The landscape of high school basketball is ever-changing thanks in large part to graduation.
Entering the 2021-22 girls basketball season, Summers County head coach Chad Meador knew his team would have to take on a different look.
Prolific scorers Taylor Isaac and Gavin Pivont had moved on, shifting the strength for the Bobcats from the perimeter to the post.
Sophomore post Gracie Harvey has been one of the players to step in and fill the scoring gap for Summers County this season.
In week seven of the high school basketball season, Harvey led the Class AA No. 6 ranked Bobcats past AAA foes Nicholas County and No. 7 (tie) PikeView.
For her efforts, Harvey has been named Lootpress Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
The weekly award is sponsored by Bodyworks and The Law Offices of Brandon Steele.
Harvey was also the winner of the fan vote, which served as the tiebreaker in deciding this week’s winner.
“It’s awesome,” Harvey said, smiling. “I have to give props to Coach Meador, (assistant) Coach (Rick) Blevins and (assistant) Coach (Jason) Stover. They have been working with me to get better every day. My teammates have also been pushing me to work harder. I really want to thank them, honestly. They are all really helping me get better.”
Prior to the AAA showdowns, Summers was coming off an upset loss at regional rival Chapmanville. Harvey’s play was instrumental in getting the Bobcats back on the winning track.
“Gracie gives us an inside post presence. Anytime you have a 6-foot post player that can score and rebound, you can centralize her in your offense,” Meador said.
After a solid performance against Nicholas County, Harvey really stood out against PikeView with a double-double. Following a 15-point effort against the Grizzlies, Harvey scored 11 and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win over the Panthers.
“It was tough and we really had to push hard. I thought that we really showed that we wanted those games,” Harvey said.
The more aggressive play is exactly what Meador has been looking for out of his sophomore standout.
“She is playing more aggressive than she ever has. Gracie is a nice girl. I was joking with her after practice that she was going to have to stop smiling and get a little meaner. After the PikeView game she asked me if she could smile now,” Meador said, laughing. “She can be as good as she wants in this program. She is a joy to have, has a great work ethic and she wants to get better.”
Harvey is the second player from Summers County to earn Lootpress Player of the Week this season. Senior teammate Maggie Stover won the award in week four.
“Everything has kind of went through Gracie this year and as a result, that has opened up the perimeter some for our players. The last couple of seasons we haven’t had much of a post offense,” Meador said. “Now we have Gracie and Maggie, who is playing the best basketball of her career. Then we can bring in Jesse Ward off the bench along with Kaylee Jones.”
The other nominees for week seven were Trista Lester (River View), along with Alyssa Daniels (independence), Kayley Trump (Mercer Christian) and Adyson Hines (James Monroe).