TODAY’S HEADLINES
🏀 Preseason Top 25 Girls Teams
🏈 First-Round Playoff Prospectus (Class 3A/Class 4A)
🏐 State Tournament scores, Miss Volleyball & All-State
🔗 Links
🏀 KHSD PRESEASON TOP 25: GIRLS
FEARSOME FOUR
All of these teams received at least 400 total points. Last year’s record and postseason finish in parentheses.
1. George Rogers Clark (33-2; state champion)
Head coach Robbie Graham: “How will our team handle being the defending state champs? Losing 5 seniors from last year, will we have players step up to fill the void?”
793 points. Appeared on 82 ballots. Received 66 first-place votes, by far the most of any team.
2. Sacred Heart (24-8; lost to Assumption in 7th Region championship)
Valkyries had a strong summer, and that was before sophomore Charlotte Galloway, a 6-4 transfer from Hawaii, made her way to Louisville.
483 points. Appeared on 61 ballots. Received 9 first-place votes, second most of any team.
3. Assumption (27-6; lost to GRC in state championship)
Four of the six Rockets who played in the Sweet 16 final graduated, but back are PG Se’Rae Bundrent-Palmer and 6-footer Kylie Moore, both juniors receiving lots of D1 interest.
437 points. Appeared on 57 ballots. Received 3 first-place votes, fourth most of any team.
4. Frederick Douglass (25-8; lost to Assumption in state QFs)
Broncos’ Jaelee Knowles (13.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Tamia Waide (10 ppg, 58 made 3-pointers) are considered the top 2 players in the 11th Region.
434 points. Appeared on 64 ballots. Only top-3 team not to receive a first-place vote.
FAB FIVE
All of these teams received at least 100 points. Last year’s record and postseason finish in parentheses.
5. Simon Kenton (33-3; lost to GRC in state SFs)
Freshman Angela Kabeya was a revelation during last season’s Sweet 16, where she averaged 15.6 ppg.
372 points. Appeared on 59 ballots. Received 5 first-place votes, third most of any team.
6. Taylor County (29-7; lost to Assumption in state SFs)
Kennedy Deener, a sophomore, is Kentucky’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year. Cardinals graduated one senior who saw spot action last season.
318 points. Appeared on 59 ballots.
7. North Laurel (25-7; lost to GRC in state first round)
Jaguars have played in four straight state tournaments, going 61-5 against fellow 13th Region teams over that span.
253 points. Appeared on 49 ballots.
8. Cooper (20-9; lost to Highlands in 9th Region first round)
Senior Haylee Noel (20.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg) is the two-time reigning 9th Region Player of the Year.
123 points. Appeared on 32 ballots.
9. Covington Holy Cross (28-6; lost to Notre Dame in 9th Region championship)
Indians were 2 points away in overtime from making their first state tournament since 2015, when they won their only state championship.
106 points. Appeared on 21 ballots.
SUPER SEVEN
All of these teams received at least 30 points and were named on at least 10 ballots. Last year’s record and postseason finish in parentheses.
10. Notre Dame Academy (25-8; lost to Taylor County in state QFs)
Pandas return no All-Region selections but have two of their top four scorers back in the fold (Sarah Young and Amelia Stallard).
88 points. Appeared on 21 ballots.
11. Owensboro Catholic (27-10; lost to Simon Kenton in state QFs)
Seniors Katie Hagan and Taylor Mannahan combined to average 25 ppg a year ago for the Aces, who’ve won five of the last nine 3rd Region titles.
81 points. Appeared on 23 ballots.
12. Bethlehem (20-13; lost to Taylor County in 5th Region championship)
Maliah Courtney, a top junior who previously played for Elizabethtown, joined the Banshees this offseason.
76 points. Appeared on 14 ballots.
13. Ashland Blazer (26-6; lost to Simon Kenton in state first round)
Head coach Stacy Davis: “The biggest question is how quickly this group can come together and build its own identity. Our expectations are high, and we’re hungry to make another run at Rupp!”
69 points. Appeared on 20 ballots.
14. Ryle (21-10; lost to CHC in 9th Region SFs)
Raiders boast one of the most impressive bigs in Kentucky in Jayden McClain, a rangy 6-6 sophomore
54 points. Appeared on 11 ballots.
15. Calloway County (33-3; lost to Assumption in state first round)
Not to dismiss the Lakers, who were among the state’s coolest stories last year, but many outside of the 1st Region (where they rank outside the top 3) seem unaware that their top two players graduated.
49 points. Appeared on 10 ballots.
16. South Laurel (26-7; lost to North Laurel in 13th Region championship)
Since making back-to-back state tournaments in 2020 and 2021, the Cardinals each year have fallen to the eventual region champ (Corbin in 2022 and rival North Laurel the last four seasons).
37 points. Appeared on 11 ballots.
NINE TO KNOW
All of these teams received at least 5 points and were named on at least 2 ballots. Last year’s record and postseason finish in parentheses.
17. Henderson County (24-10; lost to Frederick Douglass in state first round)
Colonels are looking for their eighth straight Sweet 16 trip, which would be the longest streak by any program since Marshall County reached 10 straight out of the 1st Region (1982-1991).
28 points. Appeared on 8 ballots.
t18. Bishop Brossart (25-8; lost to GRC in 10th Region first round)
Mustangs could be formidable in the state tournament if they can slay Goliath in their region.
20 points. Appeared on 4 ballots.
t18. West Jessamine (22-13; lost to Taylor County in state first round)
Another instance where statewide voters like the Colts more than their region does — but West Jess does have preseason 12th Region Player of the Year Claire Marshall on its roster.
20 points. appeared on 5 ballots.
20. Paul Laurence Dunbar (25-5; lost to Douglass in 11th Region championship)
Bulldogs’ top two scorers from a year ago, Layla Flynn (15.2 ppg) and Kaleigh Potts (13.6 ppg) also are big contributors for the school’s soccer team, which is still alive in the state tournament.
9 points. Appeared on 4 ballots.
t21. Johnson Central (20-7; lost to Pikeville in 15th Region championship)
The Golden Eagles’ expected starters consist entirely of underclassmen who played big minutes last season, boding well for their present and future.
8 points. Appeared on 2 ballots.
t21. Manual (17-12; lost to Assumption in 7th Region SFs)
Head coach Michael Prichard: “Our goal is to try and close the gap and establish ourselves as a team capable of competing with anyone in a traditionally loaded 7th Region.”
8 points. Appeared on 2 ballots.
t21. McCracken County (26-9; lost to Calloway County in 1st Region championship)
Coaches in the 1st Region project the Mustangs, who return more production, ahead of Calloway, for what it’s worth. The Lakers beat ’em by a point in last year’s final.
8 points. Appeared on 4 ballots.
t24. Bullitt East (19-13; lost to Franklin-Simpson in state first round)
Head coach Chris Stallings: “I feel like we can compete with some good teams but got overpowered physically and out-executed some this summer. We have a lot of room to grow from October to March.”
7 points. Appeared on 2 ballots.
t24. Franklin-Simpson (25-8; lost to GRC in state QFs)
Wildcats have lost a ton of experience the last two seasons — six seniors in May after seven the year prior — but have garnered respect across the state.
7 points. Appeared on 3 ballots.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
All of these teams were named on at least one ballot. Listed in order of total points received (points in parentheses).
John Hardin (6); Barren County (5); Central (5); Southwestern (5); Highlands (4); Marshall County (4); Nicholas County (3); Walton-Verona (3); Campbellsville (2); Christian County (2); Franklin County (2); Campbell County (1); Letcher County Central (1); Paintsville (1); Pikeville (1)
HOW THE POLL WAS MADE
This is the inaugural Kentucky High School Daily Preseason Top 25.
As part of KHSD’s preseason survey of boys basketball coaches across the state, KHSD’s Joshua Moore asked coaches to rank their top 10 teams. A total of 121 girls coaches returned surveys from all 16 KHSAA regions, and every region had at least 4 participants. Coaches were allowed to vote for their own teams.
Teams ranked No. 1 in a ballot received 10 points, a team ranked no. 2 received 9 points, and so on until a 10th team received 1 point. This process was repeated for every ballot received. Some coaches named fewer than 10 teams; their rankings were awarded the same values through the end of their respective ranking. About 30% of ballots returned without any statewide ranking; often, coaches used that answer field to offer a self-assessment re: their lack knowledge beyond their own region, which was perfectly acceptable.
Multiple attempts were made to contact every coach via publicly available emails or phone numbers. If you did not receive communications from KHSD, please email [email protected] to ensure that you do in the future!
Disclosure: Coaches who returned a survey received a discount code for a Total Package subscription on the day prior to this poll’s published, on the same day boys coaches received their discount code.
🏈 FIRST-ROUND PROSPECTUS: PART 2
A quick note on every first-round playoff game in Class 3A and Class 4A. Covered Class A and Class 2A in yesterday’s issue; Class 5A and Class 6A coming tomorrow. My game pick in bold.
Class 3A
Region 1
Hart County (6-4) at Murray (9-1)
Tigers won this matchup 49-6 in the second round last year.
Hopkins County Central (5-5) at Glasgow (9-1)
Scotties probably are the most dangerous 2 seed in the entire playoffs regardless of class.
Webster County (1-9) at LaRue County (10-0)
Hawks hunting for their first playoff win since 2021.
Butler County (7-3) at Union County (5-5)
Bears, favored by RPI, are in the postseason for the first time since 2022 and looking for their first win since 2016.
Region 2
Mercer County (2-8) at Christian Academy of Louisville (10-0)
The first of a few running-clock wins, I suspect, for CAL
DeSales (4-6) at Bardstown (7-3)
Kinda want to pick the slight upset (Colts are RPI 16 to the Tigers’ 11) because DeSales has played a slightly tougher schedule with close losses to two tough teams (Louisville Holy Cross and Central). But Bardstown does have the best win between the two on paper (Class 4A RPI No. 9 E’town).
Western (1-8) at Lexington Catholic (8-2)
Ben Schlarman, son of the late John Schlarman, has scored 14 TDs this season for the Knights
Garrard County (3-6) at Central (5-5)
Yellow Jackets’ win over Mayfield last week elevates their postseason outlook considerably.
Region 3
Lewis County (5-5) at Bourbon County (9-1)
Colonels lock in after a scare from 2A Danville in the regular-season finale.
Henry County (4-6) at Fleming County (6-4)
This cat fight — Henry’s the Wildcats, Fleming’s the Panthers — is the most even matchup on paper in Class 3A. Henry is RPI No. 19 and Fleming RPI No. 22, and they’re separated by less than 0.02 points. Wildcats’ schedule has been considerably tougher.
Carroll County at Russell (8-2)
East Carter (4-6) at Lloyd Memorial (9-1)
Juggernauts, a two seed but ranked No. 4 in RPI, haven’t missed a beat since their bad beat in Paris a few weeks ago.
Region 4
Powell County (2-8) at Rockcastle County (10-0)
Rockets ran the regular-season table for the first time since 2001
Clay County (5-5) at Estill County (7-3)
Engineers lost two of three down the stretch but get their first playoff win since 2022 behind a pair of running backs who’ve combined for nearly 2,000 yards (Brody Mainous and Matthew Partin)
McCreary Central (4-6) at Lawrence County (9-1)
Bulldogs will appreciate having a full week to prepare for one opponent after facing three in the span of eight days.
Letcher County Central (5-5) at Knox Central (7-3)
Another close one on paper: Knox is 13th in RPI and Letcher’s 17th, separated by about 0.04 points. Not sure where to go with it, really, but the Panthers have won six of their last seven and the loss was at Rockcastle County.
Class 4A
Region 1
Marion County (3-7) at Paducah Tilghman (10-0)
Blue Tornado are the No. 1 RPI team in their class for the first time since its introduction in 2019, which includes an undefeated title run in 2024. Boyle County and Franklin County, whom they defeated in the championship game, were both ranked ahead of them that season.
Warren East (6-4) at Nelson County (9-1)
Raiders closed the season on a 3-game losing streak. Nelson County won its last five.
Calloway County (6-4) at Elizabethtown (7-3)
Panthers were the only program that beat Nelson County in the regular season.
Taylor County (5-5) at Logan County (7-3)
One of the Cougars’ losses was a 1-point defeat at McCracken County (44-43) in overtime in their season-opener. The other two were to Paducah Tilghman and Class 6A stalwart South Warren.
Region 2
Western Hills (2-8) at North Oldham (9-1)
Mustangs went 9-0 after falling 28-14 at Lafayette in their season-opener, which includes a feather-in-the-cap win at Class 5A Atherton in the finale.
Valley (4-5-1) at Franklin County (5-5)
Flyers’ streak of six years with multiple playoff wins may be in jeopardy, but they’ll get a ninth straight round-one victory.
Waggener (4-6) at Spencer County (7-3)
Jake Green has a chance to rush for 2,000 yards and 30 TDs if the Bears go deep (he’s at 1,755 yards and 24 TDs entering this week).
Shelby County (3-7) at Breckinridge County (7-3)
Fighting Tigers haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. Most of the seasons between then and now they didn’t qualify for the postseason.
Region 3
Boyd County (6-4) at Highlands (8-2)
RPI No. 4 Bluebirds, who fell behind No. 3 Boyle County (whom they handled) effectively were punished for playing an out-of-state power close to home instead of a middling 5A or 6A team.
Mason County (5-5) at Greenup County (8-2)
Musketeers finished No. 2 in their district for the first time since 2022.
Harrison County (0-10) at Ashland Blazer (9-1)
No. 2 RPI team was undefeated and No. 1 before losing at Class 3A Lexington Catholic in the final week.
Johnson Central (3-7) at Covington Catholic (6-4)
On paper, this classic showdown could be competitive — CovCath is RPI No. 10 and JC 14th — but the Golden Eagles have struggled to slow down strong competition this season.
Region 4
Whitley County (0-10) at Boyle County (8-2)
Rebels were this close to knocking 6A’s Frederick Douglass from the unbeaten perch in the final week.
Lincoln County (2-8) at Perry County Central (5-5)
The Commodores finished 25th of 38 teams in Class 4A’s RPI, making them one of the lowest ranked teams hosting any playoff game.
Russell County (1-9) at Corbin (8-2)
Feels like the Redhounds have flown under the radar most of the year.
Harlan County (5-5) at Wayne County (4-6)
This one’s hard. Black Bears are a bit lower in RPI and have won two straight. Wayne’s lost their last two and has what’s probably the best win between them (5A’s Madison Southern). Deferring to the home team but uneasy about it.
🏐 STATE TOURNAMENT, ALL-STATE
Games in bracket order; first round played Monday at campus sites; Friday and Saturday games at George Rogers Clark High School
FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Paintsville def. Rowan County (3-0)
Mercy Academy def. Elizabethtown (3-0)
Assumption def. North Oldham (3-0)
McCracken County def. Christian County (3-0)
Notre Dame Academy def. Bishop Brossart (3-0)
West Jessamine def. Frederick Douglass (3-1)
Whitley County def. Letcher County Central (3-0)
Bowling Green def. Apollo (3-0)
FRIDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
Paintsville vs. Mercy Academy, 11 a.m.
Assumption vs. McCracken County, 1:30 p.m.
Notre Dame Academy vs. West Jessamine, 5 p.m.
Whitley County vs. Bowling Green, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Paintsville’s Kylie Kinner was named Miss Volleyball by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday. She became the first girl from the 15th Region and eastern Kentucky to earn that distinction, which has been awarded since 2007. Only six previous honorees hailed from outside Louisville, though Kinner became the fourth straight from outside the city. Click here to view all past winners.
St. Henry’s Kenadi Sieg was named KVCA Defensive Player of the Year. Beechwood’s Matt Long was named Coach of the Year.
LINKS
🏈 From Massachusetts: Gillette Stadium shuts out MIAA finals right before playoffs
