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Seven Lakes HS senior ‘blessed’ to be nominated for 2024 McDonalds All-American Games despite injury

Justice Carlton is our KPRC 2 and UTMB Health Athlete of the Week

The Greater Houston area is well known for its talent level in high school basketball.

One of the top programs in the Houston area is Katy ISD’s Seven Lakes where the Spartans are off to a 23-8 record.

Standout senior Justice Carlton is our KPRC 2 and UTMB Health Athlete of the Week. She not only leads her team she can now proudly proclaim that she is a 2024 McDonald’s All-American.

RELATED: Me’Arah O’Neal and Justice Carlton Selected for the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Games in Houston

“I’ve been anxious since nominations came out. Tuesday was so humbling and I’m super blessed,” Carlton told KPRC 2 Sports on Wednesday.

Carlton said she didn’t think she’d be in the running this year and didn’t know if she would make the cut due to her injury.

“I was nervous but I’m super grateful because I came off this injury and they still included me,” said Carlton.

During practice on Wednesday, Head Coach Doug Watson thinks she’s a special player.

“She’s a special player and you don’t get to coach too many of those types of players in your career,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to coach her and she makes me look a lot smarter than I am.

Carlton, who is a 5-star recruit and committed to play at Texas, has been battling a knee injury and is happy to be back on the court after missing time.

“She’s unselfish with the ball and always trying to make her teammates better and that’s been awesome for our offense and it’s opened a lot of things up for us,” added Watson.

“Me not playing gave my teammates a chance for them to learn their own identities. They learned their positions on the floor and do their jobs,” said Carlton. “Texas having family as their base was super important to me and right when I got there they were all super welcoming and that was so important to me.”

Seven Lakes is 10-2 so far in the district and should be a strong contender to win Region 3 and advance to the UIL State Tournament in March.


About the Authors
Randy McIlvoy headshot

KPRC 2 Sports Director since 2004. Covers the Astros, Texans, Rockets, Dynamo, Dash and a few hundred local high schools across the Greater Houston Area

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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