown was on.
Gloucester City High School senior Liam Gorman was looking to make history as he sat just 16 points away from the prestigious 1,000-point club entering Thursday night's contest against Colonial Conference foe Collingswood.
Gloucester's Liam Gorman (11) drives to the basket as Collingswood's Marcus Benson (0) defends in the boys basketball game played in Gloucester on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Greta Farestad/D2 Sports Network
The Panthers stormed out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but an 11-0 run by Gloucester proved to be the difference. The Lions never trailed again and cruised to a 51-38 victory.
Gorman scored a game-high 29 points and tallied his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer in the third quarter.
The senior joined his father, Keith, and uncle, Sean, in the school's 1,000-point club. Keith, a 1998 Gloucester graduate, is second all-time in school history with 2,128 career points. Sean, also a 1998 graduate, tallied 1,049 career points and 1,012 assists.
Liam is the 17th player in program history to join the club. The lengthy list of scorers also includes current Cherokee High School boys basketball coach Eric Cassidy, who scored 1,019 career points for the Lions.
"I'm really happy I reached the mark, but I have to thank all of my teammates and coaches from the past and present who've helped me get here," Liam Gorman said. "It's cool. It's something I've dreamed of and for it to finally happen, it's special."
Aydan Hagan added eight points in the win and Michael Light chipped in seven.
Tomas Money led Collingswood with a team-best 12 points.
Gloucester's Liam Gorman poses with his family during the stoppage of play to celebrate reaching 1,000 career points in a win over Collingswood in Gloucester City on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Greta Farestad/D2 Sports Network
Keith Gorman was very emotional when talking about his son's achievement.
"It's an incredible experience," he said. "Watching him grow over the years as a student, as a player, and as a young man has just been nothing short of special. I'm proud of his hard work to achieve something of this manner."
Gloucester coach Liam James lionized his player after the reaching the milestone in Thursday night's victory.
"Liam is a winner if I had to put it in one word," James said. "He sticks to his fundamentals and he stays on a routine whether he has success or not, and that's what has helped him come this far."
Link to full gallery of pictures from D2 Sports Network's Greta Farestad: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nCh5Ffe78CyVzfoy8