A spotlight on the Times’ players of the week

Female HotShot
Faith Woodard,
Freedom High
Sport: Basketball
Skinny: Fewer than 10 percent of Faith Woodard’s career 1,500-plus points came at Freedom, where she transferred over the summer from Riverview High. But that didn’t stop her new classmates and fans from planning a celebration for her new milestone. “I heard people in the stands saying, ‘One more Faith,’ ” she said. “Then I shot the ball and it went in. They stopped the game and everyone was screaming and huddling around me. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ ” Woodard, who was first-team all-county last season, scored 28 points while surpassing that mark in a 76-45 win over Hillsborough last week. Expect that total — and the excitement — to keep rising as Woodard, who is averaging 25 points per game, leads the Patriots to possibly one of their best seasons in school history.

Male HotShot
Darnell Lovett,
Countryside High
Sport: Basketball
Skinny: Throughout its history, Countryside’s boys basketball program has relied on big men, from Matt Geiger to Andrew DeClerq. But the player making the biggest impact this season is a 6-foot-1 guard. Lovett, the younger brother of Florida freshman star Michael Frazier, has been a scoring machine, averaging 22 points per game to lead the Cougars to a 5-0 start. Against Clearwater last week, the senior scored a team-high 28 points, including 15-of-18 in free throws. “Darnell is probably the quickest player I’ve ever coached,” Countryside coach Myron Huey said. “He can score in bunches, but he’s not selfish at all. He really is into the team concept. And he is a big reason we’re undefeated so far.”