Van Buren County's Lakelyn Bouldin plays during their high school basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, at Lookout Valley High School in Chattanooga, Tenn.One year after becoming Baylor's first state Miss Basketball award winner, Kaleigh Clemons has repeated.
Clemons, a Vanderbilt signee who led the Lady Red Raiders to the Division II-AA state championship game last week, won her second straight TSSAA award for her classification Tuesday evening in a ceremony at Middle Tennessee State University's Murphy Center.
"I was a lot more nervous this year because there was a lot of pressure with it being a back-to-back situation," Clemons said. "It was intense because there were all the other players' families and more people there, but to win it twice is definitely a blessing and it lifts my confidence going to the next level.
"It's just a great way to end my high school career."
Van Buren County senior Lakelyn Bouldin, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga signee, was named Miss Basketball in Class A. McMinn Central junior Jacobi Lynn was a finalist in Class AA, but that award went to Elizabethton's Kayla Marosites.
Clemons, who last year became Baylor's first Miss Basketball finalist in more than a decade, averaged 12 points, seven assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game this season.
"I couldn't be more thrilled for her," said Baylor coach John Gibson. "I know what all she did for us this year and throughout her career. What I thought she did differently this year was she played a whole new game, a more complete game. She improved overall and especially defensively."
The other finalists in Division II-AA were St. Benedict's Taylor Barnes and Brentwood Academy's Syndni Harvey. Bouldin won her award over South Greene's Taylor Lamb and Middle Tennessee Christian's Ashlynd Wilkerson.
Bouldin, who's also her school's valedictorian, averaged 21 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.4 steals this year, and she has led the Eaglettes to the state tournament for the first time in program history. Although Lynn did not win the award in her classification, she also has helped her team advance to the state tournament.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
TSSAA Miss Basketball
› Division II-A: Micah Scheetz, Knoxville Webb› Division II-AA: Kaleigh Clemons, Baylor› Class A: Lakelyn Bouldin, Van Buren County› Class AA: Kayla Marosites, Elizabethton› Class AAA: Crystal Dangerfield, Blackman
TSSAA Mr. Basketball
› Division II-A: Chase Hayden, St. George’s› Division II-AA: Darius Garland, Brentwood Academy› Class A: Nicholas Hopkins, Fayetteville› Class AA: Bo Hodges, Maplewood› Class AAA: Alex Lomax, Memphis East