NASHVILLE - - -The winners of the Division II-A Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards were announced Saturday at David Lipscomb University.
Lauren Avant of Lausanne was chosen Miss Basketball for 2009. This was the second consecutive year she has won the Miss Basketball award.
The other two finalists were Alexandria Black of Harding Academy and Jodie Brown of St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School.
Avant is a 5-foot-9 junior point guard. She is a four-year starter for the Lynx who averages 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 5.0 steals per game. She shoots 49 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free-throw line. She was voted the most valuable player in the West Regional Tournament the past three seasons.
Avant has been chosen her team’s MVP every year since 2006, when she played as an eighth grader. She is an honor student at Lausanne Collegiate School.
Bobby Parks, Jr. of St. George’s Independent School was chosen Mr. Basketball for 2009. The other two finalists were Marlon Brown of Harding Academy and Meiko Lyles of University School of Nashville.
Parks is a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard. He is a two-year starter for the Gryphons who is averaging 22.1 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He shoots 52 percent from the field, 31 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
Parks was chosen the 2009 Most Valuable Player in the Division II-A West Regional Tournament, and was selected to the All-Region team.
BISHOP BYRNE, HARDING ACADEMY WIN DII-A STATE TITLES
At Lipscomb, Harding Academy defeated St. George's 59-58, in the DII-A boys championship game.
In the girls title game, Bishop Byrne beat Lausanne, 42-39.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)