Mardela's Cook tallies 1,000 rebounds a month after hitting 1,000 points

Make no mistake about it — Kayla Cook is first and foremost a soccer player. Well, at least in the eyes of her father.

But when the winter months come around, Cook switches from using her feet and focuses on her hands as a member of the Mardela High School girls basketball team.

Having played with the Warriors the past four years, Cook has established a legacy, most recently winning the conference Player of the Year award, while earning a first team selection in 2017.

Prior to her senior year, Cook had set several goals for herself, knowing it would be the final time she sported a green and yellow Warriors jersey. Between winning a Bayside Championship and claiming the conference’s top honor for a second consecutive season, the Mardela senior wanted to ensure she went out with a bang.

But there were also two other personal awards Cook had hoped to add to her résumé.

One involved scoring her 1,000th career point, something only a handful of athletes manage to do in their high school careers.

She checked that off her list Feb. 1 when Mardela downed Wi-Hi following 37 points from Cook.

The other goal — record her 1,000th career rebound.

Calling herself more of a defensive player, Cook has always focused on her rebounding, believing that was the key to a Mardela victory.

When she was recognized for her milestone in points, the senior was nearly 200 boards away from her second achievement. With just less than a month remaining in the season, it seemed that goal would be left unmet in high school.

That is until the MPSSAA state tournament rolled around.

Mardela earned the top seed in the 1A East bracket, and took down Snow Hill and North Dorchester in the opening two rounds.

With a trip to the regional championship on the line, Mardela drew a matchup with rival Washington on Thursday night, having already defeated the Jaguars twice in the regular season.

The thought of reaching 1,000 rebounds didn’t even cross Cook’s mind — she was preparing to help her team make a run at the state title.

But little did she know, the senior had already reached her goal.

Against North Dorchester two days prior, Cook had recorded her 1,000th career rebound, but Mardela coach and Cook’s mother, Kesha, was late getting the recognition out.

Having already made a commemorative basketball, Kesha Cook was going to make her daughter win one more game before letting her know the big news.

“It really snuck up on me,” Kayla Cook said. “The last time I asked (my mom) she was like, ‘I don’t know (if I would reach 1,000 rebounds),’ so I just went out there knowing rebounding is what I do to help my team … so I knew I had to come out and do that every night.”

But against Washington — a squad led by junior Danasia Roberts who surpassed 1,000 points as a sophomore — nothing would be guaranteed for Kayla Cook and the Warriors.

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In a back-and-forth first half, the Jaguars eventually jumped out to the lead, but wouldn’t hold it for long with Cook commanding Mardela’s defense while Armani Banks took charge of the offense.

Though Mardela struggled at times to find the basket, Banks led the way, tallying 28 total points and putting her team in a position to win.

“I was just trying to get open and attack the basket,” Banks said. “Sometimes, my shot just wasn’t falling, but if you attack the basket, you can do anything you want. I realized that about halftime and said, ‘If I go to the basket, they can’t stop me.’”

The second half was a continuation of the first, with both squads taking turns holding the lead. But as the final minutes ticked away, Mardela got into a rhythm and worked its way to a 52-46 victory.

And now the Warriors are headed to the regional championship.

“Me and Kayla were hyped all day,” Banks said. “We knew we had to get this W, and we were just hyped all day. We were ready to shut the haters up. It was definitely harder this time around, but we just had to push through it.”

Knowing their season would live on, the team exchanged congratulatory hugs and high-fives, but the celebration was far from over.

Making her way to the scorer’s table, Kesha Cook found a microphone and made an announcement that brought her daughter to tears.

“Earlier this year, Kayla Cook scored 1,000 career points,” Kesha Cook said to the crowd. “Now, she has 1,000 career rebounds!”

A wave of applause filled the gymnasium, with Kayla Cook looking shocked by the announcement. As she had done just one month prior, the senior made her way over to her mother and father and held up the basketball, this time reading, “Kayla Cook — 1,000 Rebounds.”

“It was just overwhelming,” Kayla Cook said. “It was another step to help my team get to the regional championship. Now that’s my goal — I’ve hit every goal that I set in the beginning of the season. Now the only goal that’s left is to be regional champs.”

Not only did the accomplishment add another notch in Kayla Cook’s belt, but it also served as one of the best birthday presents Kesha Cook could imagine, as she celebrated her special day on the court with the Warriors.

The team is now set to take on Coppin Academy on Saturday, with the winner advancing to Towson University for the MPSSAA 1A Final Four.

But through all the excitement, both Kayla Cook and Banks agreed that Saturday’s game will just be another day at the office for Mardela.

“We just have to keep pushing,” Banks said. “You’ve got to go hard on defense. If we push hard on the defensive end, the offense will come and we’ll get it done.”

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