HOWARD – Weston Melick did nothing out of the ordinary on Friday, Jan. 15. And that’s what’s made his career so extraordinary.
The senior drove the lane, as he’s done many times over his career, went up underneath and scored through contact. Only this time, the points he scored were his 999th and 1,000th, becoming the third Bulldog to reach the milestone.
The basket came with 57.3 seconds remaining in the first quarter of an East Knox 50-33 win over Highland in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play.
“I’m truly blessed,” Melick said. “God’s protected me these four years of high school. I’ve barely had an injury. So just that right there is special.”
“He’s a great kid; he’s a leader in everything that he does,” East Knox coach Ryan Powell said. “There’s a reason he’s all-Ohio in three different sports (football, basketball and baseball). He works hard at every single thing.”
Melick is tough, hard-working and bullish. The same attributes that make him difficult on opponents also makes him hard to crack.
“We are, unfortunately, two very similar personalities,” Powell said. “At practice, it’s been rough over the years. But I wouldn’t trade him for anybody else. He tests my patience; I test his.”
Melick’s toothy grin got big when asked about his relationship with his coach over the years.
“It’s a love-hate relationship,” he said. “We love each other; we hate each other. It’s just a nice little blend of that. But he’s got my back and I got his back, and that’s just how it’s been all four years.”
Melick, Shane Knepp and Peyton Lester accounted for all but three Bulldog points in the win.
Melick finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists; Lester had 13 points; and Knepp went for 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists to lead the Bulldogs.
“It makes you realize what good teammates you’ve got and what good coaching you’ve got,” Melick said. “You don’t get a thousand points with bad teammates and bad coaching. It’s just a whole group effort. The spotlight’s on me, but my teammates is where the hard work gets done.”
The 22 points puts him at 1,018 points with roughly 11 games remaining in his career. He’s behind Rod Johnson (class of 1970), who finished with 1,202 points; and Luke Branstool (class of 2010), who finished with 1,138, according to assistant coach Ron Fanin.
Knepp hit a pair of 3s and scored eight points, and Melick added six points in a 19-3 second quarter to help East Knox take control.
Brock Church’s 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter helped the Scots whittle their deficit down to eight.
But Melick did what he ordinarily does: he stepped into a 3-pointer to answer. He added a 3-point play and a 3 on the next couple of possessions and assisted on a Knepp basket — and just like that, East Knox led 44-27. Peyton Lester scored off a Knepp pass to cap the run at 13-2.
Highland’s scoring was a little more democratic with eight different players finding points, though none finished in double figures.
Church hit a pair of 3s and scored eight points; Jordan Bellamy had seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals; Garrett Fitzpatrick had five points and seven boards; and Gavin Hankins went for eight rebounds and a couple of assists to go with three points to lead the Scots.
