Asya Akar admitted to being a little anxious on Friday night. The balloons and banner were ready, and additional friends and family were in attendance for one reason – to see Akar score her 1,000th point.
Despite those nerves, Akar delivered what everyone in the crowd at Lyndhurst had come out to see. The game that was promoted on social media as Akar’s milestone night became just that when Akar scored 19 points, including the 1,000th of her career in the Golden Bears’ 45-29 victory over Harrison.
“There was so much pressure,” Akar said about the hour leading up to the game. “I was so anxious and everyone coming to watch really makes you think and play differently and it was just scary. But as soon as I did, it was just a huge pressure lifted off of my chest.”
“She was absolutely nervous, but like I told her, just play your game. Try to eliminate the distractions. If you play how you normally play, it’s going to happen tonight,” said head coach Dan Kesack. “To her credit, she locked in and she did what she needed to do and she ended up getting it in the first half.”
By achieving the milestone, Akar, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, finds herself in exclusive company, becoming just the seventh girl in Lyndhurst history to score 1,000 points and the first since Carly Martin in 2021.
“I came into high school not knowing that I would accomplish this,” said Akar. “But it happened and I’m so happy. It’s shocking and I feel grateful and happy that I did it to show it’s achievable.”
Needing 11 points to get to 1,000, Akar reached the milestone late in the first half when point guard Sam Mayer found Akar for a lay up. According to Akar, it was only fitting the moment happened thanks to an assist from her teammate since fifth grade.
“She usually assists me with every point I get,” said Akar. “We’ve been playing for years, since fifth grade, and it means a lot that she assisted me on it. She told me the game before that she wanted to assist me on my 1,000th point.
“I was so shocked when it happened. I was like, ‘Sam, you predicted this.’ It was just a good moment for both of us.”
It was in fifth grade when Akar was signed up to play basketball by her mother Zuhal. It was a year later, when Akar started playing travel ball, that her passion for basketball started to grow.
“I think it was my sixth grade year during travel, I was a starter and I picked it up real quick and I scored a lot of points,” Akar said. “Going into high school, I was still getting used to the fast pace. My sophomore year, I guess I was like okay, I think I have the hang of this and I have a good three seasons left ahead of me.”
“(Then head coach Perrin) Mosca and I looked at each other right away after watching her play in the summer league going into her freshman year. And we both said right away she’s going to be one of the greats,” Kesack said. “She just had that athletic ability that is rare to see in girls basketball. She really stood out almost immediately.”
After averaging 8.0 points per game as a freshman, Akar enjoyed a breakout sophomore season when she averaged 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The scoring total increased to 13.1 points per game as a junior.
As a senior, Akar has taken her game to new heights, averaging 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
“It’s something that doesn’t happen very often at Lyndhurst and I couldn’t be more proud of her and who she is as an athlete, as a person because she does everything the right way,” Kesack said. “Whether it’s in the building, outside the building, when she steps on the court, or the track, or the field, everything she does, she does it the right way.”
LYNDHURST CAREER SCORING LEADERS
GIRLS BASKETBALL
- Dawn Johnson (1991) 2,224
- Cathy Perez (1999) 1,447
- Loretta Coughlin (1976) 1,326
- Camila Alonso (2013) 1,054
- Barbara Schifano (1986) 1,036
- Carley Martin (2021) 1,026
- Asya Akar (2025) 1,008
*through Jan. 12, 2025
Learn more about the writer ...
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)