Ford sets Wayne Country Day record
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 3, 2011 11:35 PM
Catherine Ford's illustrious career at Wayne Country Day took another historic turn on Friday night.
Ford, who became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the school's girls' basketball program earlier in the week, had her jersey retired during the Chargers 47-9 win over Waccamaw Academy.
In Tuesday night's 41-38 loss at Fayetteville Christian Ford surpassed former leading scorer Kristie Gwaltney, who held the previous record at 1,537 points since 1994. After hitting a pair of free throws 18 seconds into Friday night's contest, the game was stopped and Ford was presented with a framed No. 23 jersey.
"That was totally unexpected," Ford said of having her jersey retired. "A lot of this is because of my teammates and my coaches. It's pretty cool knowing that no one else is going to wear my jersey."
Ford scored 11 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter as the Chargers opened up a 20-0 lead. The senior guard increased her career point total to 1,562.
"I've watched her grow up and I've coached her since she was 10," Wayne Country Day fifth-year head coach Eric Perry said. "Everything she's gotten she's worked for. She's the hardest worker I've ever been around. I would put Catherine Ford's record as a winner against anybody's."
The Chargers' lead swelled to 30-3 at halftime. The Warriors failed to score a field goal in the game as all nine of their points came from beyond the three-point arc. Sarah Best added 10 points for Wayne Country Day. Mack Thompson had eight points.
Ford the 2010 News-Argus Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, also has three N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1-A All-State selections and a 2009 state championship on her resume. She was also recently accepted to Wake Forest.
"It's amazing," Ford said of her list of accomplishments. "It shows that you can have individual talent but you have to work together as a team. I love being a part of Wayne Country Day and playing for Coach Perry. It's a great honor. I wouldn't be where I am without him."
The Chargers play host to Fayetteville Christian on Dec. 9.