In recent years in Franklin County, few girls’ basketball players have been as prolific as Vina High School’s Layla Hester. But on November 9, the ASWA All-State Honorable Mention and two-time Franklin Free Press All-Franklin County First Team selection added to her list of accolades by scoring her 1,000th career point, an impressive achievement for any prep basketball player.
In Vina’s home opener Monday night, Hester dropped a double-double, scoring 23 points and adding 10 assists in the Lady Red Devils’ lopsided 67-13 victory over Saint Bernard Prep. Coming into the contest, Hester was sitting on 991 career points, thus easily reaching the milestone during the win.
Hester said hitting the 1,000 career points mark was more of a relief than anything else.
“There was a lot of pressure on me scoring those 1,000 points, and I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to get there,” she said.
But once she scored that special basket, the pressure melted away. She was thankful, she said, to have the opportunity to do it in her home gym and in front of her biggest supporters.
“It was our first home game, my whole family was there and all of my friends came out to support me,” Hester said. “It was a really good feeling because everyone who’s important to me and involved in my life was able to be there.”
Hester, who averaged 15.5 points-per-game last season, likely would’ve hit 1,000 points as a junior but a collarbone injury kept her out for Vina's final five games of the 2025-26 campaign.
Overcoming adversity to arrive at this point, though, has made the achievement that much more special for her, Hester said.
“Every injury and obstacle that’s come my way, it’s been tough,” she told the FFP. “Any athlete will tell you it’s really tough to sit out of a sport you love and watch your friends continue to do what you want to do which is play. It’s hard, really hard to sit on the bench and not be able to play, but it makes even better when you get to be back out there again.
“It just makes it that much more worth it knowing I was able to overcome that injury, and I got better because of it,” she added. “I’m very thankful.”
Since scoring her 1,000th point and helping her team win its first game against Saint Bernard, Hester and the Lady Red Devils have picked up three more wins, improving to 4-1 after beating Cherokee, Huntsville Christian Academy and Tupelo Christian Prep. Hester contributed to those three victories with 51 more points.
Off to a positive start and as early as it is in this new campaign, Hester will have a chance to hit even more personal milestones. But when asked about what she wanted to achieve next, her team’s success was front of mind.
“I want us to go as far as we can go. I’m not stopping ‘til we see State,” she said.