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Eli Brooks breaks Spring Grove scoring record


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A night after finishing just shy of making Spring Grove history, senior Eli Brooks wasted no time Wednesday in writing his name at the top of the Rockets record books.

The University of Michigan commit broke Spring Grove's career scoring record in the Rockets' holiday round-robin victory against host Warwick. Spring Grove won, 71-57.

The milestone came when Brooks sank a 3-pointer on the Rockets' first possession of the game. The contest was stopped momentarily so Brooks could take a photo with his parents.  He finished with 25 points.

"It feels really good, it was always one of my dreams," Brooks said when reached by phone Wednesday night. "I looked up at the banner and saw the record a few years ago, but my dad made sure I did it the right way. It was nice to have my mom and grandmom be there."

The record had been held by 1993 graduate Jared Smith, who scored 1676 points in his Spring Grove career. Brooks said he spoke to Smith after the Rockets game on Tuesday, and the former Spring Grove star congratulated him on approaching his mark.

"(Smith) knows my dad and my grandpa and he was really nice about it," Brooks said. "He said it was good for Spring Grove and he knew someone was going to break it and he was glad it was me."

Last year, Brooks was named GameTimePA's Player of the Year for boys' basketball as a junior after leading the Rockets to their first YAIAA title since 1971. He led the league in scoring with 25 points per game.

With the school scoring record now under his belt, Brooks said his next personal goal is to reach 2,000 points. He currently has 1,699.

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