Danielle Williamsen is very serious about her basketball, so it was no surprise that she took care of business rather quickly.

Needing only 38 seconds of game action, the St. Joseph by-the-Sea senior became the school’s all-time leading scorer, draining a jumper at the left of the key, just inside the 3-point arc against visiting Christ the King on Friday night in Huguenot.

But it was junior teammate Angelina Hodgens who took charge down the stretch, guiding the Lady Vikings to a 63-57 CHSAA victory.

“It was pretty important getting it over with early, so we could focus on the team getting the win,” said Williamsen, who recently signed a scholarship offer with Division I Marist College. “It’s definitely a nice accomplishment. I’m just glad my teammates trust me with the ball. The whole team has been very supportive.”

Entering the contest, Williamsen trailed Radice (1,439 career scholastic points) by only one point. After tallying 17 against the Royals, her current total is at 1,455.

Williamsen’s achievement came in front of the previous record-holder, Jeanine Radice, who established the mark in 1985. Radice, who has been coaching at the D-I level for 30 years, the last five as University of Richmond assistant coach, couldn’t talk for the record about Williamsen because of NCAA regulations — but she did speak of her high school days.

“It’s changed a lot. Because of my schedule, I’ve only been back one other time, about 20 years ago,” said the Fordham University grad of Sea. “And the game has changed a lot since I played here. There was no 3-point line, and we played with the men’s ball.

Radice, who said she was “excited” about her record being broken, said “you played for the love of the game and to win; the points just went with it. I was never big on individual accomplishments. It was nice, for sure. And I know that Danielle will remember this night for the rest of her life.

“For me, I remember the camaraderie we had, the friends I made. We had some good basketball teams here, but I remember we couldn’t beat Christ the King.”

That wasn’t the case Friday night. Williamsen got half of Sea’s six treys in the first half to propel the Lady Vikings to a 30-20 advantage at the intermission. But in the third quarter, Sea started short-arming shots from the perimeter, while Ayanna Culver and nationally recruited 6-foot-4 sophomore Olivia Vukosa each netted 12 points in the period for CTK, which briefly took a four-point lead. The Lady Vikings (9-0 league, 10-3 overall), however, reclaimed a 43-42 edge entering the fourth.

“In the third quarter, we didn’t come out with the same energy level. Plus, you can’t keep a team that good down for long,” said Sea head coach Josh Suslak of the Royals (4-2 overall). “I wasn’t pleased with our defense, but that’s my fault, too. I’m just happy we stayed with them.”

“Coach just told us that really good teams [like the Royals] will always go on a run,” Hodgens said.

Hodgens was one of the Lady Vikes who had gone cold from behind the arc in the third quarter. In the fourth, however, she ditched the outside shots for drives to the basket. The sturdily-built 5-10 Hodgens was like a runaway train, barreling her way to the basket regardless of the defense. If she didn’t score, Hodgens got to the foul line. Half of her 8-for-8 performance from the charity stripe came in the fourth quarter, where she netted 16 of her 27 points, tied with Vukosa for game-high honors.

“I think my legs were tired in the third,” Hodgens said. “I think we needed someone to step up and score points. Everyone stepped up in their own way; I just started attacking the basket. It was a great team win.”

While Hodgens gave up six inches to Vukosa, she showed an incredible ability to slash to the hoop and twist her body to duck under her taller opponent.

“I definitely worked on my physicality a lot, lifting weights during the offseason and getting stronger,” Hodgens said. “I knew I had to because I’m one of the tallest girls we have.”

“At the next level, Angelina is going to be a true guard, so it’s important that she has that strength and balance,” said Suslak, who also reflected on Williamsen’s special night.

“From the time she came here, I knew Danielle would be a special player. I knew how hard she worked at it,” the coach stated. “She has that tenacity, that competitive fire. I remember when she was a freshman and we were dealing with Covid and had to have outdoor practices, she was going after the seniors. It just showed me how much she was dedicated.”