In each of its first two years of existence, The Paper’s All-Burke County high school basketball team was headlined by one boys player and one girls player.
But things look a bit different this time around thanks to player of the year races that were too close to call. Freedom guards Kobe Johnson and King Johnson, a senior and junior, respectively, share the award on the boys side, while East Burke senior wing Belle Gwyn and freshman guard Sarabeth Bradley are girls co-players of the year for the 2025-26 season.
Kobe Johnson averaged 15.1 points per game to tie King Johnson for fourth among county players, and the All-Northwestern 6A/7A Conference selection and three-time all-county performer also averaged team highs in rebounds (6.3 per game) and steals (1.8 per game) to go with 1.5 assists per contest.
In addition, Kobe Johnson shot 48.6% from the field and was the top free-throw shooter for the Patriots — who finished 18-7, won the NWC regular-season title with a record of 9-1 in league games, and made their fifth straight North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoff appearance — at 78.7%. He scored the 1,000th point of his prep career late in the season as well.
Freedom’s King Johnson (left) is one of The Paper’s Burke County high school boys basketball co-players of the year for the 2025-26 season.
JAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
King Johnson led Freedom in assists at 4.0 per game, and the NWC’s player of the year and two-time all-county selection also ranked third on the team in rebounds (3.6 per game) and second in steals (1.7 per game). Furthermore, he shot 47.7% from the field.
Not only that, but King Johnson also played more minutes (29 per game) than any of his teammates, and the Patriots outscored opposing squads by an average of 11.4 points — the highest plus-minus on the team — when he was on the court.
East Burke’s Belle Gwyn (left) is one of The Paper’s Burke County high school girls basketball co-players of the year for the 2025-26 season.
JAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
Gwyn, meanwhile, led the county in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Her 7.2 rebounds per game ranked second in the county, and the All-District 10 third team and All-Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conference selection also averaged 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists per game.
EB finished 21-8 overall and was the runner-up to Hibriten in the WPC’s regular-season standings with an 11-3 record before reaching the third round of the 4A state playoffs, the longest postseason run of any county team. Gwyn led the county with 59 made 3-pointers as she shot 38.0% from behind the arc, and she also made 42.1% of her field-goal attempts.
East Burke’s Sarabeth Bradley is one of The Paper’s Burke County high school girls basketball co-players of the year for the 2025-26 season.
JAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
As for Bradley, she was second in the county at 14.3 points per game, while her 7.5 rebounds per contest ranked first in the county and her nine total blocks ranked first among EB players.
Bradley averaged 2.1 steals and 1.6 assists per game as well to finish second on the squad in both categories. The All-WPC performer also shot 47.2% from the field (first on team, minimum 50 attempts) and 75.5% at the free-throw line (first on team, minimum 10 attempts) to go with 23 made 3s (third on team).
The rest of the all-county boys first team consists of Patton’s Nathan Waters and Kyle Taylor as well as Draughn’s Cayden Lewis, while the rest of the all-county girls first team includes Draughn’s Jacey Davis and Taylor Holder as well as Freedom’s Cynica Caldwell.
Waters, a senior wing, averaged 14.3 points (second on team), 7.9 rebounds (first on team), 4.8 assists (first in county), and 1.4 steals (T-first on team) per game while knocking down 52 3s (first on team). For his career, the All-WPC selection and two-time all-county honoree finished second in program history in rebounds and made 3s, third in assists, and fourth in points.
Taylor, a sophomore guard, finished third among county players at 15.5 points per game, and he also grabbed 3.2 rebounds per game to go with 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. Taylor was also named to the All-WPC squad after making 47 3s (second on team) on 36.7% from behind the arc.
And Lewis, who is also a sophomore guard, was the county’s leading scorer at 19.7 points per game. The All-WPC honoree averaged 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals (first in county), and 1.2 blocks (first in county) per contest as well, and his 76 made 3s were also first among county players.
On the girls side, Davis averaged 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals, and 2.1 assists per game as a senior guard. The All-WPC performer and two-time all-county selection was the county’s third-leading scorer, and she was second among Lady Wildcats in rebounds, steals, and assists.
Fellow senior guard Holder finished fifth in the county at 10.7 points per game, and the All-WPC selection and three-time all-county honoree also supplied county highs in assists (4.5) and steals (3.4) per contest. Additionally, she averaged 3.6 rebounds per game.
Finally, Caldwell averaged 10.8 points per game to go with 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 assists per contest. The senior guard was the county’s fourth-leading scorer.
Here’s a look at the other county standouts from the 2025-26 hoops season …
SECOND TEAMS
BOYS
Carter Bennett, East Burke, Jr., G … 12.5 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 spg; Made 72 3-pointers (second in county) on 37.7% from 3-point range; All-WPC
Luke Demiter, East Burke, Sr., F … 9.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg (first in county), 2.8 apg; Shot 51.7% from field and had 19 blocks (second on team); All-WPC
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