Grayson Kirk of Lancaster basketball is The Herald’s latest Player of the Week
Grayson Kirk is The Herald’s latest winter sports Player of the Week.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard on the Lancaster boys’ basketball team did a little bit of everything for his team in three games this week: Kirk had nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 48-46 loss at South Pointe on Feb. 9. The next day, Kirk had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 42-34 win over Catawba Ridge. He also had five points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in a 66-45 win at York on Feb. 12.
Kirk “does things that don’t show up in the scorebook,” according to Lancaster basketball coach Jerron Cauthen.
The Bruins face Greenville on the road in the first round of the 4A state playoffs Monday.
There were 35,662 votes recorded in this week’s poll. Kirk earned 46.9% of the vote; Nada Dial of Fort Mill earned 40.1% of the vote; and Makayla Jamerson of South Pointe earned 4.8% of the vote.
Meet all the finalists and see the full results below.
Information below was updated through Feb. 13. The poll opened Feb. 15.
Meet the finalists
Lawrence Bartee, Clover boys’ basketball: The 6-foot-9 junior had 10 points in a 55-47 win at Nation Ford on Feb. 9. Three nights later, Bartee scored 11 points in a 61-31 victory over the same Nation Ford team. Clover has won three straight games and has clinched a spot in the state playoffs, which start later this week.
Shane Blakeney, Legion Collegiate boys’ basketball: Blakeney had quite the run this week: The 6-foot-3 junior had a season-high 35 points and six rebounds in a 63-49 win at Cheraw on Feb. 8. He followed that up with 13 points and four rebounds in a 61-49 victory over Cheraw on Feb. 11 — and finished his week off with 23 points and four rebounds in a 51-50 win at Andrew Jackson on Feb. 12. Blakeney is averaging 14.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for Legion Collegiate this season. The Lancers will make their SCHSL playoff debut later this week.
Zy Brown, York boys’ basketball: The 6-foot junior had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead York to a 65-46 win over Indian Land on Feb. 9. (The victory was York’s first since Jan. 12.) Brown followed that up with 23 points and eight rebounds in a 66-45 loss to Lancaster on Feb. 12. Brown is averaging 16.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds for York this season.
Jalen Burnett, Northwestern boys’ basketball: The 6-foot-3 junior had 25 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists — and even took two charges — to help Northwestern to an 83-75 double-overtime win at Spring Valley on Feb. 10 (the team’s season finale). Burnett averaged 15.4 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals per game for Northwestern this season.
Nywun Cloud, Great Falls boys’ basketball: The 6-foot-1 junior had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals to help the Red Devils beat CA Johnson, 69-50, to clinch the Region 2-1A title on Feb. 12. Cloud is averaging 11.6 points, five rebounds and four assists per contest for a Great Falls team that has won five straight games.
Nadia Dial, Fort Mill girls’ basketball: The 6-foot junior forward doubled her season average, scoring 22 points and grabbing 9.5 rebounds in two games last week. Dial had 25 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-43 loss at Fort Mill on Feb. 8. She also had 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals in a 43-42 win at Gaffney on Feb. 11. Dial is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game for Fort Mill this season.
Makayla Jamerson, South Pointe girls’ basketball: The 5-foot-11 senior averaged a double-double this week — scoring 13.3 points and grabbing 12.3 rebounds in three games as South Pointe beat Lancaster twice and Indian Land once. Jamerson had 16 points and 12 rebounds in an 86-12 win over Lancaster on Feb. 9. The next day, Jamerson had 12 points and nine rebounds in a 66-24 victory over Indian Land. Jamerson finished off the week with 12 points and 16 rebounds in a 78-20 win at Lancaster on Feb. 12. Jamerson averages 8.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for South Pointe this season.
Jakob Kees, Catawba Ridge wrestling: The Copperheads’ sophomore won a “close, physical match,” by pin versus Chesterfield this week, according to Catawba Ridge wrestling coach Handley Weathers. Kees improved to 8-5 in the 126-pound weight class this season.
Grayson Kirk, Lancaster boys’ basketball.
Aylesha Wade, Clover girls’ basketball: The 5-foot-6 senior guard eclipsed a new milestone last week: Wade notched her 2,000th career point during Clover’s 60-43 win over Fort Mill on Feb. 8 — a game where she scored 37 points. Wade also had 14 points apiece in wins over Nation Ford on Feb. 9 and Feb. 12. The Charlotte 49ers’ commit is averaging 20 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and two steals per contest for a Clover team that has won 11 straight games.
View full results here
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How to nominate
Player of the week awards highlight high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes — both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the ballot in future weeks, send an email to Jay Edwards at edwardswork23@gmail.com. Please include the athlete’s name, school, class and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 9:22 AM.
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