State Tournament: Thursday Players to Watch

Looking ahead to this week’s state tournament at Rupp Arena, here’s a breakdown of players to watch on Thursday at the KHSAA State Tournament. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Noon; South Laurel vs. Sacred Heart</strong></span> Day two at Rupp tips off with a highly anticipated match-up between two of the top teams in the state since the season tipped off. South Laurel has a high powered offense with Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80501" first="Amerah" last="Steele"], [player_tooltip player_id="80495" first="Ally" last="Collett"] and Sydnie Hall </strong>all capable of huge individual performances. The recent addition of Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="106133" first="Rachel" last="Presley"] (now eligible after a transfer) gives them a low post presence who shoots nearly 60% from the field. Sacred Heart is the favorite to win it all this week and their veterans are why. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80496" first="Erin" last="Toller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="80506" first="Kristen" last="Clemons"]</strong> are both D1 athletes while freshman <strong>Triniti Ralston </strong>has stepped up with Radford signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31816" first="Destinee" last="Marshall"]</strong> sidelined with a hand injury. The Thursday tip-off features a ton of talent and athleticism all over the floor. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>1:30; Marshall County vs Henderson County</strong></span> Sophomore <strong>Halle Langhi</strong> leads the Lady Marshalls in rebounding and is second on the team in scoring behind Junior guard <strong>Cayson Conner. Jada Driver </strong>could be the X factor for Marshall County as she averages just shy of 9 points and 4 rebounds per game. Henderson is led by second region player of the year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80505" first="Emilee" last="Hope"]</strong> and her 19.4 points per game. <strong>Sadie Wurth</strong> is a capable second fiddle behind Hope, averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds per game. <strong>Graci Risley</strong> is a big time shooter for Henderson, who lives and dies by the 3 ball. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>6:30; Bowling Green vs Russell</strong></span> The Lady Purples are a very young team, featuring only 3 Seniors. <strong>Saniyah Shelton, Keyozdon Jones, LynKaylah James and Meadow Tisdale </strong>all average 9.6 points per game for a balanced attack Shelton and Tisdale are only freshmen while James is a Sophomore. The future is bright for BG regardless of this weekend’s results. Russell Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="88427" first="Kaeli" last="Ross"]</strong> and 8th grader <strong>Shaelyn Steele</strong> are a formidable 1-2 punch while Junior <strong>Aubrey Hill</strong> is a tough as nails third option for the Red Devils. Of all the first round matchups, these teams may have the best returning talent next season. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>8:00; George Rogers Clark vs Owensboro Catholic</strong></span> The Lady Cards are back at the Sweet Sixteen for the 4th straight year. NKU bound Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80494" first="Kennedy" last="Igo"]</strong> is the straw that stirs the drink for them but <strong>Brianna Byars</strong> is improving with every game and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106139" first="Tyra" last="Flowers"] and Shelbi Wilson</strong> are both very capable weapons for Coach Graham’s offense. Catholic is led by future Murray State Racer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31828" first="Hannah" last="McKay"]. </strong>McKay leads the Lady Aces in almost every category, including points, rebounds, field goal percentage, three point percentage and free throw percentage. <strong>Spencer Harvey and Isabella Henning</strong> are the next most impactful players but the key to beating Catholic is slowing down McKay.