Mallory, Wright earn Athletes of the Week

It was a historic week for sports in Young County this past week as the Newcastle Ladycats basketball team brought home the first state championship in the school’s history. The team dominated the state tournament in San Antonio and came home with the gold.

On the Graham side of things, baseball, softball, soccer and a handful of other sports have continued to win and push forward with their respective seasons. Plenty of teams saw varying success over the course of the last week.

Camren Mallory of the Newcastle Ladycats basketball team and Bruin Wright of the Steers baseball team earned selections as Athletes of the Week for their performances for their respective teams.

Camren Mallory, guard, Ladycats basketball

State championship teams are typically full of veteran, experienced players. For the Newcastle Ladycats, as they won the first state championship in school history last week, their team featured two freshmen starters, one of which was Mallory.

The young freshman has been a key piece of this Ladycats team all season, as she’s started a majority of the games and been asked to be a primary ball handler on the guard line. On the state’s biggest stage in San Antonio last weekend, the lights were not too bright for Mallory as she made key contributions to her team’s state championship run.

With teams focusing most of their attention on Newcastle’s upperclassmen, Mallory finds opportunities to score and affect the outcome of the game on both ends. She excels at defense and has grown as an offensive threat all season.

Mallory’s standout game came in the state final, which Newcastle won against Turkey Valley 48-32. The freshman posted a near double-double with 9 points and nine rebounds, an impressive accomplishment for someone of her age and height.

“She has a feel for where the ball is going off of the rim and goes and gets it,” head coach Ryan Dollar said. “She is a true competitor and really stepped up and made some big shots for us on championship Saturday.”

Though she’s only finishing her first year of high school, Mallory can already call herself a state champion and she’ll look to make return trips to the big stage in future years with the Ladycats.

“Camren has grown as a player throughout the year and her confidence has taken off,” Dollar said. “... The best part about it all is that she is only a freshman and has three more years to keep getting better and better.”

Bruin Wright, outfielder, Steers baseball

The Steers’ start to the season has had its fair share of ups and downs but the team experienced a lot of positives in the last week and Wright played a big part in that.

At the American Cancer Society tournament, Graham played four games and came out with a 3-1 record. In those four games, Wright played multiple positions while hitting .400 with three walks, six runs scored and two RBIs. He also had three stolen bases in one game.

In addition to his work at the plate, he pitched in the first game against Wichita Falls Old High and earned the win. He threw 3 1/3 innings pitched in which he only allowed one hit, one earned run and he struck out four batters.

But what really elevates Wright to another level is his ability to give 100% effort in everything, no matter the opponent.

“Bruin brings a special attitude to the team. He's just a hard worker, doesn't care who he's playing, it's a faceless opponent for him,” head coach Allen McGee said. “He's just going to go out and try to prove that he's one of the best players on the field.”

Though his coach would list him primarily as an outfielder, Wright will play all over the field for the team. His versatility allows the coaches to plug him in just about anywhere and know that he’ll compete, whether it be outfield, infield or on the pitcher’s mound.

“In high school baseball, the more positions you can play the better,” McGee said. “He's played outfield for us, infield, he pitches. It allows us as coaches to be able to move pieces around and not get you locked into one spot.”