2,500 points and counting:

Owen Gulke took care of his business early in the game. Carter Schmitz handled his in the first few seconds of the second half.

Both will go down in Cedar Grove-Belgium High School basketball history.

Gulke eclipsed the 1,500-career point mark in Monday’s 69-57 home win over Northeast Wisconsin Christian Home School Athletics Association. He scored the Rockets’ first eight points in 102 seconds.

“Just playing here has been amazing. Everyone around me has helped me out a lot,” Gulke said. “To get that out of the way and finish out the year strong now is good.”

Schmitz crossed the 1,000-point mark with a three-pointer at the start of the second half.

“Everyone says don’t think about it, but it’s human. I have to admit it’s in my head. It’s just going to happen. We fought through. Then it was just back to playing basketball,” Schmitz said.

“It’s as much me as it is everyone else. I’m not very much of an (isolation) player so it’s nice to have people like Owen and Griff (Knight) dishing off to me.”

“It’s just a testament not only to them as people, but I always think of it as team awards,” coach Jake Hock said. “They’re not doing it themselves, but they put in the work. In the offseason, they’re the ones in the gym. For four years, They’ve earned it. I’m so lucky to coach them. They’re phenomenal.”

The Rockets led, 33-29, at halftime. NEWCHAA tied the game at 38, but the Rockets answered with a 7-0 run and the lead never got below two again.

Schmitz ended with 20 points and Gulke with 19.

Last week, the Rockets pulled off two thrilling wins over quality squads.

On Feb. 10, the Rockets won, 67-64, in overtime over Kohler.

The Blue Bombers hit a game-tying three-pointer at the last second to send the game into overtime. Unlike at Ozaukee on Jan. 29, this time the Rockets closed it out.

After falling behind by four in the extra frame, Gulke hit a three-pointer “on a night the three-ball wasn’t hitting,” Hock said. “That got us going.”

Knight hit a layup and Gulke scored again.

Kohler got a good look at a half-court shot at the buzzer, but the ball bounced off the backboard and rim.

Gulke had 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Knight had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Thomas Wiesner had 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Schmitz had 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Noah Lukens hit two free throws late in regulation to put the Rockets up three before the last-second tying shot.

At Sheboygan Lutheran last Friday, the Rockets not only evened the season series with the Lancers in a 65-59 win, they stopped a losing streak dating to 2016.

The Rockets bolted to a 12-2 lead over the fourth-ranked Division 5 team in the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports Boys Basketball Media Poll and led the entire game.

“I would say it’s our best defensive game of the entire year,” Hock said.

The Lancers cut the lead to three with 30 seconds left, but Gulke hit two free throws to make it a five-point game.

Wiesner had 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and four assists. The Lancers had their best player, 6 feet, 5-inch forward Brennan Hackbarth, switching between Gulke and Schmitz, opening the door for Wiesner.

“Tom has been getting ultimate confidence. He can dictate the outcome of a game now,” Hock said.

Gulke had 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting and six rebounds. Knight had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. Schmitz had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

The Rockets were to host St. Mary Catholic on Tuesday, Feb. 17. They host Random Lake for senior night on Thursday, Feb. 19, and play at Port Washington, the No. 2-ranked team in Division 2, on Monday, Feb. 23.