By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Writer

If nothing else, the two Shelby County Reporter 2014 Players of the Year for basketball show that heart and hustle can take an athlete a long way.

There is no denying both Pelham’s Zach Allison and Calera Tyesha Haynes are extremely talented individuals, and posses great skills sets. The two can do whatever situations call for, be it dribbling up and down the court without worry of a turnover, hitting a clutch shot when needed or finding an open teammate at just the right time.

That said, what separated the two was not just the ability to make the right play at the right time, but to also find a way to be in the right place at the right time.

Allison, a 6-foot-1 guard, led the Panthers’ offense throughout the 2013-2014 season. While an average of 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal a game may seem average for a point guard, what statistics don’t measure is Allison’s ability to simply take over a game, as he did against rival Thompson High, posting games of 22 and 30 points, respectively. His game-changing ability caught the eye of several Shelby County coaches, whose nominations figured in to the final selection.

The same can be said for Haynes, who helped her team reach the AHSAA Class 4A State Championship. While the Eagles finished runner-up —losing to Oneonta 51-39 — Haynes’ effort throughout the season was anything but second best. Haynes averaged 12.4 points per game, as well as 2.6 assists per contest and three steals.

Arguably though, Haynes most important basket came in the Class 4A state semifinals against Anniston. With six seconds left in the contest and the Eagles down by one, Haynes grabbed a rebound and put up a jump shot as time expired to propel Calera to the title game.

With Haynes a sophomore and Allison and junior, both look to have a bright future, not only in the remainder of their careers in Shelby County, but on the next level as well.

2013-2014 ALL COUNTY TEAM

BOYS

Player of the Year: Zach Allison, Pelham

G: Rashad Strother, Thompson

G: Josh Laatsch, Briarwood

F: Darrell Foster, Chelsea

F: Jordan Bishop, Calera

C: Austin Wiley, Spain Park

HONORABLE MENTION: Calera: Ronnie Clark, Shakeith Tyes; Chelsea: Malik Abrams; Indian Springs: Keniche Ijemere, Reeves Duggan; Oak Mountain: Payton Youngblood, Warren Shader, Pierce Clarke, Jake Grundhoefer; Pelham: Dakota Clark; Shelby County: Justus Martin, Emanuel Hall; Spain Park: John Segrest, Antonio Moss, Philip Brown, Malik Blanchard; Vincent: E.J. Datcher, Jamal McCrimmon

GIRLS

Player of the Year: Tyesha Haynes, Calera

G: Danielle Richardson, Coosa Valley Academy

G: Victoria Baldwin, Spain Park

F:  A’kia Harris, Calera

F: Kelsea Bivins, Thompson

C: Madison Pierce, Oak Mountain

HONORABLE MENTION: Briarwood: Molly McKenzie; Calera: Kalen Starks; Coosa Valley: Kaylan Rich; Evangel: Madison Thames; Hope: Karlee Tate, Davina Drew, Lindy Walker; Oak Mountain: Christian McGowan; Thompson: Janese Richardson; Spain Park: Keyasha Gordon, Jamaiya Lee