A senior night to remember

Mallory Smith’s stat line from senior night — one basket, two points, two rebounds in a few seconds of playing time — normally wouldn’t suggest a memorable night.

But, for someone whose high school sports career was short-circuited by two major knee injuries, it was more than the only senior on the Post Falls High girls basketball team could have ever imagined.

“I just thought that would be a good way for me to play at least once. Even if it was for two seconds,” Smith said. “You might not get what you want, but you might as well make the best of it.”

SMITH, A 5-foot-10 post, earned six varsity letters in five sports so far during her stay at Post Falls High — two in basketball, and one each in track, swimming, softball and soccer.

Smith played some on the varsity basketball team as a freshman.

She made the varsity as a sophomore, but midway through the season, on Jan. 16, the day after her 16th birthday was not exactly sweet.

Running through a play in practice, “two girls came running at me from opposite sides,” she recalled. “I got hit on the right side of my thigh and the left side of my shin at the same time. I just heard a pop.”

The result — a torn ACL, torn MCL and torn meniscus in her right knee. She had surgery that February.

As part of her rehab, the versatile Smith turned out for swimming the fall of her junior year, and came within one second of qualifying for state.

That winter, she played on the JV basketball team — her varsity coach, Marc Allert, telling her she would get more playing time there, and would help get her back into basketball shape for her senior season.

She then played softball last spring, and soccer this past fall — after having not played since eighth grade — with no troubles with the knee (she competed in track and field as a freshman).

Then, in an open gym just days before tryouts this fall, she was running during a scrimmage, cut at an angle — and blew out her left knee.

“No one touched me,” she said. “It popped, and I knew.”

This time, it was “just” a torn ACL, and a minor tear of the meniscus. She had surgery on Dec. 1. And her high school playing days were essentially over.

The daughter of Bud and Erin Smith, Mallory plans to attend the Air Force Academy next year and eventually become a nurse. She said she had the “woe is me” thoughts every day, but decided, “there’s nothing I can do about it.”

THEN SHE did something about it.

Post Falls’ senior night game with Moscow on Jan. 27 was approaching.

“Since I was the only senior, I was so looking forward to senior night,” she said. “And since I wasn’t playing, I didn’t think I was going to get one.”

So she said she “sweet-talked” Allert and her physical therapist into letting her go out on the court at the beginning of the game to score one basket — with the other players watching, and no one near her — then come out of the game.

They gave their OK, and Allert let Moscow coach Robin Barnes know what was going on.

“I was so nervous,” Smith said of the days leading up to the game. “Everyone was telling me, don’t miss, don’t miss.”

Well ...

When the game started, Melody Kempton “won” the tip for Post Falls. The ball went to Bayley Brennan, who passed it to Smith, stationed just to the right of the basket as the other players watched.

Her shot went off the glass, around the rim ... and right back to her.

She tried again ... same thing.

“The other team was so good; they didn’t get too close to me, they actually encouraged me to keep going, because I kept missing,” Smith said. “I was terrified, I didn’t know what to do. I just thought, ‘just keep going, just keep going.’”

She finally got the third one to fall.

“It wasn’t too bad because everyone was laughing,” Smith said. “Everyone said, ‘that’s so you, that’s something you would do,’ because I’m kind of like the class clown. I didn’t do it on purpose, but of all the people, it would be me that would do that.”

Allert then called timeout and subbed Smith out. He offered to let Moscow score once to even it up, but Barnes said don’t worry about it.

“She’s put in a lot of hard work,” Allert said of Smith. “And to see her get out there was nice to see, knowing how much work she put in to get in shape.”

Smith went back to the bench, cheering on her teammates as she had all year, reflecting on her moment. Usually she watches the game in street clothes, keeping stats. This was the first game she wore her uniform. She normally wears No. 21, but let another player take that number this season since she wasn’t going to be needing it — until senior night, when she took the floor wearing No. 31.

“It was exciting, and embarrassing,” she said of her moment. “It felt good, knowing it was my last shot ever in a varsity basketball game.”

Even if it was actually two more shots than she planned.

“You could just say I was trying to rack up the stats,” Smith said with a laugh. “I was so nervous.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.