Alizey Marshall wasn’t at 100 percent physically but she wasn’t going to allow a tough of the flu to keep her from the goal at hand.
Not with a large crowd of friends and family at the Charlestown High School gymnasium waiting for the moment they had come to see.
And the Townies’ dynamic 5-foot-3-inch point guard delivered early in the Jan. 21 game, banking in a driving lay-up for the 1,000th point of her basketball career.
The game was stopped and Marshall was enveloped in cheers by the audience and saluted with flowers, balloons, a poster, and the game ball. Alizey’s parents, Jeremy and Marlen, and teammates joined in the sea of congratulatory wishes extended to her for the achievement.
Marshall is in basketball parlance known as “a scorer,” a player who can hurt you from three-point land or by driving to the basket. She can dribble past a defender or pull up and hit a jumper. Her 35-point performance in a 50-41 win over East Boston Tuesday offered another telling example of her offensive firepower and on-court leadership.
Marshall is in her third year with the Charlestown varsity, her junior and senior campaigns under the leadership of Head Coach Chris Bilodeau.
“I like our coach a lot,” said Marshall, who is also a team captain. “He knows so much about basketball and I can’t thank him enough for making me a better player and bringing out the best in my teammates and me.”
Bilodeau, who previously coached boys basketball at Roxbury Latin, said Marshall now has more than 1,200 career points and is averaging “lights-out” 24 points per game and 40 percent from three-point territory.
“Alizey’s been our leader all season,” said Bilodeau. “She’s been terrific. Even against East Boston (Tuesday), she turned an ankle early in the game, but she plays the whole game every game. She leads by example with some incredible toughness and resiliency against some tough opponents. She’s set the tone for the last two years.”
Bilodeau said Marshall has scored her points in droves, despite facing boxes-and-one and double-teams on defense from opponents.
“All the attention is on her, so she has to find creative ways to score,” said Bilodeau, who teaches English and History at Charlestown High. “She’s definitely been a coach’s dream and I can’t say enough about Alizey. These have been my first two years coaching girls basketball and she’s eased my transition because she really gets after it and sets the tone.”
Marshall also thanked CHS Athletic Director Paige Lemieux for her support.
“She’s always there for me and has my back,” said Marshall. “Our team really loves her.”
Marshall credited Alexandria Rowell and Kyara Smith for being “great teammates.”
Marshall began playing basketball at the Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester and continued to sharpen her skills in AAU Basketball. She transferred to Charlestown High School and the rest, as they say, is history.
The newest member of Charlestown High’s basketball royalty, Alizey said she would like to continue playing basketball in college. She is leaning toward Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown.
“I’d like to be a physical therapist for athletes,” said Alizey, looking beyond her college years.