LebCo Female Athletes of the Week: Kaila Francis & Liliana Harrison (Week Ending December 15, 2024)

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Kaila Francis

Last week, Cedar Crest’s Kaila Francis had two fantastic games, as the Lady Falcons had split outcomes versus William Penn (York) and Hempfield. In the loss to William Penn, Francis had 15 points, 6 rebounds, & 4 blocks. The junior forward followed it up with 12 points, 9 rebounds, & 3 blocks in the win over the Black Knights, a game in which she went 4-4 from the foul line and took a charge. As a result of these two impressive stat lines, Francis was voted by the LebCoSports.com community as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

Francis has been a force on the court for Cedar Crest, going back to her debut in her freshman year. She has finished the last two seasons with LebCo All-County honors. Last season, the 6’2″ Francis averaged 9.2 points and 6 rebounds. The start of her junior year is showing that she will make it three straight years being recognized as one of LebCo’s top players.

However, “K” Francis is not focused on her own personal accolades. When asked about her recent success, Francis focused primarily on the efforts of the team: “We had some tough games against tough opponents last week. Hempfield is always a tough team, and they were our first game in Section 1. We knew coming into it that we had to play tough. We played really well and definitely played together as a team. That win was a team effort, and everyone contributed, like making foul shots, playing hard defense, or scoring when we needed it!”

When asked about her goals for the season, Francis again focused on the team improving from last year’s 13-10 record. She said her goal is for Cedar Crest to be the “most improved team by the end of the season.” She is hoping to help reach that goal by being a solid leader for a team that features several underclassmen, including freshmen Elli Malinoski and Ali Groff in the starting lineup.

Francis’s knack for leadership started at home, following in the footsteps of her mother, who she considers to be her mother and her biggest supporter. This support has included many sacrifices, including driving to Philly, where Francis’s AAU club is based. Unfortunately, Francis’s grandfather, whom she called “Pop Pop” passed away during last season, leaving her with a heavy heart as she battled through the challenges of the season.

Less than halfway through her junior season, Francis still has a lot of competition left at the high school level. Her career won’t end with her time in South Lebanon, as she has already committed to continue her playing career at Colgate University.

For now, we wish Francis and her Cedar Crest teammates all the best as they work their way through the 2024-2025 schedule. While 4-5, they have gotten many of their toughest opponents out of the way and look poised to start racking out the wins. We will be watching closely as they do.

Photos provided by Cedar Crest Girls Basketball

Liliana Harrison

Article coming soon

Read about this week’s LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Robert Santiago

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: December 9-15

Previous Winners

Mya Doster (Week of December 2nd)

Olivia Shutter (Week of December 2nd)