Vote for the high school girls basketball player of the week, Week 5
Harding's Bella Rose Austin (1) brings the ball up the court during a Nov. 16, 2023 game against Freedom Prep. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Once again this season, The Daily Memphian will be spotlighting a high school girls basketball player of the week.
And we still need your help.
Each Monday, we’ll list candidates from the previous weeks games and fans can vote on their pick for the week’s top player. Thanks to our partnership with OrthoSouth, player of the week stories will now be free to access, with no payment or subscription required to vote for the Fans’ Choice Player of the Week.
Voting ends at 5 p.m. each Thursday.
Our staff will also choose a player of the week — the OrthoSouth Grizzlies Player of the Week.
Some weeks we may agree; some we may not. But we still want the fans to make their voices heard.
Here are the candidates for this week, which includes games played through Jan. 10.
Bella Rose Austin, Harding: Austin very nearly messed around and got a triple-double against St. George’s on Jan. 8 — but she had a terrific game just the same. She finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists as the Lions beat their region rivals, 53-26.
Reese Harrell, Lakeland Prep: Harrell, a 5-10 senior, scored 11 of her 21 points in third quarter on Jan. 9 as the Lions pulled away for a 57-25 victory over Ridgeway.
Laila Nelson, Whitehaven: A sharp-shooting junior, Nelson is one of the main reasons first-year coach Herbert Payne’s Tigers enter the week with an area-best record of 17-3. She made 5-of-9 3-pointers and scored 18 points on Jan. 9 in a 59-21 victory over Central.
McKenzie Register, East: Register knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 26 points on Jan. 8 to power the Mustangs to an impressive 59-55 victory over district rival Memphis Business Academy.
Gabby Stallings, Trezevant: The Purple Bears are struggling in the win-loss column this season but they might just have a star in the making in Stallings. The sophomore scored 34 points in a 62-18 victory over Crosstown and followed that with 18 more as Trezevant improved to 5-12 with a 50-31 win over Douglass.
Previous fan vote winners
Week 1: Curnesha Taylor, Memphis Business Academy
Week 2: Addie Turner, Munford
Week 3: Orylncia Newson, Soulsville
Christmas break: Fallon Drzyzga, St. Agnes
Topics
TSSAA MSCIAA High School Girls Basketball High School Girls Basketball player of the week East High Harding Academy Lakeland Prep Trezevant High School Whitehaven High Bella Rose Austin Reese Harrell Laila Nelson McKenzie Register Gabby StallingsJohn Varlas
John Varlas is a lifelong Memphian who has covered high school sports in various capacities for over 20 years.
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