South Pointe’s Kaleigh Lucas is The Herald’s girls’ basketball player of the year

It was a stellar season for girls’ high school basketball in the Rock Hill area.

How deep was the talent?

The area produced two state player of the year winners. And yet it is a third standout who has been named the Rock Hill Herald’s Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.

South Pointe freshman Kaleigh Lucas, along with Andrew Jackson coach Steven Fair, have won top honors this year from The Herald.

Lucas had tough competition. South Pointe teammate Ja’Nyia Cunningham, a sophomore, won South Carolina MVP honors in 4A from the state coaches’ association. Andrew Jackson senior Tamia Watkins received the same award in Class 2A.

They, along with Lucas, provided fans with plenty of top-notch girls’ basketball this season.

Andrew Jackson won the 2A state championship, its second in a row under Fair’s direction. South Pointe compiled a 29-1 record and reached the 4A semifinals. And a pair of 5A schools, Clover and Rock Hill, won 20 or more games.

Leading the way was Lucas, a 5-foot-5 guard who averaged 20.8 points, 4.7 steals, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game. She, along with Cunningham, Watkins and Andrew Jackson’s Ni’Yonna Asbelle, are finalists for Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Year in South Carolina.

Prep Girls Hoops in South Carolina recently ranked Lucas as the No. 1 player in her class in the state.

She has been playing varsity basketball with the Stallions since seventh grade and is getting plenty of attention from high-major Division I college programs.

“(Lucas) spends a lot of time in the gym working on that shot,” South Pointe girls’ coach Stephanie Butler-Graham said. “I still don’t think she’s really hit the top gear yet. She has a whole lot left in her tank.

The other two top contenders for The Herald’s Player of the Year award, Cunningham and Watkins, also had superb seasons.

Cunningham eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her young career and led the team in rebounding. Watkins was the statistical and on-court leader of the Andrew Jackson team that obliterated its competition in the playoffs.

The coach of the year, Fair, is an Andrew Jackson graduate who became head coach of the girls’ program prior to the 2022-23 season.

After a 22-6 first campaign, he guided the Volunteers to a 27-4 mark and the 2A title in 2023-24, and followed that with a 29-2 record this season.

The Herald also has selected 10 area players to its girls’ all-star team.

That squad has three players from Andrew Jackson, two from Rock Hill, and one each from South Pointe, Clover, Westminster Catawba, Lancaster and Legion Collegiate.

Player of the year: Kaleigh Lucas, South Pointe, Fr., 5-5 ... Lucas earned all-state honors after averaging 20.8 points, 4.1 assists, 4.7 steals and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Coach of the year: Steven Fair, Andrew Jackson ... Fair coached the Volunteers to their second straight 2A state championship. Andrew Jackson finished 29-2, and the Volunteers are 78-12 in three seasons under Fair.

First team

Ja’Nyia Cunningham, South Pointe, Soph., 6-0 ... averaged 18.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game; named 4A player of the year by S.C. Athletic Coaches Association. Helped lead team to an unbeaten regular season.

Chloe Hudson, Rock Hill, Jr., 5-9 ... a solid 3-point shooter, Hudson earned all-state honors. She averaged 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 steals a game.

Samara Lucas, Clover, Sr., 6-0 ... she averaged 12 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for a region championship team and was a 5A all-state selection.

Aubrey Stevenson, Rock Hill, Sr., 5-7 ... a Charleston commit, Stevenson earned all-state honors after averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game.

Tamia Watkins, Andrew Jackson, Sr., 6-2 ... an Elon commit, Watkins averaged 30.4 points and 14.3 rebounds a game and was named 2A Player of the Year by S.C. Athletic Coaches Association. Helped lead team to a second straight state championship.

Second team

LaKiara Alexander, Legion Collegiate, Jr., 6-1 ... expected to be among the state’s top forwards next season, Alexander averaged 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds as a junior.

Ni’Yonna Asbelle, Andrew Jackson, Sr., 5-11 ... an all-state selection, Asbelle averaged 20.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals for the 2A state champion Volunteers.

Eliza Baskins, Lancaster, Sr., 5-7 ... a shooting guard, Baskins led the Bruins in scoring with 12.8 points per game.

Myana Fore, Westminster Catawba, Jr., 5-9 ... Fore earned all-state honors from the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association after averaging 17 points and 4.5 rebounds a contest.

Emiley McCall, Andrew Jackson, Sr., 5-5 ... she averaged 10.5 points and 3.9 assists a game and served as playmaker and 3-point specialist for a 2A state championship team.