LANCE JETER

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Lance Jeter: "Sweet Jete" joined 1,000-point club. Click photo for larger image.

SCHOOL: Beaver Falls

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior who is one of the best guards in WPIAL basketball.

THE PAST WEEK: Jeter scored 45 points in a 98-80 victory against Quaker Valley Dec. 7. He had 31 against North Allegheny Friday, 21 against Mt. Lebanon Saturday and 13 vs. New Brighton Tuesday.

1,000 POINTS: Jeter has been a starter since his freshman year and already has 1,000 career points. He scored his 1,000th against Quaker Valley and now has 1,107. Jeter has a good chance to become the 20th player in WPIAL history to score 2,000 points.

SEASON: The kid called "Sweet Jete" is one of the leading scorers in the WPIAL with a 28.4 average. He has helped Beaver Falls to a 4-1 record and the Tigers are the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked WPIAL Class AA team.

WHATEVER IS NEEDED: Jeter's natural position might be shooting guard. But he plays point guard for Beaver Falls.

"The main improvement I've seen in him this year is he's letting the game come to him," Beaver Falls coach Doug Biega said. "He's doing whatever we need. When we needed a scoring boost against an exceptionally talented team like Quaker Valley, he scored 45. Against New Brighton, we wanted to get everyone involved, so he had only 14."

Jeter said, "I'll do whatever this team needs. But this team seems more comfortable with me playing point."

MOM COULD ALSO PLAY: Jeter's mother, Joy, was a star at Beaver Falls two decades ago. She scored more than 1,700 career points and was a member of the Post-Gazette Fabulous Five in 1985.

CIRCLE THE DATE: Jeter and Beaver Falls are looking forward to a Jan. 7 game against Aliquippa, the No. 2-ranked Class AA team in the WPIAL. The Quips and Beaver Falls tied for the section title last year, but Aliquippa beat Beaver Falls in the WPIAL final.

"We're ready for that one," Jeter said. "It's about time to separate from them and get our own section championship."

THE FUTURE: Some Division I colleges have expressed interest in Jeter.

-- By Mike White

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LAURA GRIMM

SCHOOL: Serra Catholic.

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-7 point guard on the girls' basketball team, which is 5-0 and No. 2 in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class A rankings.

THE PAST WEEK: Grimm scored 27 points Friday, leading Serra to a 68-62 victory against McKeesport, a Class AAAA squad, in the Daily News Classic, a round-robin tournament.

CAREER: A junior, Grimm is averaging 19.4 points and 5.0 assists per game this season, her first full time at the point.

Grimm has been a starting guard since the season opener her freshman year, when she scored 32 against Yough.

"We won the WPIAL that year, so she played with good players," said Eagles coach Bill Cleary. "But you could tell she was special right then and there."

With 936 points, Grimm is on pace to eclipse the school record of 1,790 established by Jody Sabo, class of 2001.

IT'S SHOE-TIME: Grimm's basketball reputation extends beyond the WPIAL. She was in Atlanta in early July to participate in the adidas camp, an invitation-only showcase of elite players that draws numerous college coaches.

Grimm may have been the youngest one there, as most of the 150 players were rising seniors and she was two months shy of her 16th birthday.

"My first game, I played particularly horrible," she said. "I was nervous. But as the week progressed, I was more relaxed and played better."

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED: Grimm lives in Squirrel Hill and has to take a Port Authority bus to Serra, which is in McKeesport. She catches it at 6:30 a.m. A parent or friend takes her home.

A City League school or a parochial institution, such as Oakland Catholic, would have been closer. But Grimm, a rising AAU star, said when she was in eighth grade, she and her parents chose Serra following serious talks about high school.

"We discussed several schools," Grimm said. "Most of them were Catholic, and Oakland Catholic was a primary one. Most were good academically, but I also wanted a school where I wouldn't sit for two years. Serra provided those opportunities."

FUTURE: College basketball is prominent in Grimm's plans, and Cleary said she already "is getting a lot of Division I activity."

-- By Rick Shrum