Rice sophomore Elyse MacDonough named Vermont's Gatorade girls hoops player of the year
Less than a week after helping Rice Memorial end a decade-long title drought, Elyse MacDonough has been named Vermont's high school girls basketball player of the year, Gatorade announced Wednesday.
The sophomore guard is the fourth Rice player to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high academic achievement and exemplary character.
The 5-foot-7 MacDonough steered the Green Knights to a 19-1 record culminating with Saturday's 47-30 victory over Mount Mansfield in the Division I final, the program's first crown since 2012.
MacDonough sank five 3-pointers and averaged 15 points in Rice's two Final Four games. For the season, MacDonough averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals a game.
More: Rice ends decade-long title drought to claim D-I girls basketball crown
More: How MMU, Rice prevailed at the D-I Final Four
She was also a first-team All-Metro selection and was named to the state's dream dozen squad.
"Elyse MacDonough is a strong scorer and a leader for her team,” St. Johnsbury Jade Huntington coach said in a statement. “She makes a lot of big plays, and as young as she is, she makes a big impact.”
MacDonough, who has maintained an A average in the classroom, has volunteered locally on behalf of a basketball program for special needs students and has donated her time to community clean-up initiatives, according to the news release.
Through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” program, MacDonough has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
Become a member of the Vermont Varsity Insider Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2MGSfvX.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT HS girls basketball: Rice's Elyse MacDonough named Gatorade POY
