It was a routine stop and pop. Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School senior Molly deBettencourt brought the ball up court against her North Quincy oppnents, stopped just inside the three-point line, and let it fly.

Swish.

One thousand points.

While she’s made that shot dozens of times, the 1,000-point milestone was anything but routine.

“It’s been coming for the last four years,” Molly said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get it.”

Few others had doubts. The standout shooting guard excelled in the Division 3 South region since the moment she stepped on the court as a freshman.

“The 1,000 points was kind of a hurdle,” said head coach Sterling Bishop. “It was to some degree a distraction. It’s an attainable goal, but for her it was a little bit of pressure.”

She was on track for 1,000 points last season, but an ankle injury sidelined her for the last seven games of the season.

After reaching 1,000 points in the game against North Quincy, she went on to score 33 points, a season high. During one game last year she lit up the scoreboard for 45 points, a career high.

Molly deBettencourt will play for Emmanuel College in Boston next year. — Mark Alan Lovewell

This year she is averaging 18.5 points per game, according to Coach Bishop, tops in the league, and among the leaders in the state. “Molly’s a complete player, coaches dream, she’s ideal,” he said. “She can do everything you ask of her and even more. Offensively, defensively, she leads the team in every category. She motivates everybody else around her. She makes everyone around her better.”

It hasn’t been easy. Other teams intent on denying Molly the milestone triple-teamed her at times. But she couldn’t be stopped.

“I love to shoot, that’s my main thing,” she said. “I like to create my own shots, get open. Just play. I also like to pass. I love the feeling when you get someone open, get an open basket. Defense, I love to block shots, that’s my big thing on defense.”

With three games left in the season, Molly’s career scoring total stands at 1,141 points. She admits she is a little sad at seeing her high school playing days come to an end.

“We’re almost done. I don’t really want it to come.”

She is not through with basketball, however. Recently she committed to play at Emmanuel College in Boston, an NCAA Division 3 school, which has several post-season tournament appearances to its credit.

Her father Mike instilled her with a love of the game from an early age, so it’s a thrill for them both to see her hoops career extend to college.

“That’s exciting for me and him too,” she said. “At Emmanuel, the coach has been recruiting me since the summer. We got to play one of our games at their court.”

Coach Bishop has little doubt Molly will excel in Division 3 basketball.

“I’m assuming that when she transitions to the next level, she’s probably going to carry on that characteristic of being a leader,” he said. “She’s just a great team player.”

Emmanuel head coach Andy Yosinoff, who spends his summer vacation on the Vineyard each year, said he first met Molly when he drove by her family’s gas station in Oak Bluffs and saw her pumping gas. She became his number one recruiting target the first time he saw her play.

“She hit nine threes in the first half,” said Mr. Yosinoff. “I’ve never seen anybody in my life make nine threes in one half. Each time I saw her play I liked her better than the first time. She’s nowhere near the potential I think she has. She’s going to be even better in college.”

Coach Yosinoff said he is not overly concerned about the jump to a faster, more physical style of basketball in college.

“The one thing that Molly brings to the table right off the bat is she can run, she can jump and she can score,” said Coach Yosinoff. “She’s a great student. She’s going to bring another dimension I desperately need for next year.”

As for studies, she’ll be concentrating on health sciences at Emmanuel College in Boston.

“I want to do something in the medical field,” Molly said. “That will give me options.”

But it will be her basketball career that adds some excitement to her studies, and the school is glad to have her.

“It’s good to go where you’re wanted,” she said.