By Erik Harris
MURRAY KY – A former Clay-Chalkville girls basketball player has signed an athletics scholarship with Murray State University.
After playing one season at Southeastern Illinois Community College, Bria Bethea joined two other junior college prospects in the Racers’ 2015 signing class.
Bethea, who scored over 1,000 points in two seasons with the Cougars, shined in her first season on the college floor. As the GRAC Freshman of the Year, she averaged 19.1 points per game, ranking her 24th nationally in scoring.
The transition from high school to college went smoothly for Bethea, who landed on the first team All-Conference roster as a freshman for the Falcons last season. She shot 40 percent from the field with a 30 percent mark from behind the 3-point line.
She also performed in other aspects of the game, averaging 7.5 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks per game. The former Clay-Chalkville team captain also secured nine double-doubles.
As her team’s leading scorer, Bethea went for 20 or more points 18 times last year. On two of those outings she eclipsed the 30-point mark. She shares time between guard and forward.
Bethea is joined by upcoming juniors Krystal James and Daniella Pisano in Murray State’s 2015 class.