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Woods tops list of all-state locals SOC player of the year nabs spot on Class 4A girls basketball second team From staff and wire reports The way Kara Braxton is going, there's no reason to think she won't win a third straight Class 4A girls' high school player of the year award next season. The 6-foot-5 Westview junior easily earned The Oregonian award in voting by the state's coaches after leading the Wildcats to the state championship. "It's a cool feeling," said Braxton, considered one of the best juniors in the country. She can become the state's first three-time player of the year next season. She joined Karen Alcorn of Oregon City (1987-88) and Karon Howell of St. Mary's (1984-85) as the only two-time winners. Braxton's coach, Mark Neffendorf, was voted coach of the year for the fifth time. He announced last week that he was ending his 20-year coaching career and moving into administration full-time. Ashland junior Jackie Woods, the SOC player of the year, was named to the second team. Sophomores Amy Denson and Sarah Pool, key cogs in Crater's run to the Class 4A final, were honorable mention selections along with Ashland senior Jenny Pippa. Braxton averaged 17.8 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks a game, but Neffendorf said she played about half a game until the subtournament. And she was rarely guarded one-on-one. She scored 25 points in a subtournament win over South Medford, then in four straight wins in the state tournament, she gave up more shots to her teammates, averaging 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and two blocks. "Where Kara has improved from this year to last year is recognizing that she has to let the game come to her instead of going after everything," Neffendorf said. "But there are other good players around her to alleviate that pressure. She recognized that. She got smarter." "Since I'm being double- or triple-teamed, somebody else is open," Braxton said. "I think I did get a lot smarter. I thought more about the game, too, and practiced more." Braxton actually was not named player of the year in her own league, the Metro. That honor went to Betsy Boardman of Beaverton, who was runner-up to Braxton in player of the year voting. Other players on the first team were Hollye Holbrook of Oregon City, Brooklynn Lorenzen of Crescent Valley and Sarah Hedgepeth of Springfield. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA