ASHWAUBEON – It was quite a week for Ashwaubenon girls basketball player Gianna Guarascio.
On Feb. 3 against De Pere, the senior guard became the all-time leading scorer in Ashwaubenon girls basketball history, and then two nights later on Feb. 5, Guarascio became the first player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
“It was a really great week and atmosphere,” Guarascio said. “All my friends, family and past coaches were there. It was cool to celebrate with all the people who have helped me through the journey.”
Guarascio said from a young age, she had big basketball goals.
“Coming into this season, this was one of my big goals,” she said. “I knew I really wanted to break the record and hit 1,000 points. Luckily, I’ve stayed healthy and made it happen.”
Guarascio, who is currently averaging about 14 points per game, scored a season-high 31 points against Green Bay Southwest earlier this season.
She also hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to help the Jaguars beat Bay Port on Jan. 28.
Guarascio said having two older siblings — Alicia and Anthony — play basketball before her helped pique her interest in the sport.
“I started by watching my siblings play,” she said. “When I started watching Alicia, my oldest sister, I found I loved basketball. I really loved watching Anthony play as well. I started playing myself when I was in the second grade and played a year up with the third graders.”
Guarascio said she also took a liking to basketball stats from a young age.
“Whenever my brother would play in high school, I would sit in the stands and keep stats,” she said. “That’s when I took a liking to keeping track of how many points you scored because my brother had a ton of points his senior year and was close to 1,000. That’s when I set a goal to score 1,000 career points.”
It has helped that Guarascio has been a four-year varsity player — first under former Coach Nikky VanLaanen and more recently under Mike Radue.
Guarascio said she has plans to study nursing at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee.
“I plan to play basketball and softball,” she said. “Wisconsin Lutheran is in St. Norbert College’s conference, so it will be fun to come back here and play against them.”
Not only does Guarascio shine on the basketball court, but she’s also a solid player on the softball diamond as well.
“I’ve been playing softball since I was like five years old,” she said. “My senior class has been very good in softball through the years. We lost in the sectional final last year to Kaukauna. Up until that point, we were undefeated in Wisconsin. We have some strong returning seniors, so we’re hoping to make a run at state this season.”
Having a love for two sports, Guarascio said she mostly stays true to each sport during the season.
“I’m mainly basketball during the basketball season, but I’ll go on the weekends and hit, just to ease myself into it,” she said. “It’s not a hard switch for me.”
With softball practice starting in a few short weeks, the Jaguars will be heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during spring break for some early season action.
But for now, Guarascio is focused on basketball and helping her team make a postseason run — and breaking her own school record with every point she scores.
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