The 2017-2018 Catoosa County Athletes of the Year
There is little doubt that when it comes to basketball, Macey Gregg is one of the top players in the entire Tri-State area.
But Gregg’s athletic talents are not confined to just one season.
Not only is Gregg a standout on the basketball court, she knows her way around a volleyball court just as well. It’s the combination of those multi-sport athletic gifts - and the success she had in each sport this past school year - that helped her become the 2017-2018 Catoosa County Girls’ Athlete of the Year.
“It’s an honor to be able to represent my school, my teammates, my coaches and my community in the highest way possible,” the rising LFO senior said. “It’s just really cool.”
Her junior season began back in the fall as she was named AllArea (6-AAA) first team in volleyball. Gregg recorded 258 kills - the second-most in all of Catoosa County - to go with 72 aces, 78 blocks, 93 digs and 80 assists.
Those numbers helped the Lady Warriors advance to the state tournament once again, despite heavy graduation losses from the year before.
“Even though volleyball isn’t necessarily my sport, I’m a natural competitor and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” she explained. “If the ball’s on the floor, I’m going to go get it. If the ball is being hit, I’m going to try to block it.”
Gregg would turn it up a notch higher on the basketball court.
After averaging 15 points a game in a breakout sophomore campaign, Gregg upped her totals to 21.2 points
per contest - one of the highest averages in the northwest Georgia/ metro-Chattanooga area - while adding 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals a night last season.
She was an AllRegion first team selection, an AllState honorable mention selection by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and the Catoosa County Girls’ Co-Player of the Year. LFO went on to win the 6-AAAA North subregion title and qualify the state tournament.
She came within six points of tying the LFO girls’ single-game
school-record with a 41-point effort against Ridgeland, one game after setting a thencareer high of 33. She also added a 30-point game that same week against Coahulla Creek, giving her 104 points in a three-game stretch, despite seeing defenses designed to slow her down.
Gregg had basketball offers and interest from several schools, including Mercer, Tennessee-Martin, Georgia Southern, Alabama-Huntsville, Lee and Lipscomb.
However, it was the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega that ultimately won her heart as she verbally committed to the Nighthawks on June 25.
“It was actually a really fun season,” she said. “It was my best high school season yet. I joined the 1,000-point club and our team won the North sub-region and went to state.”
Not surprisingly, Gregg has lofty goals for her senior year in Redand-White.
“For volleyball, the goal is hopefully an area championship,” she continued. “We have a lot of returning players, so that goal should be attainable, as well as going to the state tournament for a sixth year in a row. Then for basketball, hopefully we can win another subregion championship, hopefully a region championship and then go back to state. I’m really looking forward to it.”