Early Season Stars

The season is a few weeks in and Christmas tournaments are in full swing. We are seeing some big time games from players all across the state. Here are a few players who are shining early this season. [player_tooltip player_id="31877" first="Patience" last="Laster"], Franklin County - Some wondered how Laster would fare without Brooklyn Miles feeding her the ball any more now that she’s playing her college ball in Knoxville but Patience has picked up where she left off last season. Averaging a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Lady Flyers and they’re off to a 9-0 start and won the Toyota Classic last week. [player_tooltip player_id="254273" first="ZaKiyah" last="Johnson"], Sacred Heart - One of the best freshmen in America, Z enrolled at SHA this summer and has already shown she may be the best prospect Kentucky has seen in a very long time. Putting up team highs with 18 points and 7 rebounds per game for the undefeated Valkyries, Johnson has excelled at everything on the court this season except perimeter shooting. If she improves her accuracy from deep, Zakiyah could be unguardable. [player_tooltip player_id="106138" first="Cassidy" last="Rowe"], Shelby Valley - Rowe has been playing varsity basketball for over half a decade now but is back to her old self after a couple of knee injuries slowed her down. Cassidy dominates the game without taking a ton of shots because she is able to penetrate the lane and score or get open looks for teammates. With a lightning quick first step tight ballhandling, Rowe has started her Senior season with a bang. [player_tooltip player_id="316114" first="Laken" last="Williams"], Martin County - Staying in the mountains, Williams is deserving of a bigger spotlight for her performance so far this season. The Sophomore is averaging 21 points per game and getting to the rim nearly at will. Martin County is off to an undefeated start to the season and Laken is a large reason why they’re off to such a hot start. [player_tooltip player_id="164386" first="Brianna" last="Byars"], GRC - Recently ascending to the top of our 2023 rankings, Byars has been backing up that status with a big start to her Junior season with 19 points and 6 rebounds per game while the Lady Cards have started out hot with the exception of a head scratching loss to Tates Creek a couple weeks back. Just this weekend, they knocked off Boyd County and Anderson County and are looking for a title at the Lexington Catholic tournament.