Centerburg’s Kayla Larimore has been one of the top girls’ basketball players in the Mount Vernon News coverage area all season, and last week she was especially effective averaging 26.5 points per game and in a pair of KMAC wins. Her terrific play has awarded her the Mount Vernon Athlete of the Week honors.
The junior Lady Trojan started off the week with a big time showing in a 52-25 win over Northmor. She put up 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting in the victory, while also grabbing six boards, dropping a dime and recording a steal.
She followed with a 27 point game where she once again outscored the entire opposing team, leading the Lady Trojans to a 57-21 win over a very talented Danville Blue Devil squad. She was 11-for-13 from the floor in the game, and started off hot with a three pointer and 13 first quarter points. Larimore has been a key player in the team’s success this season. They are on a seven game winning streak and have outscored opponents 574-397.
Larimore currently sits in first place in the KMAC in scoring at 19.9 points per game. Her 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.4 steals also land her in the top 10 in the conference.
Not only has Larimore excelled on the basketball court, leading her Lady Trojans to a 9-2 record and first place in KMAC at 5-1, but she is also getting it done in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA.
Coach Bill Abner has had nothing but high praise for Larimore this season. He has said that she goes hard in practice during every rep, never goes through the motions even when doing a walkthrough. Most importantly, her drive to succeed is infectious. Abner said teams do what they can to slow her down, but she continuously has done what is needed to lead the Trojans to victory. This could be scoring, rebounding or dishing out assists. Abner also said he has seen her grow immensely since he took over as coach in June, and that watching her become a leader has been fun to witness.
“Kayla is having an amazing season,” Coach Abner said. “She’s the top scorer in the KMAC despite teams trying to focus on her.”
Congratulations to Kayla Larimore and good luck the rest of the season!
