File photo by Ari Selvey Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart’s Lily Hubin takes a jump shot during a road game at New Ulm Cathedral on Feb. 4, 2025.

HECTOR — Last Friday, not only did Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart’s Lily Hubin score her 2,000th career point in a Tomahawk Division girls basketball game against Cedar Mountain, but she also surpassed Sara Kottke for most points all-time in BLHS history.

“It was surreal to me,” Hubin said. “I’m looking at the stands seeing all my family members and my teammates cheering for me. It just felt unreal that I’d made it to that point. It still feels like I was this underclassman who set those goals, then to actually reach them, I was at a loss for words. I just felt the overwhelming support of everyone who watched me grow to where I am today. That was really heartwarming to see that everyone was there for me on that night.”

Hubin said getting the record was a testament to all the great teams and the teammates she’s played with.

“It means a lot to me,” Hubin said. “I’ve set my goals, starting varsity in eighth grade, I worked on those goals. I had amazing role models to look up to to help me through that, and I really just give my credit back to them, because without them pushing me every day and helping me along, I definitely couldn’t have had it without them, so I really give the credit to my teammates since I’ve been playing on varsity and my teammates now obviously for pushing me still.”

Hubin currently sits at 2,054 points for her career, with plenty of her senior season left to go. So far this year, she is averaging 31.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, four assists and 3.8 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the field and 49.1% from 3-point range on 10.6 attempts per game.

Hubin was a strong scorer early on in her career on some BLHS teams that had strong core groups, including her sophomore year where she was the leading scorer on a state tournament team.

“My freshman year, we really had a good team,” Hubin said. “We were supposed to go farther than expected, and that really started the love of basketball for me. We had such a great season and great chemistry. Those are my best friends.

“That really pushed me, then the next season, we lost one senior, but we had the same returning team and it just only grew. Then it got me to where I am today, because they showed me to never give up and to keep pushing towards your dreams, no matter how far-fetched they seem.”

Throughout her career, Hubin has made the game about more than herself.

“Just always playing for your teammates,” she said. “When I was younger, I had a bunch of upperclassmen that really set goals for themselves and really wanted to succeed and make it far and fulfill their dreams. I was still figuring out who I was as a player, and no matter what I was going through that day, was going to give it all in practice every single game for them so they could succeed and fulfill their dreams. Then that kind of instilled in me to do the same as I got older and give everything back to my teammates, because they work just as hard as I do. I just only want what’s best for them.”

Just as Hubin was inspired as she watched Kottke score her 2,000th, Hubin hopes she inspires future generations at BLHS to put in the work in their basketball careers.

“I really hope that I can set that example that it is achievable through hard work and dedication and countless hours in the gym,” Hubin said. “Our program is pretty small, and after this season I don’t know what it’s going to look like, so hopefully those younger girls who are always at our home games, always cheering for us on the sidelines, they can see that and set those goals like I did too, because I remember watching Sara get her 2,000th, and I remember thinking, ‘That’s who I want to be when I’m older.’ So I really hope I can set that example for those younger girls coming up into our program.”

Hubin’s favorite memories from her career come from her state tournament trip during the 2023-24 season.

“That whole playoff run, we had some good get-back games,” she said. “Then making it to state after not making it for 20 years, that’s got to be the highlight of my career. Then just every single moment with every one of my teammates on bus rides, before games, during games, definitely all of it has been a blessing to have, and most people don’t get to have those moments with their teammates. I’m very grateful to have such a successful and wonderful career so far, and I’m not done yet, so I’m excited to see where this season takes us.”

As Hubin plays out the rest of this season, she wants to lead her team towards the top of the Tomahawk Division standings.

“I want to grow our team and have us be one of the competitors in the conference and just compete every single night,” she said. “One of my goals is to get another home playoff game, whatever that might take, I really want to work to get towards that.”