Peyton Scott has rewritten history books at Lynchburg-Clay

Derrick Webb, Staff Writer

LYNCHBURG — The price of admission to see Lynchburg-Clay’s Peyton Scott is well worth the money spent. But don’t take our word for it, take the 1,711 career points she’s scored as proof.

And along those same lines, make sure you grab some popcorn as well. If the ball is in her hands, the feature highlight film is just getting started.

Take this past Thursday for example, where Scott put on yet another show.

In a 79-30 win over West Union, Scott set both the school’s single-game and career scoring marks, dropping 42 points to put her career total at 1,711. The single-game mark passed both Kim Roberts and Linda Hatten, who had scored 41, while the career mark bested current Lynchburg-Clay coach Whitney Lewis’ final point total of 1,705.

Coming into the game with 1,669 career points, Scott needed to score more than her scoring average of 24.2 points. Not only did she surpass that, but she added 15 rebounds to the stat sheet … you know, for good measure.

“Coming into the game, I had people sending me messages, calling me, telling me how close I was, and how they hoped I would get it that night,” Scott said. “Someone even told me they took off work to come and watch me break the record. So it was a pretty amazing thing to realize how much of an impact this was having one others’ lives. For me personally, it has been something I’ve been working at and striving for. The night overall … I don’t have words for it. It was one of the most special, memorable moments of my life.”

Scott will never come across a shortage of “memorable moments” to look back on when she graduates … and that’s not just concerning the basketball court. She also owns the school’s soccer career scoring record — boys or girls — with 124 goals; a career that’s highlighted by three All-Ohio selections, three district titles and a regional championship in 2016.

Now couple that with two All-Ohio selections, three all-conference and all-district honors, a SHAC Player of the Year nod and two district titles — all of which came with the Mustangs’ basketball program — and you’ve got quite the magnificent resume to hang a hat on.

But her dominance in both sports isn’t merely a coincidence. She’s put the work in to earn every accolade she’s ever received.

“At school, I take weightlifting class so I workout everyday,” she said. “Then I go to practice and usually stay after to get up a few extra shots. Depending on the amount of schoolwork I have, I might go back to the gym later that day.”

First one in, last one out. That’s the mentality she has and that’s the mentality it takes to be where Peyton Scott is.

Still, even with her work ethic, getting Scott to believe she would eventually be the all-time leading scorer in both sports wouldn’t have been an easy take when she started her career.

“I would’ve had a hard time believing them. Now I’m honored and blessed to be able to hold the records,” Scott said. “The surreal part about it is there will be someone, like me, saying I’m going to go get the number one spot and pass Peyton’s records. That’s kind of crazy knowing I’m going to have people chasing my records like I was doing.”

Scott says her favorite games over the course of her career have been Lynchburg-Clay’s 1-0 soccer win over Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans in a Division III regional final during her sophomore year, and last Thursday’s win over West Union on the basketball court.

But when comparing the two sports, basketball takes the cake.

“It’s definitely not an easy choice but I’d have to say basketball [is my favorite sport],” she said. “There’s no better feeling than playing in a packed gym, having the hot hand and making shots that you would think couldn’t possibly go in, but they do. In basketball, you can have an impact on every play. You can’t really say that in other sports.”

Currently, the Mustangs are 8-0 overall with a 6-0 mark in SHAC action. Scott is averaging 24.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

There’s a reason why she’s signed with Miami (OH) to further her academic and athletic careers. As a Redhawk, Scott looks to major in business. However, there’s still business to be attended to during her time as a Mustang.

Lynchburg-Clay is expecting, as it should, yet another deep tournament run. Peyton Scott is undoubtedly the leader of that movement but according to her, that’s not possible without those around her.

“My family, friends, teammates, coaches and community are the backbone to my success,” Scott said. “They’ve supported me, sacrificed for me and challenged me. I one-hundred percent know I wouldn’t be where I am or accomplished what I have without them. I’m blessed to have all of them in my corner and I can’t thank them enough.”

Pay that price of admission while you still can. Peyton Scott never disappoints.