Andre Ingram is Player of the Year!
Coach George Lancaster shares Coach of the Year honor.

Before Andre Ingram got to Highland Springs High School, the Springers hadn't won a state Group AAA boys basketball championship. He'll leave as a big reason why they changed that this season. (The Springers DID win the state title in 1960, when the school was in the earlier Group 1 classification.)

Ingram, a 6-3 senior, averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds. He made 49 percent of his 3-point attempts and was chosen by sports writers as The Associated Press Group AAA player of the year.

Ingram scored 16 points when Highland Springs beat Maury 50-37 in the semifinals and 16 more when it beat South Lakes 50-35 in the title game.

He's joined on the first team by seniors Brad Byerson of Thomas Dale, Bo Taylor of South Lakes and Ricky Lucas of Herndon, and junior Marquie Cooke of Nansemond River.

George Lancaster of Highland Springs, which finished 27-3, and Wendell Byrd of South Lakes, which finished 26-5, share coach-of-the-year honors.

Byerson, 6-7, averaged 22.7 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. He scored 30 or more six times, including one game with 35 points and 16 rebounds, and scored 24 or more in the final seven regular-season games.

Cooke, 6-3, averaged 23.5 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals as the Warriors finished 24-3. He had 41 points against Western Branch and 36 against nationally ranked Blair Academy of New Jersey.

Lucas, 6-5, averaged 23.1 ppg, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals. Herndon was 20-1 in the regular season.

Taylor, 6-5, averaged 16.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. He shot 55 percent from the floor and scored 12 of his team's 35 in the state title game.

The second team consists of seniors Jamar Fleming of Highland Springs and Jose Olivero of W.T. Woodson, and juniors Tyree Evans of state semifinalist George Wythe, Jamel Hamilton of state semifinalist Maury and Chris Vann of Gar-Field.

report courtesy of the Associated Press