Things slowed down in Lexington County for the holiday break, but there was still some action on basketball courts as teams got in a few final non-region competitions. 

Despite the small number of games, there were plenty of big performers to pick from when deciding the male and female Athletes of the Week. This edition’s winners come from Irmo and River Bluff after they each filled the stat sheet in their teams’ wins. 

Voting for Athlete of the Week runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Monday each week at lexingtonchronicle.com/athleteoftheweek. To submit a nominee for consideration, email a photo and short bio to sports@lexingtonchronicle.com.

Christian Brown

Irmo’s Christian Brown had a strong showing at the Big Red Box tournament hosted by the Yellow Jackets.

He helped guide Irmo to three straight wins to claim the tournament championship. Irmo beat Lakewood, Catawba Ridge and Westside en route to the trophy.

In those games, Brown combined for 51 points, nine rebounds and three steals. His highest scoring performance was a 20-bomb in the 54-51 win over Catawba Ridge. 

For the season, Brown averages a team-high 18 points. With Irmo set to begin region play this week, the team will look for him to continue those contributions. 

Chaelyn Tifre

River Bluff’s Chaelyn Tifre continues to have a stellar season in her first year at River Bluff. 

The Gators entered this week (8-5) overall and are preparing to begin region play this Friday. River Bluff is coming off a win against Nation Ford last week and played the Falcons again this week after the Chronicle’s press deadline. 

In the first win over Nation Ford, Tifre had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. It was her seventh double-double this year. 

Tifre currently averages 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Gators have 11 games left to go, including 10 in the region. They’d love for Tifre to maintain her numbers and help the team make a run in the region.