Monroe’s KJ Acree breaks 34-year Dougherty County basketball scoring record

ALBANY — Seven seconds.

That’s how close Kie’Aundria Acree came to having to wait another game to make history.

Instead, the Monroe senior delivered one final basket Friday night, breaking a 34-year-old Dougherty County school scoring record and putting her name atop a list of basketball greats who have played in the school system.

Acree entered Friday’s season opener against Lee County needing 27 points to surpass the career record of 2,655 set by Pertha Robinson in 1992.

She needed nearly every second to get there.

With seven seconds remaining in the Dougherty County School System Tip-off Classic at Albany State West, Acree scored the basket that pushed her career total to 2,657 points, making her the leading scorer in Dougherty County school system basketball history.

And she did it in front of a hometown crowd, with her mother, Monroe coach Jennifer Acree, watching from the sidelines.

“I am so happy to achieve the record at home in Albany where so many people have supported me over the years,” Acree said. “More importantly, I am happy that the team won tonight. My teammates mean the world to me and I am so thankful to share every accomplishment with them. None of this would be possible without them.”

The historic performance helped the No. 3-ranked Lady Golden Tornadoes open their season with a 66-52 victory over No. 8 Lee County in a matchup of two of Southwest Georgia’s top girls basketball programs.

For Acree, the night was about more than a scoring milestone.

It was the culmination of years of work, thousands of points and countless hours in the gym. It also came at the beginning of a senior season in which Monroe has its sights set on something even bigger — a state championship.

The Lady Golden Tornadoes have reached the Final Four twice in the past three seasons, with an Elite Eight appearance sandwiched between them. Acree and her fellow seniors have been at the center of that success, growing from promising freshmen into one of the state’s most experienced teams.

Now, with the county scoring record behind her, Acree can turn her attention toward the one accomplishment that has eluded the group.

A state title.

But Friday night belonged to a young woman who grew up playing basketball in Albany, became one of Georgia’s top high school players and surpassed a record that had stood since 1992.

For 34 years, Pertha Robinson’s 2,655 points had been the standard.

Acree now has the rest of her final high school season to add to that record.

And on Friday night, she needed all but seven seconds to make it her own.