A scorer at heart, BC High's Mike Loughnane surpasses 1,000 career points

Mike Loughnane scores in bunches, but this particular basket meant a little more than all the others.

Early in the BC High boys basketball team's 72-53 road win over Xaverian on Tuesday, Loughnane lofted a floater in transition and got it to fall. The two points cemented the standout scorer in program history by becoming the fourth player in the 18-year coaching tenure of his father, Bill Loughnane, at BC High to reach the 1,000-point total. He joins his brother Jack Loughnane, Carl Pierre and Travis Evee on that list. Evee and Pierre are now the two leading scorers on the Rice University men's basketball team. Loughnane finished with 23 points in the win.

“Once it started, I wasn’t really thinking about it so it settled down, but before the game, I thought about it a lot," the Quincy native said at practice on Wednesday. "I knew it would come early, which I was happy about.”

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Bill Loughnane knew prior to the game that it was only a matter of time for his son to reach the milestone. His older son, Jack, finished his high school career with 1,024 points in 2016 and accomplished the feat during the Eagles' first tournament game his senior season. Mike Loughnane is right on his older brother's heels.

“As a father, I’m very happy for their accomplishments. As a coach, all these guys who got their 1,000 points helped us win a lot of games, which was nice,” said Bill Loughnane.

“It’s definitely cool. I got to see Jack do it, and Carl and Travis. I got to see them do it from when they were freshmen all the way to seniors," Mike Loughnane said. "It was cool to see their journeys doing it and then try to replicate it. When I was watching them, I always thought about, ‘Huh, I wonder if I could be like them.’”

Loughnane's season has helped propel the Eagles to a 4-0 start in which the senior notched a career-high mark of 44 points against Needham, one game after a 33-point performance in the season-opening victory over Brockton.

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“It means he has good teammates who know how to get him the ball at the right time," Bill Loughnane said. "I know he appreciates that."

One might say all of the hard work has paid off.

Loughnane estimates that during the offseason, he shoots 500 shots a day, saying he finds time before and after school to master his release: "(The shots) stack up pretty quick," Mike Loughnane said. "Just shooting as much as I can, that was a big thing."

Bill Loughnane was encouraged to see how efficiently the offense flowed Tuesday night at Xaverian, saying Mike Loughnane's shot selection wasn't forced and came in rhythm as he also finished the game with nine assists.

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“I saw something the other day, an NBA guy said, ‘Anybody can score, it’s harder to win.’ That’s all we’re trying to do, is win," said Bill Loughnane. "Certain guys have certain jobs. We need him to get points for us, along with other things. That’s his job. The same with (senior forward) Mahari (Guerrier) – his job is to score points and play defense. (Senior center) Will (Doyle) – score points, rebound. If your job is to be a scorer, you better be able to do it well for us to win.”

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Mike Loughnane certainly has the support of his teammates, who say he plays a big part in organizing team workouts in the offseason and getting teams together for summer and fall leagues.

“He brings the energy every day. It’s always great to see that – I’m a big energy guy," said Doyle. "He’s just a great teammate, that’s all I can say.”

“He’s really great at making sure everyone is staying on task and doing what they need to do to make the team better,” Guerrier said. "During practices, he’s making sure that everyone’s not goofing around and making sure we’re energized for the game.”

Loughnane, who stands 6-foot-4, has offers to play for high-level college basketball programs, but is still weighing his options. He's focusing on the good thing his undefeated Eagles have going. Bill Loughnane realizes his son's basketball future is bright regardless of the destination, but it'll come with the normal adjustment to a higher level of play.

“He’s got the size and athleticism, which I don’t think a lot of these kids understand that these college athletes have size – they’re men," Bill Loughnane said. "He does time in the weight room, he understands it. It’ll still be a shock for him when he gets there so just prepare yourself the best you can.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Mike Loughnane the fourth player BC high History to score 1,000 points