Griffin senior point guard Kayli Liew recently checked off another impressive basketball accomplishment by surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career when she scored a modest (for her) 8 points to cross that iconic threshold in a 59-24 victory over Corona (15-8) on December 22.
Since then, she has increased that career total to 1,070 points, including most recently scoring 19 points to go along with 8 assists on January 11 as the Griffins blitzed Surf League rival Edison (5-17) by a whopping 49 points, 90-41, at Edison.
Liew was honored for her career scoring achievement in a brief ceremony right before the Griffins’ home game on January 9 against another league opponent, Fountain Valley (12-10).
Standing on the court in front of the bench with her teammates and coaches, Liew was given a large framed memento of her achievement, pictures were taken, hugs were exchanged, the crowd cheered, and then the game began and Liew got down to business, scoring 15 points, including hitting two three-pointers, to go along with 5 assists as the Griffins (17-5) overwhelmed the Barons 72-34.
Liew’s latest honor adds to her list of notable basketball achievements. Last season, she was co-MVP of the Surf league as she helped lead Los Alamitos to its first league championship since 2018. In the 2021-22 season she was a First-Team, All-Surf-League player. And in each of those seasons, she also was the team’s MVP.
A four-year starter, the 5’5” Liew got to 1,000 points by consistently averaging around 13.7 points per game in each of her first three seasons, scoring on a mixture of mid-range shots, drives to the basket, and an average of about 2 threes per game.
After sitting out five games this season with a groin injury, Liew is averaging a career-low of around 11 points per game, partly because she had limited minutes in several games as she was recovering, but she is now rounding into form just as the Griffins enter conference and league play. In the last four games, she has averaged 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals per game.
Thus far, Liew’s career scoring high for a single game is the 28 points (including 6 threes) that she racked up last season on December 16, 2023, in an upset victory over Tesoro. Liew also had 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists that day.
“Kayli is an excellent three-point shooter who also can score anywhere inside the line,” said Coach Maya DeAnda. “But with Kayli it’s not just about points; she also gets a lot of steals and assists and runs the offense with a precision that makes other players better.”
With six games left in the regular season, there is no doubt that Liew will add to her impressive point total as the Griffins seek a back-to-back league championship and a good seeding for the CIF playoffs.
