NASHVILLE - - -The winners of the Division II-AA Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards were announced at the conclusion of the championship games Saturday night at Lipscomb University.
In the boys final, Ensworth beat Father Ryan, 61-44. The Knox Webb girls beat Ensworth, 50-39.
Faith Dupree from Webb was chosen Miss Basketball for 2009. The other two finalists were Marie Carpenter of Ensworth High School and Jessica Goswitz from Webb School of Knoxville.
Dupree, a 6-foot-3 senior post, was a four-year starter for the Spartans. This season, she averaged 17.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocked shots per game. She shoots 57 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free-throw line.
Dupree has scored more than 1,000 career points and has more than 800 rebounds. She is a three-time all-region and all-region tournament selection and was selected the region and region rournament most valuable player for 2008-2009.
She was voted to the all-tate team twice and all-state tournament team three times. On Saturday night, Faith was voted the MVP of the 2009 Division II-AA state tournament.
Leslie McDonald of Briarcrest Christian School was selected Mr. Basketball for 2009. This is the second consecutive year that McDonald has won the Mr. Basketball Award. The other two finalists were Brendan Connolly of Father Ryan High School and Gary Pope of Ensworth High School.
McDonald, a 6-foot-5 senior guard/forward, is a 6’5”, senior, is a four-year starter for the Saints. This season, he averaged 20.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He shoots 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range, and 74 percent from the free-throw line.
This is the third consecutive year he has been a finalist for the award, winning it for the second time in a row this year. He was chosen the 2008 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, and was chosen to the all-tournament team at the state tournament for the second consecutive season. He is a McDonald’s All-America nominee and carries a 3.565 grade-point average.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)