HERMISTON — Records are made to be broken. It just so happens when it comes to the Hermiston girls’ single-game scoring record for basketball, that it has stayed in the same family for 28 years.

Izzy Simmons poured in 40 points on Jan. 2, in a Mid-Columbia Conference win over Hanford to break her mom’s record of 38 points. Alissa Edwards Simmons had held the record since 1998.

“That was the coolest part about it,” Simmons said of breaking her mom’s record. “I knew she had the record. I was even shocked that I scored 40 points for the longest time. I was just on that night.”

Alissa said she was hoping her daughter would one day break her record.

“I figured she probably could at some point break my record,” Alissa said. “I was excited for her.”

On that same night, Simmons also increased her career scoring record to 996 points — she surpassed the 1,000-point mark Saturday, Jan. 6, in a home game against Chiawana.

A 5-foot-5 junior guard, Simmons hit the 1,000-point mark with an unassisted jump shot with 4:34 remaining in the first quarter.

Simmons finished the Chiawana game with 20 points and six rebounds.

“I was terrified,” Simmons admitted. “Chiawana is so good. I think just from the start, I was thinking what I could do for the team and help us win, rather than being selfish.”

Alissa said she was glad the milestone came in the first quarter.

“I wasn’t really nervous for her,” Alissa said. “I was glad she got the four points early so she could just play basketball. It took the pressure off.”

Simmons had a family rooting section that exceeded 20 people when she scored her 1,000th point. While the milestone is nice, she wanted more.

“I was excited, but at the same time, I would rather win the game,” she said. “I was happy to do it at home and have my family there. Nothing has really changed. I just want to win.”

The family wore Izzy 1,000-point T-shirts with a pink basketball, to the surprise of Simmons.

“They were all hiding the shirts from me,” she said. “They put them on before I went onto the court to surprise me.”

Simmons, a starter since she was a freshman, scored 405 points her first year, then followed with 427 her sophomore year, putting her at 832 points at the start of her junior year.

This season, Simmons has scored 209 points in 111 games (19-point average). She has made 28 3-pointers, and is 23 of 5 from the free-throw line.

Keeping it in the family

In 1996, Angela Edwards Young broke the school record with 36 points in a game against Sunnyside. She surpassed the school record of 34 points held by Bev Lowry.

Two years later, Angela’s young sister, Alissa Edwards Simmons knocked her older sister down a notch in the record book with a 38-point performance against Walla Walla.

“I knew that was happening,” Angela said. “Alissa was always right on my heels. She played ball with us since we played AAU. She was my point guard my senior year (1995-96).”

Angela almost didn’t get a chance to set her record. The coach had taken her out of the game.

“Someone said something to her and she put me back in,” Angela said. “I didn’t realize it was happening.”

Alissa, who scored 1,491 points in her Hermiston career, holds the school record, but Simmons, a junior, still has plenty of time to take that record from her mom, as well.

“It wasn’t a big deal back then, no one said anything,” said Alissa, who went on to play at University of Oregon. “It’s kind of a fun story, for sure.”

Angela said her niece’s achievement was special for the whole family.

“Last night, it brought every single one of us to tears,” Angela said. “It was special to watch it. Her brother (Lane) and my son (James Young) were playing freshman ball, and they got to see the end of it.”

Aundrea Morrison, a 2003 Hermiston graduate, is part of the 1,000-point club with 1,021 points, but now finds herself No. 3 on the list after Simmons scored 25 points Jan. 9 against Eisenhower and now sits at 1,041.