Clayton Parker celebrated a milestone with 23 seconds left in the third quarter against Mexico in the championship game of the Montgomery County Invitational Tournament on Dec. 2 at Ballew & Snell Court.

The Montgomery County junior hit the 1,000-point mark of his career after scoring a basket that cut the Wildcats’ deficit to 43-39. He became the first Wildcat in the boys division to score 1,000 points since his older brother, Collin, accomplished that feat on Jan. 30, 2021.

But Parker was disappointed that his team didn’t celebrate a tournament championship as the Wildcats fell 58-54 to Mexico to finish second in the eight-team tournament.

“A 1,000 is nice,” Parker said. “I give all of the credit to my teammates. I can’t score unless they give me the ball. But I’d rather win a tournament championship with my best friends than score 1,000 by myself.”

The 6-foot-8 Parker scored 26 points in the title game and 63 overall to earn tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors for the first time. He earned an all-tournament selection in his freshman and sophomore years.

Going into the championship game, Parker needed just 21 points to reach the 1,000-point mark. He was honored for his milestone during the awards presentation after the game.

“He worked his freaking tail off since he couldn’t walk,” MCHS coach Scott Kroeger said. “So it’s really cool for him to get an accomplishment like that, along with his teammates. That says a lot about the teams that he’s on. You can’t be a one-man show and get to 1,000 points in your fourth game of his junior year. He certainly could be a one-man show and still be successful elsewhere, but to do it this fast is a testament to his work ethic.”

The Wildcats competed in the Montgomery County Invitational championship game for the first time since 2017. MCHS finished second in the tournament for the seventh time.

Parker said he was thrilled to play in the tournament title game for the first time. His team placed fourth last year and third the year before.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Parker said. “Give credit to all of the fans who came out to watch us play. When in practice, we build chemistry together for these big environments.”

Parker is back for another year after finishing with a strong sophomore season last winter. He earned all-state honors for the first time after averaging 23 points per game with 240 rebounds and 42 blocked shots and helping his team win 19 games and an Eastern Missouri Conference championship.

Parker said his main goal is to help his team turn in a successful season. A year ago, the Wildcats were knocked out by North Callaway in district tournament play.

“We can go as far as we want to,” Parker said. “Last year, we got knocked out in the first round (of districts). We have to stay together and practice on everything. We can reach the highest level possible if we play as a team and stay together.”