Kropp named all-area player of the year; Phipps, Overholt tabbed for team

Polk County junior Hayley Kropp has been named the Times-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Kropp averaged 15.6 points and eight rebounds per game this season, leading the Wolverines in both categories. She earned all-Western Highlands Conference honors in helping lead Polk County to a 17-9 record and its first 2A playoff victory.

Kropp also surpassed the 1,000-point mark in that playoff win at Lexington, joining Kim Staley and Briana Cunningham in the school’s 1,000-point club. She should break Staley’s scoring record early next season.

Teammates Kara Overholt and Sarah Phipps were named to the T-N All-Area team. Overholt, a Blue-White All-Star Game selection, averaged 11.8 points in her senior season while Phipps, also a senior, averaged nine points and eight rebounds per game.

More on Kropp can be found here. The complete All-Area team is here.