BELLINGHAM - It was appropriate the way it happened for Hopedale's Justin Lewis.
Just 4:28 into the game, he took an entry pass, muscled in on two Northbridge post players, pump faked and finessed a turnaround 5-footer into the net. The buzzer sounded to stop play right after that basket and the Hopedale half of the stands erupted as Lewis crossed a barrier that only four Blue Raiders had previously surpassed.
Scoring eight of the team's first 12 points, Lewis had reached 1,001 for his career. He gave Hopedale a 12-9 lead with the milestone bucket, and got it out of the way early.
Lewis was mobbed on the floor by teammates, and casually walked to coach Tony Cordani, who tucked the game ball under his captain's arm. Lewis then jogged to his parents in the stands, gave them the ball and walked back on to the floor.
And that was it. For Northbridge, that is.
With the tension released, the Raiders outscored Northbridge 29-6 in the remaining 11 minutes of the half and cruised to a 62-43 victory to advance to tonight's Hawks Hoop Holiday Tournament final against host Bellingham (7 p.m.). The Rams will face Blackstone-Millville in the consolation game (5 p.m.).
Lewis finished with a game-high 20 points after being pulled midway through the second half. That total puts him at 1,013 career points.
"It means a great deal to me," said Lewis, while shaking hands with well-wishers passing by. "To do it in three years, it's crazy. I think it's my work ethic. I wouldn't have done it without that."
His Hopedale team, one with aspirations at the state level, rebounds from a loss to Groton-Dunstable to up its mark to 3-1. Northbridge falls to 2-4.
Lewis becomes the seventh basketball player in school history to cross the 1,000-point barrier, just the fifth male to gain membership and the first in a decade. He now lies within 100 points of the boys scoring record, held by Don Lutz, a former Raider forward who set the mark in the mid-1960's.
Barring injury, Lewis should pass that mark in early January, then set his sights on Gina Richards' co-ed scoring record of 1,280 points.
"It's a great milestone for Justin," said Cordani. "He's been an extremely hard worker for three years. His success is no surprise."
What might have been a surprise to Cordani, however, was how his team struggled with the Rams early in the game.
Lewis was admittedly nervous coming in.
"He doesn't keep track (of his points)," said Lewis' father Gordie, a former Raider himself. "He's more concerned with winning."
After crossing the milestone, Lewis and his team refocused on running the Rams out of the building.
With a trio of 3-pointers from senior forward Barett Dziok (19 points) and another eight points from Lewis before the break, that was exactly what happened.
"We seemed to settle down after (the milestone) happened," said Cordani.
When it was over, the victory was satisfying. But years from now, Lewis may not remember the score, or even who Hopedale was playing.
He will, however, remember how it felt when his teammates rushed over to congratulate him, and the emotion of getting the game ball, then handing it to his parents.
"It was very emotional," said Lewis' mother Robin. "To me, (getting the ball) was his way of thanking us."
And what a way to do it.
