The Cumberland Valley Christian Blazers’ Nollin Egolf eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark in the Blazers’ 69-64 victory over Grace Academy Friday in a Mason Dixon Christian Conference boys basketball game.

Egolf hit three straight 3-pointers in the third quarter to move within a point of the barrier as the Blazers (3-6, 2-3 MDCC) built a 14-point lead. He then hit the 1,000-point mark with a foul shot as the Blazers were preserving a slim lead in the final minutes.

“We knew that Nollin needed 33 points to get his 1,000 and, with the way he has been playing, I knew it was a strong possibility,” Blazers coach Austin Sanders said. “Obviously, our number one goal was to win the game, but Nollin being our primary scorer is a major key in all of our wins.”

Egolf scored 36 points to lead the Blazers, many of those after Grace switched to a box-and-one to try to hold him down.

“It seems like we have seen six or seven different defensive sets in our nine games so far, and one that most teams switch over to is a box-and-one with a focus on Nollin,” Sanders said. “He did a great job of adjusting to it and not allowing it to break his rhythm. He led this team to a victory and was able to surpass a milestone while doing it. I am extremely proud of him and am excited to see him continue to grow throughout the rest of the season.”

Egolf also had team highs in rebounds (nine), assists (five) and steals (three).

Cumberland Valley Christian’s Nollin Egolf sinks the free throw that lifted him to the 1,000-point plateau.

Aaron Minnier scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Seven of his points came in the third quarter when the Blazers moved from a 33-27 halftime edge to a 52-41 advantage after three.

The Blazers, however, battled foul trouble in the second half as Egolf, Minnier and Parker Knepper each played crucial minutes with four fouls each, and Grace whittled the deficit to two points. Knepper wound up with 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists.

“I was really proud of these guys and how they battled from the opening tip,” Sanders said. “We did not play well on Tuesday (in a loss to New Life Christian), and, with a young team, you always worry that those performances might carry over. We were able to have a great practice on Thursday and were able to iron some things out.”

Also scoring for the Blazers were Max Crawford with a 3-pointer, Gage Brookens with a basket and Seth Bumbaugh with a pair of free throws. Crawford had four rebounds, and Reece Hunsberger contributed two assists.