ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Shawn Kinder

School: Delta

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Position: Point Guard

Coach: Nate Crowden

Week report: Most athletes perform best in familiar surroundings, but the 5-foot-11 Kinder totaled 51 points in two road games last week. Kinder started the week Tuesday by draining five 3-pointers and unloading 31 points in a 74-71 loss at state-ranked Scott City. Then he added 20 points Friday night in an 86-61 win at East Prairie. Kinder led the Bobcats in scoring both nights as they finished the week 11-4.

On the season: Kinder, a two-year starter, returns as an all-conference and all-district selection from last year. Despite his big scoring week, Kinder is still second in scoring to teammate Garrett DeBrock. Kinder averages 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals on the season. DeBrock is averaging over 20 points a game. Kinder was also named to the all-tournament teams in both the Woodland and University High School Christmas Tournaments.

Coach's comments: "Shawn is an excellent defensive player and means a lot to this team. The whole team plays pretty good defense, but Shawn sets the tone for that. He gets out and puts a lot of pressure on the ball. He's just a good leader on the floor. His play determines a lot of our success. He gets the ball where it needs to go and he has a way of making things happen for our other players."

Ashley Dirnberger

School: Kelly

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Position: guard

Coach: Clay Vangilder

Week report: The 5-6 Dirnberger scored 31 points and did most of the ball handling for the Lady Hawks as won three games to claim the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed last week. In a 71-53 semifinal win over Scott County Central, Dirnberger reached double figures in scoring and assists. In the championship game Thursday, she scored 13 points to tie for team scoring honors with Jennifer McNiell in a 50-42 victory over Delta.

On the season: Coming off of a 1996 knee injury (ACL) during the fall softball season that forced her to miss the entire basketball season last year, Dirnberger has returned to the all-conference form she had as a sophomore. Dirnberger averages 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists this season and is making 75 percent of her free throws. Kelly is currently 12-3 overall and 5-0 in league play.

Coach's comments: "Ashley runs the offense well and keeps (the team) under control. She knows the game. The thing she does, other than being an outstanding player, is she's a vocal leader. She's not afraid to encourage her teammates. She's positive to the kids out on the floor. She kind of got off to a slow start (because of the injury), but she's back now; about as good as could be expected. We don't usually shoot 3-pointers, but she can shoot it."