ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: MARISSA ESSNER

Marissa Essner

School: Kelly

Sport: Basketball

Coach: Curtis Finley

Weekly Report: Essner, a 5-foot-9 junior forward, led her team to a championship in the Chaffee Tournament last week, scoring 59 points over a three-game stretch. Against East Prairie, Essner scored 26 in the first round, then put up 21 against Oran, followed by a 12-point performance against Scott City in the championship game.

Season Report: Essner is the leading scorer among girls basketball players in the region, averaging 22 points per game. She posted 38 points the most by a male or female player in Southeast Missouri this year this past Monday night in a win over East Prairie. That performance is thought to be a school record. Kelly, as of Tuesday, was undefeated at 7-0. Essner is also averaging nine rebounds and four steals per game.

Coach's Comments: "She works hard every day in practice," Finley said. "She has the ability to shoot the three well, but she has a good all-around game. One of the things that makes her so good is she's such a tough kid. She doesn't miss games. A little bump or injury doesn't affect Marissa. She really has some teammates that are unselfish. Her job is to score and her teammates assist her in that. Her teammates encourage her a lot. She's very coachable and very dependable. She devotes a lot of the offseason in other sports so she's a multi-sport athlete. She's good at anything she does. She's a naturally gifted kid."