ATHLETES FROM ARDREY KELL, HICKORY EARN NCHSAA PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK AWARDS
CHAPEL HILL— Steven Santa Ana of Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte and Danasia Witherspoon of Hickory High School are the winners of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Performance of the Week awards, powered by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel with Subway® Restaurants.
Each week one male and one female athlete in NCHSAA competition are selected for this award from nominations received from media and school administrators.
Both athletes had outstanding performances in the NCHSAA state basketball championship games and earned Most Valuable Player honors in their respective state finals.
Santa Ana had a performance for the ages in the NCHSAA state 4-A men’s basketball championship, pouring in 44 of his team’s 64 points although the Knights lost to Garner by a 70-64 count at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Santa Ana’s point total set a new NCHSAA men’s state championship game record, going back as far as can be documented.
He played all 32 minutes, hitting five three-pointers and also connecting on 13 of 15 free throws while pulling down eight rebounds.
Witherspoon helped Hickory finish as the only unbeaten varsity basketball team in the NCHSAA as the Red Tornadoes won the state 3-A women’s title, beating Chapel Hill 71-53 at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill. She helped lead the way for her team with 20 points and seven rebounds and also played excellent defense as Hickory forced 23 turnovers and scored 33 points off those opportunities.
TWC SportsChannel typically announces the winners of the awards during a SportsNight show and will recognize the winners throughout the week. Weekly recipients are also recognized via Twitter and Facebook.