AUGUSTA, Maine - University of Maine at Augusta senior Keith Chesley has spent the past four seasons carving his name into the UMA record books and Thursday night, the captain entered into rare territory when he became only the second basketball player in the history of UMA to reach the 2,000 point plateau, helping the Moose to a crucial 100-81 victory over YSCC East Division rival U. Maine Machias.
Chesley joins former Moose standout Deon Cheers in the exclusive 2,000 point club, and sits only only six points behind Cheers in the UMA record books for points in a career. Cheers scored 2,029 from 2006 to 2009 and Chesley is in a position to become the all-time leading scorer in UMA history on Saturday afternoon when the team travels to Vermont to take on CSJ.
Chesley (Richmond, Maine) scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Moose (12-13, 7-4 YSCC) avenged an overtime loss to the Clippers (11-9, 8-4 YSCC) in November. Teammate Brandon Rogers (Turlock, Calif) led the Moose with a career best 38 points while tying his personal record for rebounds in a game with 28.
The senior forward currently owns the record for points in a season with 674, which he set in his junior year when he also accomplished the rare feat of joining his father Greg Chesley in the 1,000 point club. The older Chesley played for UMA in the early nineties and still ranks third all-time for rebounds in a season with 341 in 1993-94.
The younger Chesley ranks fourth in UMA history in three-pointers in a season (55) and sixth on the all-time list for rebounds in a season (278), which is no small feat for a 6'1 senior who regularly battles opponents who carry six or more inches on him. Both Chesley and Rogers entered the 1,000 point rebound club last weekend in the same game against Vermont Tech.
But as tough as Chesley is on the court, he is even more humble and gracious off the court, and his reputation for kindness, thoughtfulness and sportsmanship is even bigger than the numbers he puts up. So while he was no doubt excited for his personal success in tonight's game, he was quicker to celebrate his teammates, and focus on the bigger picture.
"Tonight was a big win for us," Chesley said, acknowledging that the record was nice, but there is still plenty of season left. "It was just a great effort overall by everyone and hopefully this win puts us in a better position for the playoffs as the season winds down."
The Clippers entered the game ranked second in the YSCC East Division, and the Moose were ranked fourth, but moved into a tie for third place with Southern Maine Community College after the win.
Freshmen Dallas Murray (Newport, R.I.) and Joseph Davila (Hartford, Conn.) were also in double-digits for UMA, scoring 18 and 13 points, respectively.
Chesley hit the milestone early in the first half on a layup from fellow senior captain Brandon Rogers (Turlock, Calif.), which was fitting when you consider that in the past three years, the duo has combined to score 3,291 points and collect 1,828 rebounds.
In tonight's victory, they combined for 63 of UMA's 100 points and 34 of the team's 51 rebounds.
And they are not done yet. UMA returns to conference action on Saturday afternoon when the team travels to Vermont to take on the College of Saint Joseph's, and they return for the final home game of the season next Tuesday night, playing host to NHTI. Tuesday night will also be senior night, where both Chesley and Rogers, along with the seniors from the women's team, will be honored.