Newton South Athlete Joins Lehigh Basketball Squad

Standout Newton South basketball player Kayla Burton has been tapped as a member of Lehigh University's women's basketball team.

Burton, a guard, is joined by Kari Moffat, another guard, and forwards Lexi Martins and Kiernan McCloskey, according to a press release.

Lehigh women's basketball head coach Sue Troyan announced the newest members of her team on Thursday and said she felt confident the athletes were the right picks for the team.

“We feel this is a very talented group of student-athletes who will represent our program as both outstanding students as well as quality basketball players,” Troyan said in a press release. “They are players who have come from very successful high school and AAU programs, and who have a strong understanding what it takes to win. They are a talented group of players who will also bring the important qualities of strong leadership, a highly competitive spirit and a strong work ethic to our program.”

Burton is headed to Lehigh after playing point guard for four years at Newton South. During two of those years, she also served as a captain for the team. She is a Newton native who averaged 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in her senior year before being named a 2013 McDonald’s All-American Nominee and to the All-State team.

"Kayla is a highly competitive and spirited point guard who comes from a very successful AAU program where she helped guide her program to multiple tournament titles," Troyan said. "Kayla is a very skilled and athletic point guard who possesses very strong leadership qualities, she is someone who we believe possesses the skills to make immediate contributions to our program."

Burton received a number of awards and recognitions during her high school career, including elections to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic Teams in 2013 and being named an ESPN HoopGurlz four start recruit and Dual County League All Star for four years.

Read more about the Lehigh team and its four newest members.