Cascade High School Freshman beats record for most 3-point shots in one season

LEAVENWORTH – Cascade High School Freshman Lola Rieke has set a new CHS record for the most 3-point shots in one season.

Rieke’s 56 3-point shots surpasses the 1996 record of 49 held by Megan Franza, a Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association Hall of Fame athlete.

“She works on her shot, she's in the gym, and so she definitely puts in the work, and that proved itself by breaking that record,” said Varsity Coach Cody Bench.

Rieke has been a proficient shooter throughout her years of competitive basketball, which began in the third grade. In one of her first high school games, she made six 3-point shots in one game, the most she had ever made. Her own personal record got her thinking about the school record, which is nine. 

“My dad has been one of my biggest supporters throughout all of this,” said Rieke. “He just gave me this confidence, like, ‘You can beat this record. You can go down in Cascade history for basketball.”

As the season went on, Rieke had yet to beat her game total, but her efforts resulted in an impressive seasonal accumulation. By the time the team headed to districts, Rieke realized she was close to beating the season total record.

“I knew that we had two games [left] for sure…all I needed to do was score two [shots]…and I would beat the record,” said Rieke. “I probably had one of the worst games in my entire life, the first game of districts. I had no points…I was completely defeated by that point.”

After the game, Rieke practiced shooting for 30-minutes with her dad each day, preparing for the next game against Royal High School. If her team lost, Rieke would not have another chance to meet her goal.

“I made the first one, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I tied a record’…And then I made the second one, and I looked up to my dad and smiled. And I was like, ‘I did it,’” said Rieke.

Rieke celebrated quietly, withholding the news from her coach and teammates. She eventually notified Athletic Director Tim Barnes, who celebrated her achievement during the winter assembly. To her teammates’ surprise, Rieke was presented with a poster of her stats in front of the school.

“They were all so excited for me. They were all so supportive. They saw the big sign and just started clapping,” said Rieke. “It means a lot to me…I mean, there's still so much more that I think that I can do. But it feels great to have this momentary win.”

Rieke’s record is not only a mark of individual achievement, but indicative of an extraordinary comeback by the CHS girls’ varsity team. Two seasons ago, the basketball team ceased to exist after a last minute resignation from the head coach. Coming back the following year, the team only won one game. This year, they won 15 games in the standard season. They also placed 5th in the district tournament, and were only one game away from earning a spot in the state tournament.

“It actually speaks volumes about our team and how much we've improved over the last few years,” said Bench. “They worked hard for that…[They] knew the hard work it was going to take to get there, and those kids rose to that challenge.”

In the years to come, Bench hopes the team can carry on the momentum for more record breaking success, sowing inspiration in future players.

“Hopefully it lays the foundation for the younger girls that are eager to participate…This hopefully inspires those younger kids to keep working hard so that they can also achieve success and do things that others haven't done before, like break records,” said Bench.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media