West Hall’s Kavon Williams was sick for two of his three basketball games last week. Rather than sit on the bench and let himself recover, he put together the energy to play all three games.

It turned about to be a perfect decision. Williams scored in double figures in all three games, beginning with 18 points against Chestatee on Tuesday, a game-high 28 against White County on Friday and 19 points against Habersham Central on Saturday.

“Those were three tough games, all on the road,” Spartans coach Warren Sellars said. “Kavon just did what his team needed of him.”

Williams’ performance despite being below 100 percent healthy is a good indicator to how much dedication he has put into the 2008-09 basketball season. A senior starter that has been part of the Spartan basketball program since his freshman year, Williams has become a significant difference maker on a team that has electrified Region 7-AAA with its 14-1 start, No. 6 ranking in Class AAA and first Lanierland title in school history this season.

“Even in the ninth grade, we knew he was going to be an explosive scorer,” Sellars said. “He’s worked hard to perfect his shooting touch. That’s something he’s worked on in a lot of individual workouts.”

When subregion games begin today, Williams, along with his fellow teammates, will be subject to even more intensity. With virtually all of Region 7B-AAA’s teams looking to fight for the top spot in the subregion, the Spartans must be just as dominant in the second half of the season as it was during the first.

But Sellars has confidence that his team is headed in the right direction as it prepares for the second half. A lot of that has to do with Williams. As a senior, he has become a leader for a new-look West Hall team that seems poised for a successful season.

“A lot of the other guys look to him during some rough patches,” Sellars said. “He’s really stepped up and elevated his game and taken over more of a leadership role.”

Williams’ role on the court is unique as well. Surrounded by the likes Shunquez Stephens, Kyle Weatherly and Rodney Gibson, who all stand well above six feet tall, Williams has learned to use his 5-foot-10 frame in the most effective ways. Like many small guards, he is faster than most opponents, and his best shot comes from behind the 3-point line.

“He has a really good outside shot and outstanding quickness and strength for a player his size,” Sellars said. “He can hit the outside shot and he’s able to get to the rim.”

Williams spends much of the offseason training and improving his game, which is an advantage he has over many of his teammates. While the rest of the Spartans’ starting lineup spends the fall playing football, Williams is still on the court, preparing for the upcoming season.

“Basketball is his game,” Sellars said. “He eases (the football players’) transition, which obviously helped our team get off to a good start.”

With a successful season in the works, and graduation right around the corner, opportunities for Williams to continue his basketball career beyond high school are starting to come his way, as Sellars hopes to see him land at a mid-major Division-I team next fall.

“That’s one of his goals,” Sellars said. “He’s been getting a recruited a little bit. We don’t know where yet, but he’s going to make somebody a fine player next year.”