By Derrick Smith

Mallori Brown has played sports for a majority of her life. She began playing basketball and softball when she was in elementary school. Over that time, she has worked hard and become the player that she is today. While it was not easy, she knows the hard work would be worth it. 

“It’s taken a lot of focus and dedication for me to be successful in sports,” she said. “I had to learn to block out all of the distractions and noise and focus on the main goal, which is winning a state championship.”

Brown is a senior at Lookeba-Sickles High School. She is a shooting guard on the basketball floor and shortstop on the softball field. 

As an athlete, there are a couple of fellow athletes that Brown looks up to as role models.

“Jayda Coleman plays softball for the University of Oklahoma and Hailey van Lith is a basketball player at the University of Louisville,” she stated. “They have both made big impacts on me as a person and an athlete. The way they play and handle themselves is what I want to be like.”

Lance Scales is the head softball and girls basketball coach at Lookeba-Sickles, so he has great insight on her athletic ability and her as an all around great person.

“On the softball field, Mallori is a very good lead off hitter and shortstop,” Scales said. “She is very talented and can hit for power. As a basketball player, she led our team with 12.4 points per game last year. She is very athletic and does a great job playing on both sides of the ball.”

Playing for the Panthers is something that Mallori enjoys because she also feels the community cheering them on. 

“I love the endless support we receive from the school and the community,” she said. “We all have one goal in mind and that is bringing home a state championship.”

Along with playing sports, Brown is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.