COLUMBIA — Blythewood High School standout Chase Thomas was recently named Richland County Recreation Commission’s Player of the Year.

In a video posted on the commission’s Facebook page, Thomas said the award means more because she knew how much was sacrificed along the way. She specifically recognized that it was the support of her family and teammates that carried her to this point.

“I’d like to thank God for just putting me in a position to be able to do this, give me the talent,” she said, “and my parents for always supporting me to make the sacrifices, and my teammates and coaches for just supporting me and putting me in positions. I couldn’t do it without my team.”

The award comes with a $2,000 scholarship, which is the cherry on top of a championship season for Thomas and the Bengals.

Thomas finished her senior campaign averaging 22.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game, helping lead Blythewood to a 24-5 record, a region title and the 5A Division I championship title.

She wraps her Blythewood career with 2,186 points and 1,162 rebounds. In early February, Thomas signed to play basketball at South Carolina State University.

“It’s definitely a special feeling … the championship that we won, it was just great. Back-to-back … I can’t describe this feeling,” she said. “I’m so blessed.”