2020-2021 Breakout Candidates

The state of Kentucky is home to a lot of talented young ladies. While we just graduated a ton of talent in the 2020 class, there are others ready to step up and make an instant impact next season. Here’s a look at some early candidates to break out next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="88430" first="Kayra" last="Freeman"], Elizabethtown (2021) - </strong>The Lady Panthers graduated 7 Seniors including 2 D1 signees. Someone is going to have to take the bulk of the shots next season for the reigning 5th region champions. Freeman has slowed down a little since her hot start at John Hardin a couple seasons ago but now is her time to shine and Kayra is primed for a big Senior year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106153" first="Gracie" last="Merkle"], Bullitt East (2022) - </strong>Seven points and 4 rebounds per game isn’t going to jump off the page at you but the God given size of Merkle makes her a hot recruit with college coaches and gives her the chance to be a game changer for Bullitt East over the next two years. After shooting 64% from the field in limited touches this past season, she should get even more chances to score off the low block as a Junior. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106157" first="Hanna" last="Robinson"], Grant County (2022) -</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="80518" first="Abby" last="West"] is gone from Grant County and Robinson should get the lions’ share of the shots next year for the Lady Braves. If she can improve her shooting efficiency from last season, there could be a huge jump in scoring output for Hanna. Scoring 18-20 points per game next season is not out of the question. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164387" first="Triniti" last="Ralston"], Sacred Heart (2023) - </strong>Plenty has been said and written about Ralston already but the reason she makes this list is that she is about to play with the ball in her hands for about 32 minutes every night out. With her athleticism and skill, Triniti is going to have a chance to be the best young player in the City of Louisville next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164392" first="Abby" last="Holtman"], Ryle (2023) - </strong>Ryle graduates a D1 player and another takes their place but it’s unlikely that any one player will be able to replace [player_tooltip player_id="31803" first="Maddie" last="Scherr"]’s production next season. Holtman has a good shot at replicating Maddie’s scoring from this year but if she can do all the other little things as a Sophomore, Abby can keep the Lady Raiders from missing a beat as they look to defend their state title again. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="164412" first="Anna" last="Kate Drakeford"], Mercer County (2023) - </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80507" first="Channing" last="Lewis"] is gone and her 15 points per game graduated with her. "AK" is ready for a bigger role and is a lot better than just being a catch and shoot player which is the role she played for most of this past season. Looking ahead to next season, Drakeford and [player_tooltip player_id="164385" first="Timberlynn" last="Yeast"] could be the best duo in the 12th region. And they’re just getting started.