DARKE COUNTY – Both of this week’s Daily Advocate athletes of the week are leaders for their teams in addition to being some of the top play-makers in the area.
This week’s Daily Advocate athletes of the week are Tri-Village boys basketball player Shade Brubaker and Mississinawa Valley girls basketball player Maddie Murphy.
Brubaker had a record-setting night against National Trail as he made nine 3-pointers, which is a single-game best in Tri-Village history. He ended up with a game-high 34 points on the night.
“He started out very hot, hit five of those threes in the first quarter,” Tri-Village boys basketball coach Josh Sagester said. “The kids did a good job of finding him. He’s as good a shooter as there is in my opinion around.”
Having been close to the record before, Sagester said, it was nice to see the senior captain break it.
“I can’t think of a more deserving kid to hold that record for us,” Sagester said.
On the season Brubaker leads Darke County with 5.9 assists per game and also is among the top scorers with 9.4 points per game.
“He’s a winner,” Sagester said. “He does whatever we ask him to do, whether that’s make shots, distribute the basketball or defend. He’s a key piece to our puzzle, and he’s had a really good year.”
Murphy also has been playing very well recently and helping the Mississinawa Valley girls basketball team to put together a winning streak.
“As of recently she’s really led our team defensively, being able to created some energy and a lot of emotion,” Mississinawa Valley coach Todd Murphy said.
On the season, the Lady Hawks’ senior is among the county’s best with 10.5 points per game. She also averages 4.18 steals per game and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 67 percent from the free throw line.
“I think she’s having an outstanding year, showing a lot of great leadership,” coach Murphy said.
As one of Mississinawa Valley’s most experienced players, the Hawks have looked to Murphy to be a leader on the court while also being one of their top play-makers.
“We really rely on her quite a bit,” coach Murphy said. “We put a lot on her shoulders.”
Murphy has been able to share the ball to get her teammates involved in the game, coach Murphy said.
“She’s making them a lot better as she’s maturing,” he said.