On February 7, in a home game nail-biter against Morristown High School, which saw both sides trading the advantage, the Girls' Varsity Basketball Team was down by five points with just over a minute left in the game. Then, junior Megan Horn, who had been a dominating force throughout the game, turned up the heat, leading Big Blue to a 64-63 comeback victory over the Colonials. "A leap of faith. . . a delicate touch. . . and nerves of steel," is how a local reporter characterized her free throw in the final seconds of the game. For a point guard experiencing, according to her coach, a breakout season (she leads the team in points, averaging 18.5 points and 2.4 assists each game), the move was well within character.

It wasn't long before she notched another big achievement. Just 10 days later, in a game against Newark Collegiate, in which she scored a game-high 24 points and four 3-pointers, she became only the second female basketball player—and first junior—at Pingry to reach 1,000 points (Katie Occhipinti '08 was the first; and last winter, Drew Gagnon '16 accomplished the same feat, as a senior.)

Her path to 1,000 points has been a steady one. As a freshman point guard on the varsity team, she made an immediate impact, averaging 9.6 points and 2.2 assists. The following year, she averaged 14.2 points and 3.1 assists, and started every game. As a junior, her points-per-game average has more than doubled compared to her freshman campaign, and she is a leading player in the conference. On February 13, NJ.com named her among the top 3-point shooters in the state, averaging 2.7 per game.

"We are all very proud of Megan's accomplishments throughout her career, including this latest one," Head Coach Courtney Tierney remarked. "She has risen to every challenge this year and has advanced tremendously on both the physical and mental aspects of the game. She is now the one who can make big plays for us, and we are all confident when the ball is in her hands. We are so excited for the next phase of Megan's career."

Congratulations, Megan!

Click here to view News12 Varsity video coverage, including an interview with Megan, from the exciting Morristown game.

Photos: Celebrating with teammates (top), and the lay-up to Megan's 1,000th point.

Contact: Andrea Dawson, Senior Writer, adawson@pingry.org