Jaiden Thomas reached a milestone of scoring 1,000 points during her high school career, at the home game against Central on January 21. Thomas has been playing for the Lady Cats since her freshman year. 

She had to overcome an ankle injury and surgery during the end of her sophomore season, and had to miss conference season. Thomas said “This was extremely hard for me because I wasn’t used to watching games strictly from the sidelines. Aside from that, going through rehab tested my mental toughness and helped me realize not to take my ability for granted.” Thomas has had to work hard and push through challenges, including mental challenges during her career. Jaiden said, “I’ve had to learn from my mistakes and be able to bounce back better than before.” Luckily she has had her family on her side throughout it all. “I am more than grateful for my family. We have always been very close and we all come from a sports background. They have supported me in everything I do, and they are the ones that got me to where I am. I used to think my parents were too hard on me at an early age; however, I realize now that they just wanted me to be the best version of myself because they love me.” Thomas said. 

While Coach Hutchcraft has been at Conway there have been 6 players to reach their 1,000 point milestone, including Jaiden. Throughout Thomas’s experience at Conway they have made it to the semi-finals all 3 years, but they lost in the semi-finals. The Lady Cats are #1 in the state right now, and have an overall record of 17-1. Jaiden said “Playing for this program under Coach Hutchraft’s leadership has by far been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had. I’ve had the luxury of being blessed with amazing teammates who make it easy to show up and work hard at practice. Being able to say that I play for the #1 team in the state gives me a lot of confidence and with that some responsibility. I’m thankful that I’m surrounded by humble and hardworking people that make this happen. I’m proud to be a Lady Cat!” Jaidens basketball career will not end with the Lady Cats. Once she graduates she will go to Louisiana Tech to play basketball for them.