CAIRO, NY – Congratulations to Mackenzie Sherburne, a CDHS Senior, for scoring her 1,000th career point on Monday, February 3, 2025, during the Girls Varsity Basketball game versus Hunter-Tannersville. Mackenzie is the first girl in Cairo-Durham history to reach this milestone!
Thrilled, supported, and grateful are the best ways to describe how Mackenzie felt when reaching this milestone. She said she was grateful for everyone’s belief and support over the years. Afterward, Mackenzie reflected on what this achievement meant for her team and girls basketball in the Cairo-Durham community.
“When I tore my ACL, I never thought this would happen. But, my team was my biggest motivation. They put all their trust in me game after game and this would've never become reality without their continued support over the years… my teammates have the most resilience and grit out of every team in the Patroon,” said Mackenzie. “My hope is that young girls see this accomplishment and want to try out basketball. Our program is small, but I hope that in a few years, it will be strong.”
Mackenzie Sherburne is involved in numerous extracurricular activities including being a member of the Interact Club and Wellness Club, serving as her class vice president, and competing in girls varsity basketball and soccer. The interest in basketball started in 5th grade when she started by playing CYO. In 7th grade, she started playing on Cairo-Durham sports teams. A few years later, in 9th grade, Mackenzie began her high school basketball and soccer career as a starter. When asked what her favorite part of basketball is, she said, “The thing that I love most about basketball is its reliability. Basketball will always be there for me when I need it. If I have a bad day, I can pick up a ball and shoot to feel better, and if I get amazing news, I celebrate by dribbling in my driveway. Basketball has been with me throughout all of my ups and downs and has a sense of dependability that cannot be beat by anything else.”
Greg Hagan, the Cairo-Durham Athletic Director and middle school PE Instructor, said that there were certain milestones that elite athletes try to attain. For a wrestler it is reaching 100 wins, a soccer player looks for 100 goals, and a basketball player aims to earn 1,000 points. “We have had 3 people reach 1,000 points (one in 1976, one in 2014, and Mackenzie in 2025) in their varsity careers, and Mackenzie is the only girl in Cairo-Durham history to achieve this mark,” he said.
“Mackenzie has done whatever it takes to get better as a basketball player for as far as I can remember. She played Saturday basketball in the beginning of her career and has moved up to AAU teams that play against the most talented players in the area,” Greg Hagan commented. “Her hard work and dedication have paid off and her work ethic will be evident in whatever career path she takes.”
Cairo-Durham CSD and CDHS are proud of Mackenzie for her work ethic, being involved in a wide variety of extracurriculars, and earning such a historic milestone for the Mustangs!
“This impressive career milestone is a testament to Mackenzie's tenacious work ethic and exceptional talent on the court,” middle/high school principal Catherine Dodig joyfully said. “She has etched her name in the history books here at Cairo-Durham and we could not be happier for her!”