MOUNT VERNON, S.D. — Reed Rus rewrote the Mount Vernon/Plankinton boys basketball record books on Tuesday night. Again.
Already the MVP co-op and Mount Vernon High School all-time record holder for career rebounds, assists and steals — along with a litany of other single-season and single-game marks — Rus scored 22 points to give him 1,554 for his Titan career, surpassing the mark of 2000s MVHS standout Mike Steffen (1,548) to become the all-time leading scorer in MVP and MVHS history.
“Reed’s a great role model and I know a lot of the kids in our school look up to him,” said MVP head coach Eric Denning. “He does things the right way and it’s pretty phenomenal to have the career that he’s had. He deserves it, I can’t say enough good things about the kid.”
Needing 16 points entering Tuesday night’s action, the record-breaking moment came early in the third quarter. Having tallied 10 points in the first half, Rus started the first half with a 3-pointer and two free throws, bringing him within a single point of the record.
Then, Rus dropped in another 3-pointer from the right wing at the 6:07 mark of the period to give him 18 points for the game, and Denning immediately called a timeout so the 6-foot-4 senior guard could be recognized by the crowd, which included several former Titans (and Mustangs), including Rus' uncle, Chad Greenway.
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“I wasn’t quite sure where I was at and had kind of lost count, but then I hit the two 3s and thought that had to be it and then I knew it as soon as we called a timeout,” Rus said. “I’m the kind of guy who isn’t a fan of that stuff (being recognized mid-game), but it was really awesome to hear the crowd cheer and all that. Really, I was thinking that we had a rough first half and needed to get it going and open things up, but it was really exciting and an awesome feeling.”
In a performance Titans fans and coaches have become accustomed to seeing, Rus, a five-year varsity player and four-year starter on the hardwood, added 15 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals to his 22 points for a playoff triple-double, as the Titans rolled to a 75-47 win over Bon Homme in the Region 5A quarterfinals.
According to Rus, a University of South Dakota football pledge , it was important to achieve the record Tuesday to eliminate any potential distraction as the Titans continue to progress through the postseason.
“I wanted to make sure it got done tonight so as we get closer and closer (to a potential SoDak 16 or state tournament berth), we don’t have to worry about anything like that.”
Rus and the Titans (16-5), the No. 1 seed in Region 5A and a top-10 team in the overall Class A standings, will host Parkston on Friday for a second-straight trip to the SoDak 16 state qualifying round. The site and time are to be determined.
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