For the first time, an Impact Player Award is going to a JV player, Tandy Thackeray, of the Etna Lady Lions JV basketball team. Why?

First, her team is 9-0 with two JV tourney championships so far this season, and Tandy is a big part of the team’s success. She and her teammates haven’t just won all their games. They have dominated.

Second, Tandy is an all-around player. She can dribble, pass, rebound, play defense, and shoot. Man, can she shoot. Tandy is one of the best gunners at Etna High School—boy or girl. Her specialty is dialing long distance, and it isn’t for texting (that comes after the game).

In their most recent game, the Lady Lion JVs demolished Hayfork, 64-23. It was Lady Lions 23-Hayfork 0 at the end of the first quarter. It was also Tandy Thackeray 15 – Hayfork 0 at the end of the first quarter. Along with the other starters, Tandy took a break for most of the rest of the game, and finished with 17 points.

Last weekend, Tandy joined the Lady Lions varsity team for the Etna Holiday Tournament. Tandy saw a little over a quarter’s worth of playing time in the final game against Butte Valley, and came away with eight points, including two 3-balls. She also played some pretty decent “D.”

Oh, and she was the MVP of the JV version of the Holiday Tournament the week before.

Add all that up, and it’s pretty obvious that Tandy has a big impact on the success of her team, and that makes her an Impact Player Award winner. Congratulations.

The Impact Player Award is given on a monthly basis and goes to Siskiyou County high school athletes, male or female, that have had a significant impact on the success of their team. I select the players based on my own observations, often in consultation with the player’s coaches.

A total of four awards are given each month and are not school specific; they can go to a player at any school that Siskiyou Youth covers. Winners receive Impact T-shirts that were designed by Golden Grotto. The T-shirts and award are cosponsored by Siskiyou Youth and NorCal Classic Hits radio 102.3/101.7.

There will be three more winners announced this month.