Anaconda’s Meela Mitchell Makes History as Fifth Copperhead Girl to Reach 1,000 Points

Meela Mitchell of Anaconda was momentarily confused when her head coach, Andy Saltenberger, called a timeout after she had drained the first free throw of a one-and-one against Three Forks last Saturday.

However, the senior soon saw that he needed to take a moment to recognize her great achievement.

Mitchell became the fifth player in Copperhead girls basketball history to reach 1,000 points in a career with her free throw. She made it obvious that she didn’t want to know any particular figures going into this season, even if she knew she was close.

“I didn’t know, no idea,” Mitchell said after the game. “I knew I wanted it to be a surprise. Just having that number hang over my head has been very stressful and a sensitive topic.”

And she felt a wave of relief when she and her teammates hugged and smiled during that joyous timeout.

“People always talk about how great it is, but they don’t talk about how stressful it is getting there,” Mitchell said of reaching the scoring milestone. “And when you’re close and you’re not sure what game it’s gonna happen in, there’s a lot of extra pressure. It’s awesome to finally have it crossed off the list.”

Mitchell is currently one of only four Copperhead ladies to reach the 1,000-point mark, along with Ali Hurley (1,698 career points), Torry Hill (1,496), Courtney Moodry (1,069), and Makena Patrick (1,018). She scored 37 points in her freshman year, 363 in her sophomore year, and then exploded for 563 points in the previous season, which saw the Copperheads make their first appearance in the state tournament since 2020–21.

“Meela was kind of behind the 8-ball as a freshman because the program was so good,” said Blake Hempstead, Anaconda’s longtime play-by-play announcer. “It was tough to get her on the floor because Anaconda was deep and talented. But at (the Western B) divisional we saw what Meela could be.”

In addition, she is now the 18th-leading scorer in Anaconda history, regardless of gender. Braxton Hill, a former linebacker for the University of Montana, is at the top of that list. He outperformed Wayne Estes, Ed Kalafat, his sister Torry, Scott, Rob, and Ali Hurley during his senior basketball season.

Mitchell is proud to be associated with the players she grew up admiring, notably Estes, who was and continues to be a legendary figure in the Smelter City. There are many well-known individuals on that list.

“I’ve read books about him, I see his picture every time I go into the gym, which is all the time,” stated Mitchell. “So I’m super pleased that my name is even in the same conversation with theirs.”