BOYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aggressive Brandon Moore led way for Worth County

ALBANY — Worth County High School’s Brandon Moore wasn’t always able to pull down rebounds at a ridiculous rate.

The now 6-foot-5 forward was a bit undersized in his early basketball years. But he still played in the post.

He knew that because he was on the smaller side, he would have to be more aggressive to pull down boards. That style of play held up throughout his prep career and into his senior year.

Moore’s aggressive play as a senior is what earned him the Albany Herald’s boys basketball Player of the Year.

“I just tried to play my game and stay aggressive,” Moore said. “I feel like when I’m playing my game and being aggressive, it is hard to stop me on both ends of the court.”

The Herald Super 6er teamed with Worth’s other Super 6er and Auburn signee Anfernee McLemore to form a treacherous combination in the paint for the Rams, who finished in a three-way tie for first-place in the Georgia High School Association Region 1-AAAA standings.

The season ended sooner than the Rams would have liked when they ran into eventual Region 1-AAAA runner-up Jonesboro in the first round of the state tournament.

Moore finished the year averaging 22 points per game, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game.

Multiple times this season, Moore stepped up when the Rams needed it most, including a late-season game against Westover.

The big man finished with 33 points and 20 rebounds. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help Worth secure the win.

“He has that tenacity,” Worth coach Roney Mays said. “He is going to play hard and he is going to give 100 percent every time he is on the court. His tenacity and being such a hard-worker is what really makes him unique.”

In another game against Monroe, Moore went to work in the paint dropping 32 points, including the game-winning layup with 6.3 seconds left.

Despite the successful year Moore had, he is still undecided on where he will attend college. Multiple schools including Florida A&M and Georgia Southwestern have expressed interest in him. He said a decision will likely be made by the end of this month.

Not only did Moore provide the numbers for Worth County, but he was also a leader for the team and rarely left the court.

“He brings leadership and that toughness that we need,” Mays said. “I feel like every team has to have a guy with a tough mindset when things are going wrong. He brings great leadership to our basketball team. He does that game in and game out. He is one of our vocal leaders.”

When asked what made him successful this season, Moore credited the boost his teammates gave him.

“They pushed me to the limit,” he said. “Every single practice and every single game, they pushed me to not only make myself better but to make the team better as well.”