scores 1,000th point

By Reagan Hoverman

On Thursday, Jan. 27, Prescott’s Jordan Malmlov scored his 1,000th point as a junior, the first player in Prescott history to do so before reaching their senior season. Reaching the 1,000-point threshold as a junior solidifies Malmlov as one of the best scorers – if not the best – in Prescott history.

The Thursday night game was at home against the Middle Border Conference rival Ellsworth Panthers. In the 67-54 victory, Malmlov finished with 29 points on 11-23 shooting from the floor, which included 3-6 from behind the three-point arc. His 29 more than doubled the next leading scorer for Prescott, which was Brandon Stuart with 14. After the game, Malmlov was reserved in his celebration of joining the 1,000-point club.

“It feels pretty good to score 1,000,” Malmlov said after the win. “We’ve got a lot of season left. I’ll think about it for a couple of days and then it’s back to work.”

Malmlov’s work-first mindset is almost certainly what has allowed him to do what nobody else in Prescott history has done. While Malmlov was being humble, Prescott head coach Nick Johnson gave Malmlov his well-deserved praise for crossing the milestone.

“He’s right up there with the best scorers that I’ve ever coached,” Johnson said after the win. “He’s the first junior to ever score 1,000 points. He’s an elite scorer and is a weapon offensively. As a junior, he’s already had an unbelievable career and since he’s only a junior, that’s what makes it so special.”

Malmlov is keenly aware of the role that he plays on the team as a scorer and a player that will step up in the biggest moments when things aren’t going well for the Cardinals. The aforementioned home game against Ellsworth is a perfect example of Malmlov’s ability to take the game over.

With nine minutes left in the game, Ellsworth went on a 9-0 scoring run to cut the Prescott lead to two points, 51-49. That’s when Malmlov took over. As the Cardinals came down the floor, Malmlov buried a deep three-pointer to extend the lead back to five points. After a stop on the defensive end, Malmlov again pulled the trigger on a long three and buried it to give Prescott an eight-point cushion with just under eight minutes to play. Malmlov spoke about his ability to take games over.

“I know when we get stagnant, we kind of need a push,” Malmlov said. “Dallas and I have been those guys. So, I’ve been trying to push the tempo and separate us a little bit to get us some breathing room.”

Malmlov’s 22.9 points per game this season leads the team by more than seven points per game. In addition to his nearly 23 points per game, he also averages 3.7 assists per game, another team-high statistic. Malmlov is the proverbial straw that stirs Prescott’s drink. When he is clicking, the offense is nearly impossible to stop. Ellsworth head coach Jordan Petersen knows that perhaps better than anyone. He spoke about Malmlov’s game after the defeat.

“It’s hard to game plan for (Jordan),” Petersen said. “He’s quick and he can also shoot from miles away. You can’t stop him. It’s more or less just trying to limit him and limit some of the things he does well as far as passing. We’re trying to make him make tough contested shots.”

Only six times this season has Malmlov scored less than 20 points in a game. Seven times this season he has scored more than 25 points and in three of those games, he scored 30 or more points. His highest single-game scoring contest of the season was on Saturday, Dec. 11, when he dropped 39 at home against Eau Claire Regis.

While individual accomplishments are great and Malmlov is celebrating joining the 1,000point club, his sights are set on competing for and winning a WIAA Division 3 state championship this season. As of Monday, Feb. 7, Malmlov and the Cardinals are 16-2 and are ranked as the sixth-best team in the state, according to the Wissports weekly coaches’ poll.

With Prescott’s dominant record, in addition to likely having home-court advantage in the playoffs with Malmlov at the helm, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the new 1,000-point scorer in Prescott doesn’t lead the Cardinals on a deep playoff run in his junior season.