Van Lith breaks CHS three-pointer record

Cashmere High School's Hailey Van Lith added another milestone to her impressive high school basketball career.

During the Lady Bulldog’s 62-44 nonleague win against Medical Lake on Jan. 5, the junior point guard broke the CHS record for most three-pointers in a single game with nine.  

“I was super excited (to break the record), but also super grateful that I play for a coach and a program that allows me to do things like that, and teammates who know when to give me the ball in the right spot,” Van Lith said.

Head Coach Brent Darnell noted Van Lith shot an 81 percentage in three-pointers during the evening.

“I’ve watched a lot of high school basketball and a lot of college basketball over the years, and I’ve never seen a girl make nine-three pointers in a game,” Darnell said. “The impressive thing with those nine three-pointers is she was playing against a Box and  1 Defense, so every three (point shot) she took was contested. She hit a couple of what we call ‘catch-and-shoot threes,’ but most of her threes came from making a move, taking a step back and hitting a tough shot.”

Darnell said Van Lith, who was a starter as a freshman and a sophomore, leads the program in every statistical category. He explained Van Lith is the most aggressive girl he has coached, and “plays physical and strong in such high gear.” Scoring is not the only strong aspect of Van Lith’s game as Darnell commended her passing and defense. He also acknowledged Van Lith’s high basketball IQ, experience in big-game situations and being vocal on the court.

“She’s very good at communicating offense and defense, and being a cheerleader on the floor at the same time she’s playing,” he said. “It’s been like having another coach on the floor. It’s a huge advantage to us.”

Van Lith already has several accolades in her high school career. It was almost a year ago when she scored 1,000 career points, a feat many athletes accomplish do not accomplish in their high school career. She earned numerous league and state honors, including the 2018 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Class 1A MVP, the WIAA All-State Class 1A first team and All-Caribou Trail League MVP in 2017 and 2018 and Adidas All-American.

Outside of school, she has won gold medals as a member of the 2018 Youth Olympic team and 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup. She also competed on the Northwest Blazers.

Van Lith said competing in AAU basketball and the summer league has helped her get in the best shape and mindset of high competition of winter basketball.

Even with all of her accomplishments, Van Lith, the daughter of Jessica and Corey Van Lith, is grateful for everyone in the Bulldogs basketball program, from her teammates and coaches to the stat keeper.

“Living in a small town, there is a family atmosphere everywhere,” Van Lith said. “My parents remind me not to forget where you come from. I’m always trying to remember that I didn't do this by myself. All these people and all of my friends pushed me to this level. I owe my success to a lot of people.”

In addition to her teammates, Van Lith lists several professional athletes who have influenced her playing style and competitiveness, like WNBA superstar Diana Turasi and NBA player Kyrie Irving. 

Van Lith has aspirations to play at the college level, going back to when she was little. She already has several goals she wants to accomplish in her college career, such as being a four-time National Player of the Year, winning four national championships and being selected as a first-round draft pick for the WNBA.   

“When I was little, I would pray and beg that UCONN would give me a scholarship,” Van Lith said. “It’s just crazy to think that I can choose if I want to go there or not. It just shows that if you're willing to put in the work that you can do anything, even if you’re from Cashmere, Washington. Nothing can stop you. Basketball is a process and you can never stop. I’m going to have to stay hungry to accomplish my goals.”

The Lady Bulldogs are currently 5-0 in Caribou Trail League play and 11-2 overall. Van Lith said the team is set on winning the CTL league and district championship and will not overlook the other team.

While breaking the CHS three-point single game record was another accomplishment, Van Lith’s favorite memory so far in her Bulldog basketball career  was one she shared with her teammates during the Monday, Jan. 7 practice.

"We do box out percentages and we have a goal of getting 70 percent as a team,” Van Lith said. “We hadn’t reached that (goal) this year and we would have had to run a lot in practice if we didn’t get 70 percent against Medical Lake. We got 71 percent against Medical Lake. How much we celebrated after they told us the percentage and how we accomplished our goal was something special. It showed how close we are as a team.”