Daily Leader All-Area Girls’ Basketball Most Valuable Player – Kara Beth Addison, West Lincoln

You can add this sportswriter to the long list of West Lincoln fans that are sad to know that senior Kara Beth Addison has played her final game for the green and white wearing Bears.

When you talk about a player that could do it all for her high school team, you’re talking about Addison.

For her outstanding play during the 2022-2023 season, Addison has been named The Daily Leader All-Area Girls’ Basketball Most Valuable Player.

The 6-foot Addison was the tallest player on the court for the Bears. She’d grab tough rebounds, protect the rim and could guard forwards on the other team.

As the primary ball-handler for her entire four-year varsity career, she knew when to push the pace and was great at getting the ball down the court early in order for her team to get easy baskets.

Her greatest skill offensively was knowing when her team needed her to take over and doing so without smothering the ball.

This season for a 23-2 West Lincoln squad, Addison averaged 19.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.1 steals per game. She was Region 7-2A MVP, played in the MAC All-Star game as a junior and will next play at Southwest Mississippi CC.

She’s been named to the All-Area team for four consecutive seasons, but this is the first time for Addison to be named MVP.

“I think her basketball IQ will allow her to excel at the next level,” said WL coach Alissa Adams. Adams was a point guard at Southwest in her playing career and coached Addison as a junior and a senior for a pair of West Lincoln teams that went a combined 43-11 and made the 2A semifinals and quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons.

“The fundamentals she possesses will contribute to that success, but her knowledge will be a key difference,” said Adams.

It’s her leadership that stands out the most when you’re reflecting on what Addison brought to the court throughout her career.

Starting alongside her classmates Ta’Kyla Brothern, Ramsey Hall, Madilyn Case and Mary Claire Johnson — Addison was a star without needing to be acknowledged as one.

This writer didn’t see every game she played in her varsity career but got to watch many over the years.

What you won’t remember is ever seeing her show up a teammate, holler at a referee or seek to do harm to an opponent.

There are plenty of folks who are great players without being a great person, but Kara Beth Addison fits the mold of talented student-athlete and standout human being.