The hunter recognized his shot.

Parker Weadge likes to lock in on white-tailed deer when not lining up shots and posting double-doubles on the basketball court for Marengo. Once the 6-foot-6, 190-pound junior center zeroed in on his target recently, it was only a matter of time before it fell.

It did last weekend.

Weadge snatched a rebound off a missed free throw against visiting Sandwich, giving him the single-season school record. He made the moment even more special by putting back the rebound, getting fouled and converting the three-point play.

At quarter’s end, the crowd – including Weadge’s friends, parents, aunts, uncles and other family members – stood and applauded. Weadge needed only three rebounds going into the Kishwaukee River Conference matinee Jan. 24 to break Brock Bertrand’s school record of 244.

Who saw that coming from a kid who stood maybe 6-foot as a freshman on the varsity two years ago.

“I never really got that many rebounds until this season,” Weadge said.

It took only four games into this season for Weadge to grab more rebounds in a contest than any player in Marengo history. He snagged 22 boards against Woodstock North on Dec. 9, and suddenly a target appeared for him.

Weadge looked at the basketball record board outside Marengo’s main gym and locked in. His seven rebounds in the Indians’ 57-51 win over Sandwich gave him 249 for this season.

“I never really expected to get this many rebounds,” Weadge said. “The Woodstock North game, when I got the single-game record, that’s when I realized, ‘Wow, I’m starting to get a lot of rebounds.’ ”

Marengo coach Jeremy Burke couldn’t be happier for Weadge, who’s averaging about 15 points and almost 12 rebounds a game for an Indians team that took a 5-17 record (2-6 KRC) into Friday’s home game against Woodstock.

Weadge scored a career-high 25 points against Scales Mound at South Beloit’s MLK Tournament on Jan. 19.

“As the year kicked off, he was averaging a double-double,” Burke said. “[Assistant] coach [Jeff] Smith and I were talking, and we were like, ‘He’s going to get this [rebounding record].’ He was just getting every rebound. If someone missed a layup, missed a shot inside, he was getting the rebound and putting it back up. He was just cleaning up.”

A hunter hunts, after all.

“He hunts those rebounds all right,” Burke said with a laugh. “He’s an outdoor kid, works on a farm. He’s just a really well-grounded kid who knows what he wants to do and just works hard at it.”

When he needs a break from the basketball court, Weadge knows where to go.

“My grandpa owns a bunch of land, and we hunt that land,” Weadge said. “I like being in nature. It’s peaceful.”

Basketball is intense. Weadge doesn’t stand around on the basketball court, waiting for the ball to drop into his lap.

“He goes up and high-points that ball, and he’s so tall and has that reach,” Burke said. “He’s really done a good job this year of going up with two hands and snatching that ball. A lot of it is effort.”

Weadge attacks rebounds. His growth spurt, which probably wasn’t surprising considering the heights of dad Andy (6-4) and mom Wendy (6-1), has only helped him. Weadge was listed at 6-3 on the varsity roster last season, when he essentially served as the Indians’ sixth man.

“He was tall and lanky,” Burke said. “He just needed to get the coordination. The time he put into it, you see it paying off this year, and it’s going to pay off going into his senior year as well.”

The next step for Weadge and the Indians is winning consistently. Marengo went 5-26 in Burke’s first season last year, and while the Indians were 2-11 after a loss to KRC leader Johnsburg on Jan. 13, they have gone 3-5 since then. They lost to Richmond-Burton on a buzzer-beater on Jan. 21.

They’ve lost five games by two or fewer points.

“Last year, we got blown out a bunch,” Weadge said. “This year, we’ve had several close games that could have gone our way. We’re close [to winning more consistently].”

Michael Volkening holds Marengo’s school record for career rebounds with 501. Weadge could grab that record next season.

“He knows the game very well,” Burke said. “He’s a smart basketball player. He works hard on the glass, and he works hard at finishing on the inside. His knowledge of the game shows.”