Amiyah Peters becomes the 4th Mashpee player to score 1,000th point

Cheyenne Hendricks (right) hoists her Mashpee teammate Amiyah Peters with her teammate Hialeah Turner-Foster (left) after Peters scored her 1,000th career point and the team defeated Carver 61-47 on Tuesday.

On the same day that junior Amiyah Peters attended a funeral for her great-aunt, she scored her 1,000th point for the Mashpee Falcons Tuesday in a gym full of all of her family.

"It felt pretty good hitting the 1,000th point and it was good getting my family together on a good note," Peters said. "At first I was kind of nervous, but once I stepped on the court and heard that whistle blow, it was game time."

The Falcons beat the Carver Crusaders 61-47.

Just over five minutes into the first quarter, Peters ran to the left corner, lined her feet up and nailed a three-pointer. She is the fourth player in school history to score 1,000 points and the first since 2020. As a junior, she still has another season to add to her career scoring total.

After the shot hit the bottom of the net, play stopped and her team ran on the floor and congratulated her. Peters got a standing ovation from teammates, coaches, and family and friends in the stands. She said she knows she has people in her corner no matter what. 

It's one thing to have your family watch from the stands, but it's different when your family is playing right by your side. Peters has three cousins that are on the varsity team with her: Cheyenne Hendricks, Hialeah Turner-Foster and Anaquhsees Pockett.

"We all grew up together playing basketball, we're all passionate about it and we have chemistry," Turner-Foster said. "Just watching Amiyah hit her milestone is a very special thing for all of us."

Amiyah has been working hard at this, Pockett said, and she loves seeing Amiyah do something she is passionate about. 

"Growing up together we were basically like best friends, and everybody who came tonight is all of our family," Pockett said. "They were not only cheering for Amiyah, but for us, too. It's good to know that we are all together in this, and to show people that minorities can do this." 

In addition to them being family, Hendricks said, this is the most diverse team she has been on. 

"It's so special to have this chemistry with my teammates," Hendricks said. "It's not just basketball. It's more about being with the team and having that connection than the actual sport."

Peters said she never thought she would accomplish something like this when she joined the varsity team in seventh grade.

"I started getting closer and closer to 1,000 and it started to hit me a few days ago and I was like 'Wow, I'm really going to do this.'" 

Peters said the biggest part about their success this season is the arrival of first-year head coach Jazz Silva. The Falcons have a record of 10-2, and they clinched a spot in the playoffs after the win over Carver.

"She knows the game and I think she is one of the best coaches I've ever had," Peters said. "I know I can go to her about anything, whether it's relationship advice, school stuff, or stuff on the court."

Amiyah Peters of Mashpee goes to the hoop against Abigail Johnson of Carver in Mashpee on Tuesday. Peters scored her 1,000th career point as Mashpee defeated Carver 61-47. Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times

Silva coached at Pembroke for three years before she brought her talents to Mashpee and became the head coach this season. She said as a first-year coach, it's been great having and coaching a player like Peters.

"You want somebody that can put the ball in the hole at any time and she definitely can do that," she said. "I put a lot on her shoulders that everybody might not see, but she just keeps on achieving and hurdling over any goal I give her."

Silva said that Amiyah is a big reason for the team's success and she is the heart and soul of the team.

"Everybody on the team knows how good she is and looks up to her in different ways," Silva said. "She's a great shooter, she's a great slasher and she's an even better passer. I think she is the glue for our team. She's a great kid."