It's no secret that Elko guard Taylor Altenburg is among the best players in Northern Nevada. Now the senior also has the label of being the best in Elko's history after breaking a 22-year-old scoring record on Jan. 12 against Fallon.

The New Mexico State commit broke Diane Rogers' school scoring record of 1,671 with her 21-point game against Fallon to give her 1,681 career points. The feat also moved her into fourth place on the Nevada girls basketball career scoring list.

"It's exciting to be in the same standings as Diane Rogers because she's just a phenomenal athlete," Altenburg said. "I really enjoyed when she was coaching us. So it's more of an honor being up there with her than just the record."

Rogers was an assistant coach at Elko during Altenburg's freshman and sophomore seasons.

Altenburg's record is the tops at Elko in both girls and boys basketball. She also has the advantage of the 3-point line, something Rogers didn't get the chance to use because the 3-point line didn't exist while she played.

"We joke all the time that we're going to change all of Taylor's threes to twos to see what happens," said Elko coach Karen Hoem, who is friends with Rogers. "I still think she'd be pretty dang close."

The scoring record is the culmination of Altenburg's career. When she started playing at Elko she was the Indians' primary scoring threat, making it harder for her to score on a nightly basis as she constantly faced double teams.

This season has been different for Altenburg. She hasn't had to be the main focus of the team with the growth of sophomore guard Ciera Dunbar, who is averaging more than 10 points per game and has been a presence on the defensive end of the floor, too.

"When they (her teammates) step up and they're competing and playing at their tops, it's nice because in return in helps us as whole group because then all of us are scoring and it helps us become better," Altenburg said.

Despite her stronger supporting cast, Altenburg still leads her team in scoring with 20.2 points per game to go with her 8.7 rebounds per game. The Indians are in second place in the High Desert League with a 4-1 record.

It isn't very often that a player of Altenburg's caliber finds their way to Elko, but the Elko native is making a name for herself, not just in Nevada, but also in Salt Lake City, where she spends her summers playing AAU basketball.

"She's worked on her game to where now she's become like a two or a shooting guard, so now she has perimeter skills that she's developed," Salt Lake Metro coach Dave Hammer said. "She's really long, a good defensive player and she's a really good scorer."

But even after she leaves the confines of her hometown she will get the chance to see some familiar faces. New Mexico State plays in the Western Athletic Conference with Nevada and Utah State, which will give her the chance to play near her family and against Reed forward Kayla Williams, who has committed to play at Nevada next season.

"It's nice to be in that area where if games are close my parents can travel," Altenburg said. "Kayla is an amazing player and I look forward to playing against her for four more years."