Kensey Clayton the Unsung Hero for Bethlehem

Larry Vaught Photo

Senior Kensey Clayton had four points and one rebounds in Bethlehem’s 56-49 win over Pikeville at the state tournament Thursday.

However, Bethlehem leading scorer Leah Macy — 31 points, 17 rebounds — knew the impact Clayton had on the win.

“Kensey always guards the best player. She might not score in double figures, but she plays a major role for us,” said Macy.

She’s continued to do that this season despite the passing of her father in January. She knows he’s proud of what she continues to do and appreciates the support family, teammates, friends and the Bethlehem community has shown.

“There have been some tough times but I know he would want me to be doing this,” she said.

Clayton is an emotional leader. She’s not afraid to yell or chirp at a teammate and once during Thursday’s game she screamed at Macy to “run” when didn’t get back on defense. She also was not shy about letting a teammate know when a defensive mistake cost the Banshees a basket.

“That is one of the perks of this team. We can chirp at each other and not take it to hear,” Clayton, who was also a starter on Bethlehem’s state championship soccer team, said. “We can argue over things and it is over the next play. A lot of teams do not have that chemistry that we do and we are lucky in that way.”

Clayton considers teammates her “sisters” and says they do more things than just sports together to maintain that bond. She also admits they may have won so much in soccer and basketball that they may not totally appreciate all they have done.

“I don’t worry about individual statistics. I have always heard your legacy and what you will remember is what your teams did and our teams have done pretty well,” Clayton, who has a 4.0 GPA despite taking a heavy dose of college prep classes, said.

Clayton is a bit of a free spirit. She might yell at teammates, but she’s also always smiling and that didn’t change after her father’s death.

“Sometimes when I get nervous I just smile, too,” she said.

Macy, a junior, is a big-time recruit with over 40 major college scholarship offers. Clayton said before one district game a “big coach” called Macy. “Does this happen daily to her?” Clayton said she wondered.

The Banshees are used to it but Clayton likes it because “we get free merch out of it.”

Actually, she admitted later that Macy gets so many sweatshirts, shirts and swag from schools recruiting her that the other players just take something for themselves at times.

“But it’s fun for everyone. We are all happy for her,” Clayton said.

However, they are all happy for Clayton, too, because not only is she a great teammate but she has persevered during a difficult time to keep doing all she can to help her teammates win and succeed.