Shawn Pardee shows off his hardware at the All-Thumb team photoshoot. (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
By Mike Gallagher
Sports Writer
For Millington junior point guard Shawn Pardee, scoring is almost second nature.
Pardee scored 517 points during the regular season, and 632 total points on the season, and was the catalyst for one of the Thumb’s highest powered offenses.
After being named second team All-Thumb last season, Pardee emerged as one of the area’s best scorers this season, averaging 25.3 points per game which earned him the honor of being named 2014-15 All-Thumb Player of the Year.
“Coming into the season, I didn’t have it on my mind. I was just focused on winning league and districts and going further than last year,” stated Pardee. “This is just a bonus for the good season that we had.”
Pardee guided Millington to a 15-5 regular season record, and led the Cardinals to their best post-season run in school history.
“Going into districts, I wasn’t sure how we were going to do,” commented Pardee. “Once we got into districts, everyone seemed to get fired up and real excited about it, then we got back to playing how we did last year.”
Pardee opened district play with 31 points in a win over Reese. In a 46-45 battle against host Vassar in the district final, Pardee scored a team-high 19 points, including the go-ahead free throws with :15 seconds remaining.
In the regional semifinal Pardee led Millington to a 73-61 win over GTC-West champs Bad Axe with 25 points.
In the Regional final against Saginaw MLS, Pardee scored 23 points, leading Millington to their first Regional title in school history.
“Our whole goal was getting back to the regional finals and win it,” “We did that, so it was a great experience.”
Pardee had two impressive streaks during the season as well.
Pardee fires up a three point shot in a win against Essexville-Garber (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
During a five game stretch where fellow All-Thumb performer and teammate Austin LeVan was out due to injury, Pardee averaged 36.4 points, while leading the Cardinals to a 4-1 record.
“He’s a very hard working player,” stated Pardee’s coach Shane LeVan. “He puts a lot of extra time in his game.”
That extra time showed during a four game span, when Pardee made 52 consecutive free throws, the fourth longest streak on record in Michigan boys basketball history.
Even though Pardee is one of the best at creating his own shot, he credits his teammates for his success.
“I give thanks to my teammates for finding me and getting me the ball. I don’t score 26 points per game without them.”
As for repeating as the Thumb Player of the Year, Pardee is more focused on getting better, and winning games.
“I will let it sort itself out next year,” Pardee said. “I’m not going out there to win it, I just want to win games, that’s all that matters to me.”
SHAWN PARDEE’S TOP PERFORMANCES
1. 02/06 vs. Saginaw MLS: With fellow All-Thumb player Austin LeVan out due to injury, Pardee took it upon himself to take over the scoring load for the Cardinals. Facing a MLS team with a 13-0 record, Pardee scored 39 points and went 17/17 from the free throw line. Millington would hand MLS their first loss of season 72-67.
2. 02/13 at LakeVille: Going up against his former team, Pardee scored a season high 40 points in a 77-55 Millington win. Pardee shot 10-of-17 from the floor, and also contributed seven assists, and seven rebounds.
3. 01/30 vs. Caro: In a close 61-56 win over the Tigers, Pardee scored a game-high 37 points. Pardee went 18/18 from the free throw line, and also grabbed seven rebounds.
4. 12/22 vs. Reese: Pardee guided the Cardinals to their highest point total of the season in a 101-76 victory over the Rockets. Pardee scored 33 points, had six assists, and went 4/5 from the three point line.
5. 02/25 vs. North Branch: In perhaps his most consistent performance of the year, Pardee scored 24 points, shooting 50% from beyond the arch, 50% from the floor, and 100% at the free throw line, in a 80-68 win.