*photo provided by Aaron Thomas
Aplington-Parkersburg senior Benny Waller became the sixth member of the program’s 1,000-career points club during Monday’s win at East Marshall. He was recognized for the achievement at Tuesday’s home game against Webster City. He says it’s an honor to join a group that includes some previous teammates and players he watched while growing up, including Gavin Thomas, Garrett Hempen and Jayden Mackie.
“I played with Gavin and Garrett, and I saw Jayden growing up, and ultimately you have to put in so much work, and I think it’s just a testament to getting into the gym,” Waller says. “Aaron does such a great job of letting the high school be open if you want to come in and get shots up. And you just have to take advantage of that because if you just work hard then you’ll see a lot of it fall into place.”
In his nine games since returning from a hand injury, he’s averaged 21.1 points per game to lead the team, including 39 points against Dike-New Hartford and 37 against East Marshall. His 190 total points are the third-most on the team despite the limited action. He’s also the team’s leader in steals and rebounds per game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbR9irXoO0A?si=Qoe22Z7yGHV3bCFc&w=560&h=315]
