Emerson Thompson, a priceless gem

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Since its opening in 2013, Falls Lake Academy has been home to a plethora of outstanding student athletes. From middle school championships, to high school tournament games, to signing to compete in athletics on the collegiate level.

Emerson Thompson is a rare gem that can only be found once in a lifetime.

“Her basketball I.Q. is tremendous,” Jeff Teal, assistant coach said. “She is able to see so many things, she is like having a coach on the floor.”

Her dad and head coach, Brad Thompson, will be the first to admit he has been harder on her than any other player on the team.

During senior night activities, Weston Pearson, athletic director for Falls Lake, read a huge list of accomplishments both athletic and educational honors.

Thompson’s honors would eventually include four-time conference player of the year.

She has added to the record books each time she stepped on the basketball court, scoring 2285 points and pulling down 1186 rebounds.

Thompson, a five-foot-eight-inch freshman in the 2020-2021 season, quickly found a home as a point guard for the Firebirds.

According to statistics posted on Maxpreps, Thompson led Falls Lake to a 7-1 record.

She finished the season with 185 points. She was also consistently working in the paint bringing down rebounds, 53, her first year in high school. She finished with 51 assist, 44 steals and seven blocks.

Despite COVID ending the season early, Thompson, statistically, finished in first place in 1A Division, averaging 6.4 assist per game. She finished in fourth place in the 1A Division in steals averaging 5.5 per game and finished in fifth place in scoring with 23.1 points per game.

Thompson grew an inch in the off season and that made her a little tougher to guard.

She led the team to a 27-2 overall record and a 10-0 conference record.

Thompson scored 538 points, grabbed 280 rebounds, dished out 168 assists, 93 steals, and 68 blocks. Thompson, often the target of the defense, took care of the basketball and only had 75 turnovers for the entire season.

She once again was a leader in many statistical categories finishing second in assist in the 1A East Division and eighth in the state, She finished second in double-doubles (double figure points and rebounds) in the 1A East Division and in the top 20 in North Carolina according to Maxpreps.

Perhaps most impressive was her points per game. She finished sixth in the 1A East Division and in the top 60 in the state. Thompson was often double-teamed an still was able to average just over 19 points per game.

During her junior season, Thompson led the team to a 31-1 record and 11-0 record in conference play.

Often playing 40 minutes a game, Thompson finished the season with 681 points, 329 rebounds, 291 assists, 125 steals, and 65 blocks.

Thompson averaged 9.1 assists per game which lead her to top the conference,1A East Division and state in assist per game. She finished third in the nation in this category according to Maxpreps.

She completed the season with 24 double-doubles, first in the conference, second on the 1A East Division and third in the state.

She finished the season averaging 21.3 points per game. She finished first in the conference, fifth in the 1A East Division and in the top 29 in the state.

Her senior season was one to remember as she led the team to a 30-3 overall record and first place in the conference at 11-0.

She put up an unbelievable number of points with defenders draped all over her. She finished with 861 points, 524 rebounds, 245 assists, 130 steals,  and 130 blocks.

She led the nation in double-doubles with 33. She finished the season leading the conference, 1A East and finished second in the state in assist at 7.4 per game.

Thompson concluded her senior season averaging 26.7 points per game and led the conference and 1A East Division. She finished in the top six in the state.

Her rebounding skills were showcased in the senior season as she finished first in the conference, 1A East in clearing the board. She finished fourth in the state averaging 15.9 rebounds per game.

Thompson’s hard work and extra efforts did not go unnoticed as colleges scrambled to recruit her. Thompson selected Campbell University out of the many offers and she signed to play for the Fighting Camels.

Emerson Thompson can only be described as priceless, so precious that her value cannot be determined.

The post Emerson Thompson, a priceless gem first appeared on Restoration NewsMedia .