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SALT LAKE CITY — We tend to focus on seniors a lot of the time with players of the week, but this week's KSL.com Clean Simple Eats high school hoops players are two underclassmen making a big impact on a pair of playoff hopefuls.
Girls: Taylor Harvey (Junior), Bountiful Redhawks
Harvey and her older sister, Jordan — now a volleyball player at Stanford — led Bountiful to the 5A girls state championship last year when Taylor was just a sophomore.
Now a junior and one of the leaders on a 16-3 team (10-0 in Region 5 play), Taylor Harvey — recently committed to play volleyball at Texas — is trying to focus on "the little things" to return to the Huntsman Center.
"We've been upping the intensity, and even when you are tired, just fighting through it," Harvey said. "That's definitely gonna help us in the long run at the Huntsman Center when it's loud and we're all tired, and the last quarter when we really need that energy."
Harvey is a top-10 scorer in the state and is also ranked No. 11 in total blocks. She followed up a 26-point, five-steal performance in a win over crosstown rival Viewmont on Jan. 31 with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Northridge on Feb. 2.
The Redhawks will look to close out the Region 5 title race with a pair of home games this week against Bonneville and Clearfield.
Boys: Isaiah Drisdom (Sophomore), Highland Rams
It looks to be a race for second place in a 5A Region 6 group dominated by Alta, but that's not stopping Isaiah Drisdom and the Rams from hitting the gas pedal.
Drisdom followed up a 17-point outing in a 4-point loss to Alta on Feb. 2 with 8 points and several key assists in a 68-49 win over Salt Lake City rival East High on Tuesday.
"I think I personally have grown as a passer," Drisdom said. "I've learned that I am more of a creator than like, 'Go create a bucket.' But I think that's how I've been growing personally."
As a sophomore starting point guard on a 15-6 team (7-3 in Region 6 play), Drisdom didn't shy away from his goal for the rest of the season.
"The obvious goal is to win state. That's just everyone's goal," Drisdom said. "But that's it, just keep winning."
The Rams have a pair of road games at Skyline and West to close out the regular season.
If you'd like to nominate a basketball player for their impact on or off the court, email our sports team at onlinesports@ksl.com.
