KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The DiRenna Award is presented to the top high school boy and girl basketball player in the Kansas City area.
This year, 41 Action News has the honor to present the finalists.
Bennett Stirtz is a junior out of Liberty High School.
Stirtz averaged around 16 points and four assists per game this season and 21 points per game in the playoffs.
The Blue Jays made it to the Class 6 State Championship game, losing to Kickapoo 71-62. Stirtz had 28 points.
Coaches voted him the District 15 MVP and the unanimous Suburban Gold Player of the Year.
Since 1954, the DiRenna Award, created by Dr. James DiRenna Sr., has been awarded to boys basketball players.
Originally, it was only awarded to the top male athlete in Kansas City, Missouri. In the 1980s, the award expanded to encompass the entire Kansas City metropolitan area.
In 1997, a girls award was added.
Today, Dr. James DiRenna Jr. and the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association continue to recognize top hoopers in the area.
The winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Friday on 41 Action News.