2,000 POINTS FOR SALENBIEN

By DOUG DONNELLY

Overtime Editor

It was a roller coaster week for Jaxon Salenbien.

On Monday the Lenawee Christian senior went down with a knee injury in the Cougars loss to Whiteford. On Wednesday, with a swelled knee and still being in pain, he watched from the sidelines as his teammates battled Blissfield.

On Thursday, Salenbien returned to the basketball court, scored his 2,000th career point and helped LCS move within one win of a Tri-County Conference championship.

"I have nothing to complain about," Salenbien said. "It's all been a blessing."

Salenbien became the second boy's player in Lenawee County history to reach the 2,000-career point mark (among teams who play in the MHSAA), joining Adrian's Stevie Elam who reached the milestone last season.

"It was a goal of mine," Salenbien said. "Growing up, I always heard about players hitting 1,000 and I saw my sister (Bree) score her 2,000th point. I thought it was something that if I worked hard, I could get to."

Salenbien went into the game against Whiteford with 1,947 points. He had 38 points midway through the fourth quarter when he scored on a layup but came down awkwardly, falling to the floor. He tried getting up, but fell back onto the court near the free throw line.

On Wednesday, he didn't try to play against Blissfield.

"It was still pretty swelled," Salenbien said.

After the game, however, he and his dad were talking about the injury.

"He said, 'Have you tried it with your brace?'" Salenbien said.

He put it on, went to his basement and tried moving and cutting with it.

"I said, 'dad, I think I can do this,'" he said.

On Thursday, he spent much of the warm-up time trying to get ready to play.

"One of my teammates said it didn't look like I would be able to play," Salenbien said. "I played on it. I would say by the second half I was feeling alright."

Salenbien said the motivation for getting back on the court was to help LCS move closer to a league championship.

"We have to lock that down," he said.

As for reaching the career milestone, he wasn't sure how many points he needed.

"I knew I was close, but I didn't know how many I actually needed going into the game," he said. "I wasn't sure how much I was going to be able to play or if there would be a minute restriction. I just went out and played."

He finished with 27 points, giving him 2,014. He has scored more than 500 points this season. He scored 442 points as a freshman, 464 as a sophomore and 601 last year. He has made 113 career 3-pointers and has shot more than 500 free throws.

Salenbien isn't totally clear yet. He will have an MRI on his knee later this month. Doctors have said there might a meniscus tear, but if he can play with the pain, he can play.

LCS (11-7) has three regular season games remaining – and one more home game.

Through all of the points and this recent injury, the Spring Arbor University commit is thankful for his family who have been there every step of the way. His father, Jamie, is an assistant coach at LCS. His mother, Deb, keeps the scorebook for the team. His sister Dani and brother Tyler are at nearly every game and his sister Bree, now playing at Ball State University, has been able to come home to watch a couple of his games.

When he was injured against Whiteford, Dani was one of the first ones to help him into the locker room. Bree, who has battled multiple knee injuries in her basketball career, was on the phone.

"She was pretty emotional," Jaxon said.

"Family is the most important thing, faith and family," he continued. "Those are the two things that have the most impact. Everything else is fleeting. Records don't last forever, but family and the relationships you build, that's what lasts."