It was a special night for former Lehighton standout Hailey Miller — even if she didn’t realize just how special it would be.

The Penn State Berks senior knew her 1,000th-career point was within reach against Cairn on Nov. 24, but Miller and her family believed she would likely get it the following day against Penn College.

Early on, that expectation seemed plausible. Miller’s game started slowly, and she had just three points after the first quarter. But once she settled in, she found her rhythm and quickly surged past her 16.9 points-per-game average. Miller’s previous career high was 30 points against Penn State Harrisburg last season.

Late in the game, Miller stepped to the foul line and hit two free throws. After the second one, the horn sounded — and the game stopped.

Miller had become the seventh player in Penn State Berks history to eclipse 1,000 career points. She went on to finish with a career-high 35 points, the third-highest single-game total in program history, along with 14 rebounds and five steals in the 66-54 win over Cairn.

As bonuses go, it was a full sweep: the milestone, the record night, and a Wildcats victory.

“I didn’t have any idea I had the 1,000th point until I heard the announcement,” Miller said. “I struggled in the beginning, but then I started to get going and was hitting my shots. I was locked in, and I definitely thought I had over 20 points.

“Overall, it was a good night and couldn’t have asked for a better one. I got my 1,000th point, my career high, and we won the game.”

Miller also holds a unique distinction within her basketball family. She is the only female player among them to score 1,000 points in both high school and college. Her mother, Missy, and sister, Courtney, each reached 1,000 career points at Cedar Crest College, but not at Lehighton. Another sister, Emily, played only at Lehighton.

Her mother admitted she and her husband debated whether they should come prepared for the moment.

“My husband and I discussed whether or not we should have brought flowers,” Missy said. “Courtney and her two children created a banner, and they were going to bring it Tuesday.

“The kids were devastated, and we are still in shock. At the game, though, it was really exciting.”

Missy saw signs early that her youngest daughter was headed for a standout career. Hailey was a gym rat who dove into AAU basketball in sixth grade.

“She was the one who always played against the older kids,” Missy said. “When she started playing in first grade, Hailey was playing against third- and fourth-graders.”

Her father, Scott, also recognized that drive.

“If there was a scrum of players, Hailey would be the one who came out of it with the ball,” he said. “She has a very rigorous AAU schedule where she would play 40 to 50 games and travel to places like Chicago and Kentucky, and then have the regular season and summer leagues.”

Miller is set to graduate with a degree in life science and a minor in psychology, and she plans to attend graduate school to become a physician assistant.

Her transition to Penn State Berks brought an immediate comfort.

“I was interested in PSU Berks, and the coach began to recruit me,” Miller said. “The coach told me I would be pretty involved in the offense from the start, and it would be similar to playing in high school, where I was told to shoot.

“It was far enough from home, but not too far to go home for the weekends. It reminded me a lot of being in Lehighton, as everyone knew everyone. But this is a pretty decent-size campus.”

Miller would welcome the chance to play in a women’s league after college, but she acknowledged she may take some time off to recover after years of heavy mileage. Coaching someday also remains a possibility.

“I do need to take a little bit of a break,” she said. “With my knees, I’m feeling old. I have to see where I am after grad school to try and stay involved with the game.

“But I will have plenty of good memories of PSU Berks.”

And one very special one — the one she never saw coming — will stay with her forever.