All “A” 16th Region Finals _ Menifee Co v Elliot Co
USE MY CODE: Mercer30 to receive a 30% discount on subscriptions. I traveled last Friday night to Frenchburg so that I could see the 16th Region All “A” Finals between the host Menifee County Lady Cats and Elliot County Lady…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingUSE MY CODE: Mercer30 to receive a 30% discount on subscriptions.
I traveled last Friday night to Frenchburg so that I could see the 16th Region All “A” Finals between the host Menifee County Lady Cats and Elliot County Lady Lions who had both advanced to the precipice of birth into the All “A” Classic. In a very hard-fought game between two rugged collections of players, the Lady Cats would prevail and punch a ticket for their school for the 3rd time in the tournament’s history. The above photo shows a collection of current and past Menifee County players that have played in the tournament. (Apologies to the ladies I had to crop out so the photo would fit.)
I had seen Menifee County previously in a Christmas Tournament at Lexington Catholic, but I got very sick and have not yet written anything about that event opting instead to move forward to try to stay current. So some of what I say about these players below may come from impressions and notes I made about them in other games. But I have only seen the Lady Lions once. So this might also lend itself to a better overage of the players from Menifee by comparison, not any bias or preference for one team or another. Knowing more about their players tends to make what I have to say about them more in-depth, which is not surprising I am sure. Lastly, because they won I will cover the Lady Cats first in this article but if you are here t read about players from Elliot County you may want to scroll to the bottom of the page.
Shalyne Baker – SG – Menifee County 2025
My notes and my memories of Baker are full of her receiving the ball on the wing or the in the corner, really anywhere on the court, and taking it to the hole to score on a layup or short jumper. She sometimes takes the ball off the defensive glass coast-to-coast in transition to score the ball. She is an athletic finisher, an active defender, a highly competent ballhandler, and an all-around tough player to face in every facet of a basketball game. She is a slasher, cutter, rebounder, and competitor that will be on every scouting report put together for teams that will face the Lady Lions.
Baker is the leading scorer and 2nd leading rebounder on the team averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Don’t even think about trying to stop her by fouling her, she is making 77.1% of her free throws and has the strength, balance, and skill to finish through contact to establish the chance for the And 1 free-throw. In the final, she scored 16 points, while making 7 of her 10 shots inside the three-point arc and shooting 58.3% from the field on the evening.
The first time I saw her play I assumes she was a Senior due to her composure on the court and the way she was relentlessly driving the ball to the basket. Seniors often have the kind of all-in mentality that she has that lets them shine by maximizing their talents and playing with the determination she displays on the court. When I discovered she still has two more seasons left in high school I knew that she was a prospect that we at Prep Girls Hoops need to add to our Rankings on our next update.
I will certainly want to keep tabs on her development as an athlete and player over the next few seasons. This is someone College Coaches need to be aware of. Some of them surely know her already and are cursing me for letting their competitors find out about her. But those same Coaches will forgive me when I reveal some other players to them that they didn’t know about. It is a two-way street.
Jaycee Gevedon Jaycee Gevedon 5'4" | PG Menifee County | 2026 State KY – PG – Menifee County 2026
I told Gevedon and Baker that they would be Ranked the next time we updated only to find out that Gevedon is already Ranked #25 in the Class of 2026 by PGH. That is most likely due to the hard work of my co-worker Alyx White whose current knowledge of the Class of 2026 far exceeds mine. But as usual, I agree with everything Alyx has to say about the talent she has seen. I haven’t read any of Alyx’s takes yet, but after I post this I am going straight there to compare notes. Being on the Rankings really helps other Scouts know where they might want to find prospects to cover, so don’t be surprised to see Akeem Webb roll into some games in the future as he covers that region of the State a little more often while covering Kentucky and West Virginia.
Gevedon is a dangerous shooter from the outside and a very quick ballhandler and defender. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her transition to become a Point Guard in the future, but as of right now, that role is handled by an upperclassman. Right now she is a go-to Shooting Guard, with ice in her veins and all of the knowledge she needs to find her window to receive the ball and drain the three. She made 50% of her threes (3/6) and 52% of her other shots in the finals while contributing 12 huge rebounds. That sort of offensive efficiency is impressive, both for her as a player, and for her team knowing they are getting her the ball when and where she needs it to provide a lift.
Her season averages of 11.2 points, and 2.4 rebounds, while making 33.3% of her 96 three-point attempts, and 81% of her free throws is an incredible stat line for a Freshman. Look for more out of this player in the years to come.
Morgan Wells – PF – Menifee County 2023
Wells was well-contained by the defense in the finals. Held to only 4 points, she still tallied 9 rebounds and was very important defensively in denying her opponent easy points by bodying up to protect the boards. My impression of her has been that she is a post player that can step out behind the arc and knock down the three-point shot. And while that is true, she is making 30% of those shots this season, my opinion is a little biased because I have seen her make 2 of the 3 three-pointers she has made (3/10 on the season). But I have also seen her shoot and make mid-range shots, so be aware that she could be an underutilized threat because it is so important to the team to have her close to the basket.
Under the hoop, Wells is a stalwart (I had to look that word up to make sure it meant what I thought it did). She must be accounted for when she posts up to take away her scoring potential, but she is an excellent passer who will make you pay on the kick out. You must keep her off the boards or she will kill you will the putbacks. She is an excellent screener that can open up her teammates and knows how to roll, slip, spot up, or otherwise make the right read after the screen. She is no easy mark for any defender if she were not a hair under-sized she would be a certain prospect on the next level. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that some coach is going to take her next season should she desire to continue her career.
Her season stat line of 8.8 points, and 8.4 rebounds, demonstrates what an asset she is for the Lady Cats. Her 47.4% field goal and, 64.3% free throw shooting percentages show her commitment to taking her opportunities within the team concept. She isn’t jacking it up when something more likely to score a bucket is available for the team. Wells’ commitment to winning is apparent.
Taylor Parks – PG – Menifee County 2023
Parks is so fast with the ball and even faster without it. She sprints the ball up the court on offense and sprints back to defend transition on defense. She plays tough and isn;t afraid to mix it up. She scored 8 points in the finals on a runner after driving up the right side of the lane and making 4 free throws (I missed the other score). She also tallied an assist on a lob up the court to a teammate on a runout and by getting into the lane and kicking out the ball for a three-point shooter. Lots of players are good at penetrating o a quick first step, Parks, makes quick 2nd, 3rd, 4th steps as well.
She pulled in 5 rebounds in the finals to aid in the victory, above her season average of 2.9 rebounds per game. On the season she is averaging 6 points per game and shooting 31.7% from the three-point range. But, except for assists that are not available through the KHSAA, her best contributions are not something that can be counted in a statistical category. The ability to play with her hair on fire, sprinting around the court, dragging defenses out of shape, and creating openings for her teammates to cut into or spot up in is a huge asset that she brings to the team.
Molly Howard – G – Elliot County 2024
12 points, 4 rebounds, 5/10 50% field goals, 2/4 50% three-point,
Howard is the leading scorer for the Lady Lions averaging 12.8 points per game on 49.6% field goal shooting. She also makes 43.6% of her three-point shots and an extremely impressive 89.5% of her free throws. Do you know how hard it is to make free throws at almost 90%? Let’s just point out how few players on any level of the game shoot in the 80% range, for one. But only the best of the very best make anywhere at or around 90% of those shots. That says one or two things about her: 1 great shooter and/or 2 ice in the veins. All eyes are on her, maybe she has just been roughed up, she steps to the line after having her heart pumping hard from running, and she steps to the line ignoring razzing fans and chanting cheerleaders to sink shots that could determine the outcome of the game. Boss.
In the finals, Howard shot an impressive 50% from the field and 50% from the three-point line (5/10 field goals, 2/4 threes). She completed her night with 12 points and 4 rebounds. She also did a great job of setting her teammates up to score. I don’t always see who made the pass when someone scores because I have to look down to take notes and sometimes I am trying to watch something else about a player. But according to my notes she had at least three assists in the game. Two of them were lob passes, one from the wing and the other on a drive into the center of the lane from the perimeter. The other assist came on a cross-lane pass after she drew the defense during a fast break.
Kiley Whitt – SF – Elliot County 2024
Scoring opportunities came for Whitt in three different ways according to my notes. She made a three-pointer from the left wing, made a layup by running the floor during a fastbreak, and found a “gift” loose ball rolling around in the center of the lane. She picked that ball up, made a dribble to the left, and came back towards the hoop for a layup on the left-hand side. During the game, she tallied 11 points, and 4 rebounds, while making 3 of her 7 shots from inside the arc for 42.8% from the field.
On the season, Whitt is averaging 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is making 31.9% of her three-pointer, and 62.3% of her free throw attempts.
Kailey Hamilton – G – Elliot County 2024
Hamilton made a three and scored on a rebound putback to total 5 points in the finals 5 points. She also grabbed a crucial 8 rebounds and recorded at least 1 assist by driving into the lane and kicking the ball out to a teammate for a three. She is contributing 4.7 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game and making 31.9% from the three-point line, and 66.7% on free throw attempts.