Kelly named offensive MVP
All five KHS starters honored on All-District team in 12-4A
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

File photo by Ashia Kelly BIG GUN - Kilgore's Ashia Kelly (above), who stepped up her play against District 12-4A teams, was named the district's offensive most valuable player by district coaches, as the All-District team was chosen. A majority of Kilgore's roster was honored on the team, which shared the district championship with Nacogdoches. The Lady Bulldogs are coached by Davia Garrett, Jerry Reddic and Lacey Thompson.

The Kilgore High School girls basketball team was back in a big way in the 2007-08 season, going 12-2 in District 12- 4A - a school record in girls basketball for wins in district play - and sharing the district title with Nacogdoches.

To the winners go the spoils, it's said, and the result of Kilgore's good season is several spots on the All-District team, chosen by the district's coaches a few weeks back. Joining Kilgore and Nac in the district are Jacksonville, Hallsville, Pine Tree, Henderson, Whitehouse and Marshall.

Kilgore's roster, coached by Davia Garrett, was seniorheavy, and one of them - Ashia Kelly - was named the district's offensive most valuable player. Overall this season, Ashia scored 291 total points (11.6 points per game), grabbed 178 total rebounds (7.4 rebounds per game), 36 total blocks (1.5 per game), 65 total steals (2.7 per), and had 23 total assists. In district play, Kelly had 170 total points (12.1 points per game), 122 total rebounds (8.7 per game), 15 total blocks (1.1 per game), 34 total steals (2.4 a game), and 18 total assists.

File photo by Ashia Kelly BOMBS AWAY - Kilgore senior Shae Morgan (above) kept teams honest with her three-point shooting this season.

Other Kilgore players honored:

• Tai'Shea Reese and Troylisha Orange, both seniors, were named first-team All-District. Over the course of the season, Reese scored 192 total points (7.6 points per game), 192 total rebounds (8 per game), 8 total blocks, 45 total steals, (1.9 per game), and had 18 assists. In district play, Reese averaged 7.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game, in addition to having two blocks and nine assists.

Orange, the point guard, scored 185 total points on the season (averaging 7.4 per game), had 120 rebounds (5 per game), 4 blocks, 64 steals (2.6 per game), and had 63 assists (2.6 per game). Against 12- 4A teams, Orange averaged 7.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 2.4 steals and 1.3 assists per game (she had 34 steals and 18 assists in district play).

Post player Raven Wiley, a junior, was named second-team All-District. On the season, Wiley scored 185 points (averaging 7.4 per game), grabbed 140 rebounds (5.8 per game), blocked nine shots, had 15 steals, and an assist. Against district competition, she averaged 8.4 points and 7 rebounds per game, in addition to recording two blocked shots, seven steals, and an assist in 12-4A play.

Honorable mention all-district KHS players were senior Shae Morgan and sophomores LaDoris Conrod and Andrea Ashley. Morgan, arguably the Lady 'Dogs' best outside shooter, scored 127 points this year, averaging 5.1 points per game, but did a lot of little things - even her three-pointers that missed were often opening up the inside game. Morgan had 69 rebounds, four blocks, 39 steals, and 26 assists on the season. She had 22 steals and 14 assists in district play, and averaged 5.4 points in district.

Ashley and Conrod didn't get the playing time the other girls got, but did well. On the season, Conrod scored 38 points, (2.2 per game), grabbed 37 rebounds (2.2 rebounds per game), blocked two shots, and had a steal. She had 27 rebounds in district play.

Ashley scored 14 points on the year, had 12 rebounds, and three steals. Ten of her rebounds came against district opposition.

In other superlative honors for the district, Nac's JaMorgan Davis, a senior, was named the overall MVP. Whitehouse's Kayla Mason, a senior, was named defensive MVP. Nac's Dayna Crenshaw is the coach of the year in the district, and Jacksonville junior Mykeshia Burrell and Marshall freshman Jinaki Robinson were designated the newcomers of the year.

Others on the first team were Bre Agnew and Chelsea Leeder of Nac, Marshall's Reynetta Phillips and Rokaria Elie, Whitehouse's Alicia Cordova, Pine Tree's Alexis Poplar and Ashley Colmenero, Jacksonville's Brittany King and Hallsville's Jacquelyn Hearn.

The rest of the second team: Whitehouse's Caroline Perrier and Shelly Williams, Jacksonville's Amber Whitmill and Victoria Abu, Pine Tree's Jasmine Brown, Henderson's Ashley Horton, Marshall's Jaelleycia Rasberry, Nac's Jasmine Deckard, and Hallsville's Savanah Osborne and Mallorie Sharp.

Kilgore placed four players on the district's academic All-District list: Kelly, Morgan, Kitt Sechrist, a junior, and Reese.

This season marked the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Lady Bulldogs made the playoffs. It was the second season as head coach for Garrett, who will play in a different district lineup next season: under the UIL's new realignment, Kilgore will play in District 17- 4A against Henderson, Jacksonville, Lindale, Whitehouse and Nac.