Mid-Week Wrap: Top Underclassman Performances

We are only 3 weeks into the high school basketball season in the Bluegrass, but some players are already making a name for themselves with some show-stopping performances. In this article, we are going to look at some of the best underclassman performances in the first half of week 3 (Monday 12/13 and Tuesday 12/14). <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/laken-williams/"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="316114" first="Laken" last="Williams"]</b> | Sophomore | Martin County</a> The sophomore point guard is absolutely lighting it up in week 3, scoring 70 points in just 2 nights. Williams is extremely athletic, great at reading the passing lanes, and can flat out score the basketball. She had 41 points in Martin County's game on Monday night, and then dropped 29 points in their win the very next night. <b>A'Lyrica Hughes</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> | Sophomore | Owensboro High School</span> Hughes quick hands and versatility helped the sophomore guard put together a monster double-double, along with a victory on Tuesday evening. While she did take a lot of shots in the game, she also made a lot of those shots. In fact, she shot 57.9% overall in her 28 point, 10 rebound performance. <b>Aylana Taylor<span style="font-weight: 400;"> | Sophomore | Moore </span></b> Taylor scored nearly half of her team points in their victory on Tuesday night, but she also was working hard on the boards. The sophomore was a force down low as she pulled down 12 rebounds to go along with her 25 points. <b>Savannah Simpson <span style="font-weight: 400;">| Freshman | Lafayette</span></b> While Lafayette has 2 seniors that lead the way in both scoring and rebounding, Simpson has made her presence known in the start of her freshman season. In a district match-up, the guard/forward scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help her team come out victorious. <b>Ayanna-Sarai Darrington<span style="font-weight: 400;"> | Sophomore | Frederick Douglass </span></b> While the Broncos had been on a winning streak going into to Monday night, East Jessamine definitely tested if they could keep that streak alive. In large thanks to Darrington's double-double, Frederick Douglass came out victorious. There are two things that really set Darrington apart when you watch her play: her effort and her defense. She can hurt an opposing team just as much on the defensive end as she can on the offensive side, a rare quality for a player that spends most of her time in the post. <b>Jasmine Banks <span style="font-weight: 400;">| Freshman | Wolfe County</span></b> As an 8th grader, Banks averaged 4 points per game. In the start of her freshman season, she is averaging a double-double. In Wolfe County's win Monday night, Banks did what she has been doing all season and scored 14 points while adding 15 rebounds. The opposing team was only able to grab 8 more rebounds than Banks on her own. <b>Jenna Sparks<span style="font-weight: 400;"> | Sophomore | Belfry </span></b> Sparks put together 2 monstrous double-doubles to start off this week. The center grabbed over half of her team's rebounds in an overtime victory on Monday night, and then followed that up by grabbing over 60% of her team's total rebounds in Belfry's win on Tuesday. On top of absolutely dominating the boards, the sophomore put up a combined 35 points in both victories. <b>Leah Stinson<span style="font-weight: 400;"> | 8th grade | Valley</span></b> While many players put up 20+ points this week, Stinson earned a spot on this list because she scored as many points as her opponent did total in Valley's victory Monday evening. The middle school guard certainly does not play like she has not yet entered high school. While she certainly has a knack for getting to the basket, you cannot play off of her too much because of her ability to knock down the 3. In fact, in this game, Stinson was 3 of 5 from deep. <b>Rylee Theiss<span style="font-weight: 400;"> | Sophomore | Pikeville</span></b> When 15th region foe, Paintsville, visited the Panthers on Tuesday, they knew Theiss would be a force on the glass as she was averaging nearly 9 rebounds per game entering the contest. However, I do not think they expected to only out-rebound the sophomore by 11 total rebounds as a team. Theiss works extremely hard when she steps on the floor, and her effort is exactly what led to her grabbing 19 rebounds, to accompany her 19 points, in Pikeville's victory. &nbsp;