Other than the desire to notch No. 2,000.

A three-pointer by Aiden Maxwell gave the Maroons a 10-8 lead with 1:41 to play in the opening quarter. But that’s when the Shoes kicked it into gear and went on a massive run that turned the game into a rout.

Drew Hoene hit a three and converted a Robinson turnover into a bucket just 12 seconds later. Then, in the final 38 seconds of the period, Alex Kremer and Hoene both scored and Gavin Addis made a strong drive to the basket that resulted in a three-point play.

In a matter of 101 seconds, the two-point deficit was followed by a 12-0 scoring spree and a 20-10 lead when the opening eight minutes came to a close.

But the scoring surge was far from over. The second quarter was a constant barrage of T-Town shots going through the basket.

Landyn Thoele hit a pair of threes, while Brody Thoele and Isaac McWhorter both connected on one. Landon Thoele and Brody Thoele combined to score 15 points in the period, helping the Shoes outscore the Maroons 30-15 and take a commanding 50-25 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

The lead fluctuated between 26 and 31 points throughout the third period. A three-point play by Brody Thoele and a jumper by Kremer, made it a 31-point cushion, 74-43, heading into the final quarter.

Thirteen Wooden Shoes got into the scoring column, with four players netting double figures. Brody Thoele and Mick Niebrugge both had 12, while Addis and Landyn Thoele scored 10 apiece.

But after the game, all anyone wanted to do was celebrate a milestone very few schools get to experience.

(This reporter had a chance to visit with each of the senior players on the THS squad. Their reaction to this accomplishment will be included in a special feature story that will appear in the February 20 issue of The News Report.)

One of those in attendance Saturday was Ken Crawford, who coached the Wooden Shoes for 26 seasons and brought home a state championship in 1986. He is the winningest coach in school history, having accumulated 612 victories during his Hall-of-Fame career.

There are numerous statistics about this program that almost defies logic. They haven’t had a losing season since 1982. Since the beginning, T-Town teams have averaged nearly 20 wins every year. And in 101 years, there have only been nine coaches. Each of those stats is simply unheard of.

And three of the coaches – J.H. Griffin, Lawrence Carie and Crawford – are responsible for 73 of those seasons and 1,459 wins.

“It says a lot about our program and this community,” Reeder emphasized. “I’m only the ninth coach in 101 years. That says a lot. This school and the community trust their coaches and allow us to coach. The consistency we’ve had with coaches is one of the secrets to our success.”

When the season began, Reeder and the entire team knew 2,000 wins was just 17 wins away.

“That sounds like a lot, but I believed we could get there this year,” Reeder admitted. “It didn’t really weigh on me until right after the Christmas tournament. We really weren’t playing very well.

“But once we got to the Salem tournament, things turned around for us,” Reeder added. “We started playing really well, so I started crunching the numbers, trying to determine when we might get to 2,000. I have to say, this is a really cool moment.”

Reeder was especially happy this year’s squad will always be remembered as the one that did it.

“I’ve been blessed to have some great teams and some great kids here,” he noted. “This team has been resilient all the way along. But they’ve always been in the background to some degree.

“Today, however, they put their stamp on this program,” Reeder continued. “This is something that can’t ever be taken away.”

The Shoes improved to 17-9 on the season. They will travel to play Casey-Westfield on Tuesday and then host the Wooden Shoes Shootout on Saturday. T-Town is scheduled to face Triad at 5 p.m.