East Burke High School senior girls basketball players Kara Brinkley (front left) and Belle Gwyn (front right) are pictured with Lady Cavaliers head coach Crystal Bartlett (back left) and EBHS athletic director Chip Watts as the school held a special signing ceremony for both student-athletes on campus in Icard on April 24. Gwyn, who signed with NCAA Division III program Guilford College, shared Burke County girls player of the year honors this past season and was named to the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association’s All-District 10 third team and to the All-Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conference team. She averaged 15.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 assists per game, shooting 38 percent from 3-point range as EB placed second in its conference, eclipsing 20 total wins for a fourth consecutive season as it reached the third round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. Brinkley, who signed with NCAA D-II Mars Hill University, missed her senior season with a knee injury. The three-time all-county and all-conference selection and two-time all-district honoree will graduate soon as EBHS’ all-time leader in rebounds and increased her scoring average all three seasons, to 15.8 points per game as a junior. Brinkley was a key member of Lady Cavs’ teams that reached the 2A West Regional final in three straight years, including playing in the school’s first-ever state title game in 2024.
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