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.
Payton Verhulst is a senior from Bishop Miege High School.
The McDonald's All-American averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game this season for the Stags, who won the Class 4 state championship this year.
Verhulst will play college basketball at the University of Louisville next season.
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.