By TOMMY BRYAN
Mt. Juliet High's high-scoring post player Caya Williams (left) is one of the finalists for the high school female athlete award as part of the Pepsi Celebration of Champions later this month presented by Kroger.

The event, set Feb. 22 at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, is an annual celebration of athletic achievement hosted by the Nashville Sports Council.

A four-year starter for the Lady Bears, Williams needs only 11 points tonight vs. Hendersonville High to reach the 2,500 point mark in her career.

She recently passed former six-on-six star Sheila Johansson’s (2,483 career points) to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. The MTSU signee will finish her four-year career averaging more than 20 ppg.

“Caya has been the backbone of our team for four years,” said MJ head coach Chris Fryer. “She’s been a difference maker every night out. When you’ve got someone with her skill set down low, it opens up the rest of the floor. We’ve been blessed to have her in our program.”

Williams was a Class AAA Miss Basketball finalist last season and is expected to be in the running for the award again this year.

For more information about the Pepsi Celebration of Champions, visit www.nashvillesports.com.

The Lady Bears (23-2 / 11-0) waxed Beech 77-45 Tuesday, Jan. 31 as Jamasha Jackson scored 19 points, Williams had 15 and Sydney Rau 12.

The Mt. Juliet boys scored nine points in the first half and suffered their first 9AAA loss of the season Tuesday, falling 47-42 to Beech.

Caleb Chowbay had 17 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Quinteon Hall eight as the Golden Bears fell to 20-4 overall / 10-1 on the season.